A Modern Masculinity Retreat in the Heart of Nature
June 6th - 8th at Just Love Forest
In a world where the roles of masculinity are rapidly shifting, Being Men is an invitation to return to what’s ancient, real, and rooted.
This is not about toughening up or softening down—it’s about remembering. Together, we gather to remember the power of brotherhood, to reclaim ritual, and to honor the sacred rites of passage that mark our becoming. It’s about community.
This is a space for real talk, real connection, and real transformation.
Come as you are. Leave more of who you are.
What to Expect During the 3-Day Being Men Retreat:
- Camaraderie with a circle of open, connected men
- Forest meditation to ground and awaken the senses
- Gentle, strength-building yoga to reconnect body and breath
- Fire circle conversations that go deep, real, and raw
- A waterfall excursion to the sacred Little River Canyon
- Rewilding practices through primal movement and breath work
- Solo time in nature for personal reflection and renewal
Sunset with the guys on Bhakti Mountain
This Retreat is for You If...
You’re tired of pretending.
Tired of performing some version of manhood that never quite fit.
Tired of carrying it all alone — the stress, the pressure, the armor.
This is for men ready to break the mold.
For men who feel the wild part of themselves stirring beneath the surface — restless in boardrooms, anxious in traffic, wondering… is this all there is?
This is for you if you’re hungry for:
- Real connection without the bullshit
- Camaraderie that feels like brothers, not competition
- A place to drop your guard and catch your breath
- Rites of passage that wake up the fire in your gut
- Moving your body like it was made to — in the dirt, in the river, under the sky
- Remembering who you are without the noise
We gather in the forest because the forest doesn’t care about your job title.
Because the trees don’t need you to have it all figured out.
Because nature shows us what’s real.
This is not about fixing you.
This is about freeing you.
From stress.
From isolation.
From smallness.
From the old story of what a man should be.
It’s about remembering what a man can be.
Wild. Present. Open-hearted. Grounded. Alive.
Can you hear the call - back to nature’s wisdom?
This gathering offers a space to explore, reflect, and redefine what it means to be a man—on your own terms.
Through guided conversations, time in nature, and shared rituals, we’ll cultivate strength in vulnerability, courage in presence, and clarity in purpose.
This is not about fixing or proving anything—it’s about being. Held in the wild beauty of nature, this retreat is a call to men of all walks of life to reconnect—with the earth, with one another, and with the truth of who we are when we strip away the noise. Through fire circles, honest conversations, somatic practices, and time in the forest, we explore strength, sensitivity, responsibility, and reverence.
Schedule
Create time for yourself
Your Retreat Awaits
4 Days + 3 Nights Accommodations
plus full access to all group sessions, nature immersions, and shared meals
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10 Hearty Plant-Based Meals
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Sacred Circle in the Forest Yurt
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Guided Men’s Work + Time for Solitude and Reflection
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Brotherhood, Camaraderie, and Real Talk in a Judgment-Free Space
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Evening Fire Circles, Storytelling, and Song
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New Friendships For a Lifetime
*Optional Early Arrival: Come Thursday @ 5 PM for an extra evening of connection, pre-retreat dinner, fire circle, and your Thursday night stay — just $150 + tax*
716 acres of pristine protected forest
Our gathering space
A hand-built intentional yurt
Meet the Team
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BALA
Bala is the Head Steward of Just Love Forest. He’s a teacher of the art of meditation, certified as part of Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Program of the University of California at Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center.
He is also a forest therapy guide, certified by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. Bala hosts a series of heart-centered, nature immersed retreats and workshops at Just Love Forest promoting love for self and thus love for the earth.
He is a Bhakti Yoga student of Ram Dass and his spiritual teacher, Neem Karoli Baba. He experiences all of life as just love.
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Britt
Britt Pendergrast is a yoga teacher, wilderness enthusiast, and devoted student of the sacred masculine journey. At this retreat, he’ll be guiding yoga practices and bringing his kind-hearted, fun-loving, and compassionate presence into the circle. Britt is passionate about creating space