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The Body Compassion
Project
The Revolution Is Within
For therapists and healers ready to trade burnout and body disconnection for grounded presence and self-compassion. Discover tools to deepen your own body relationship while better supporting your clients in theirs.
December 11 to 13, 2026 · Himalayan Institute, Poconos
Body compassion is all about starting small.
In a world that thrives on unrealistic beauty ideals and external validation, we can lose our connection with our personal power and feel discontent with our bodies. That's why we've made it our mission to teach simple yet powerful ways to practice compassion and connection with your body, experience more peace and grace in the unscripted chaos of life, develop mindfulness skills, and cultivate more appreciation for your unique values and qualities.
This year's theme, The Revolution Is Within, arose organically from last year's retreat, when participants arrived holding grief, urgency, and righteous anger. Together we realized that body compassion isn't always soft or gentle. Sometimes it roars. Sometimes it burns. And sometimes, it's the quiet persistence of showing up again and again in a world that teaches us to disappear.
In a world that constantly demands our performance, obedience, and self-correction, it is a radical act to return to the body. Not to fix it, but to listen, tend, and reclaim it.
What You'll Experience
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Somatic Healing
Reiki, Yoga Therapy, mindfulness, breathwork, and guided visualization to cultivate body compassion across all layers of the Self. Our Body Compassion Yoga classes are beginner-friendly, gentle, trauma-sensitive, and unique. Building upon the themes of the retreat, we use our bodies to turn inward, connecting to our authentic selves and meeting whatever shows up for us with compassion. The focus is less on fitness and more on connecting with the self.
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Creative Expression
Through art, journaling, and guided reflection, explore your relationship with your body in ways that bypass the analytical mind. Participants often say they haven't touched watercolors since elementary school, and what a treat it is to play with them as an adult.
Nature and Ritual
A private guided hike and forest bath, a Lunar Phase inspired gentle yoga practice, a Fire Pit Pondside Ritual, and a Chai Tea and Homemade Cookies welcome party. With rolling hills, a lush shoreline, and magnificent sunrises and sunsets as your backdrop.
What's Included
Your tuition covers the full retreat experience
No yoga experience necessary. No flexibility required. All bodies welcome.
Participants often comment on how different our yoga classes are compared to what's offered in their community. Many feel included, seen, and safe for the first time in a group movement space.
Meet Your Presenters
Kanjana Hartshorne
LCSW, C-IAYT, Reiki Master, CCFP
Kanjana is a licensed psychotherapist, yoga teacher, and C-IAYT yoga therapist. She owns a group practice, Healing Hearts Wellness, where her team of warm and talented therapists and yoga therapists specialize in holistic and somatic therapies for mental health. In her own journey to wellness, Kanjana discovered how powerful and healing yoga, meditation, energy work, and the expressive arts can be. She loves empowering people in all bodies to find a deeper, more compassionate relationship with all layers of the Self through self-discovery, connection, and simple, accessible holistic self-care practices.
Erika Tenenbaum
C-IAYT, Certified Yoga Therapist
Erika is a certified yoga therapist and educator with over 25 years of experience in yoga and 15 years in yoga therapy. She specializes in the intersection of somatics and mental health, supporting clients with anxiety, trauma, disordered eating, and emotional dysregulation. With training in disordered eating and a passion for healing the fractured relationship between body and self, she guides individuals toward self-trust, regulation, and insight. Erika brings warmth, honesty, and a trauma-informed lens to all her work, believing that healing begins not with fixing but with listening.
This retreat is appropriate for women and nonbinary folks who want to explore how to feel more content and compassionate in relationship with their bodies and selves. Whether you struggle with body image because of diet culture, your past, and/or cultural and societal pressures around weight, race, size, ability, aging, illness, or more, we invite you to join us.
Questions? Reach out to KanjanaDeepen Your Clinical Practice
This retreat blends experiential learning with clinically grounded insight, offering therapists and healthcare providers the chance to deepen their personal embodiment and expand their clinical skillset. Through somatic, expressive, and mindfulness-based practices, you'll explore your own relationship with body image while gaining tools to support clients in navigating similar struggles.
You'll gain understanding of:
- •The neuroscience of body image and trauma-informed yoga therapy interventions
- •How systemic factors like diet culture, fatphobia, racism, and ableism shape body image
- •Evidence-based body-based interventions for anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia
- •Practical tools for managing overwhelming thoughts and emotions related to body image
Grounded in core clinical social work values including cultural humility, trauma-informed care, systems thinking, and the person-in-environment perspective. Earn 10 continuing education credits.
The Schedule
The order of sessions is subject to change based on the needs of the group.
Friday
December 11Saturday
December 12Sunday
December 13You are welcome to arrive as early as 4 PM on Friday to enjoy the chai welcome party, dinner, and optional yoga. You can also stay after Sunday's closing session and lunch to enjoy the grounds, facilities, and spa.
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Choose Your Path
Tuition covers all 5 sessions, CEs, supplies, and special activities. Room and board are booked separately through the Himalayan Institute.
Reserve Your Spot
Secure your spot with a deposit and we'll set up a payment plan that works for you.
Save Your SpotAdditional Discounts
Bring a Friend
Save $60 each. Can combine with Early Bird for $160 off total.
Equity Rate
15% off for those who have faced historical or institutional barriers to access.
PSCSW Members
10% off tuition ($985.50).
Return Participants
Been to a BCP retreat before? Contact Kanjana for a special welcome-back discount.
Limited to two discounts per person. Additional discounts cannot be combined with the PSCSW discount or Equity Rate.
Room and Board
Room and board starts at $240 for a shared room and is booked separately through the Himalayan Institute. This includes vegetarian, vegan, and Ayurvedic meals (Friday dinner through Sunday lunch), access to hundreds of acres of trails, and optional daily yoga and meditation offerings.
You can upgrade to a single room or a suite with a private bath. We recommend booking as soon as possible.
Book Your RoomTestimonials from Past Participants
"It's rare for me to feel supported in my struggle to love my body. It was enlivening to meet women who understand. I realize now that finding solidarity with others on the journey is imperative. It's nourishing and healing to be part of a community. I explored challenging topics and learned valuable skills, but most of all I realized I'm not alone."Lesa
"Who knew that a weekend of getting in touch with myself, surrounded by such beautiful women in a beautiful area in the Poconos, is what I truly needed. It has been a few weeks since the retreat and I am still feeling rejuvenated, refreshed, pure, and whole. I learned to appreciate myself, my body, and the earth."T.
"Through introspective art and journaling activities, yoga therapy, breath work, and the love and support of our group, I went back home with a renewed sense of self-love, a new understanding of how it feels to be truly connected to my body, and a goal of reprioritizing my recovery and my health, because that is the ultimate path to body kindness."Alicia D.
"The retreat gave me the opportunity to slow down and reconnect with my body. A month later I continue to meditate every day and I have the energy to take on my day. As a mental health professional, that value is unspeakable."Audrey G.
"This retreat was an incredible opportunity to explore how my relationship with my body influences how I relate in the world. It was so healing to be able to disconnect from life and focus on me, all while connecting with other women struggling with similar issues. And I really enjoyed using yoga and creative arts to do this exploration."Ellen L.
"I refer to the retreat as 'the weekend I didn't realize I truly needed.' Within minutes of first introductions, I was put at ease as I could almost feel everyone exhale out their reservations and any anxiety. It was refreshing to be around such good-hearted individuals who had a similar goal of self-betterment."Anonymous
"I highly recommend this retreat to anyone who struggles with self-doubt and body-image-related issues. Kanjana and Jennifer provide a safe place to explore who you are and where you want to be."Catherine L.
Frequently Asked
Body love and acceptance may seem like an unattainable concept. Body compassion is about starting small. From compassion comes acceptance. In a world that thrives on unrealistic beauty ideals and external validation, we can lose our connection with our personal power and feel discontent with our bodies. The Body Compassion Project teaches simple yet powerful ways to practice compassion and connection with your body, experience more peace and grace in the unscripted chaos of life, develop mindfulness skills, and cultivate more appreciation for your unique values and qualities.
This retreat is appropriate for women and nonbinary folks who want to explore how to feel more content and compassionate in relationship with their bodies and selves. Whether you struggle with body image because of diet culture, your past, cultural and societal pressures around weight, race, size, ability, aging, illness, or more, we invite you to join us. Those looking to (re)connect with their bodies after trauma, medical trauma, fertility treatments, pregnancy, injury, or illness can also greatly benefit. No yoga experience necessary, and no flexibility required!
Your tuition ($1,095, or less with discounts) covers all retreat programming: Yoga Therapy, group Reiki, mindfulness practices, forest bathing and a private group hike, Yoga Nidra, a fire ceremony, chai tea and cookie welcome party, gentle Body Compassion yoga practices, creative workshops, all supplies, and take-home goodies to help integrate Body Compassion into your daily life. CEs are also included for eligible professionals.
Room and board are booked separately through the Himalayan Institute. A standard shared room starts at $240 and includes your room and meals from Friday dinner through Sunday lunch. You can upgrade to a single room or suite with a private bath. Call (570) 253-5551 to book your room and let them know you are with The Body Compassion Project group. If staying off-site, there is a $40/day grounds fee for meals and access to the grounds.
Not at all. Our Body Compassion Yoga practices are beginner-friendly, gentle, and trauma-sensitive. The focus is on connecting with yourself, not on fitness or flexibility. All bodies and experience levels are welcome.
Yes. This program is approved for 10 CEs for social workers (LSW and LCSW), MFTs, and LPCs in Pennsylvania, and social workers in New Jersey. Yoga teachers, nurses, and PTs have previously also been able to get credit. Therapists in other states may also be eligible. Please reach out to your board or Kanjana to learn more.
You can combine up to two discounts per person. For example, Early Bird and Bring a Friend can be combined for up to $160 off. The PSCSW discount and Equity Rate cannot be combined with other discounts. Previous Body Compassion Project retreat participants from any prior year may reach out to Kanjana for an additional return participant discount.
Full refunds (less a 3% processing fee) are available 60 days or more before the retreat. 50% refunds for 30 to 60 days before. No refunds within 30 days. Due to the limited space and nature of the retreat, we must be firm with our cancellation policies. We highly recommend travel insurance to protect your investment.
Comfortable clothing for movement and time outdoors, layers for December weather in the Poconos, a journal if you have one (we will also provide supplies), and an open heart. Everything else you need will be provided.
When you book your room through the Himalayan Institute, please let them know about any dietary questions or restrictions. You can reach them at (570) 253-5551 to discuss what options are available.
Have another question? Email Kanjana
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Come home to yourself.
Three days at the Himalayan Institute to slow down, reconnect with your body, and plant new seeds of compassion and belonging.
Early bird tuition: $995 $1095 · available through June 1, 2026
Save Your SpotDecember 11 to 13, 2026 · Himalayan Institute, Honesdale, PA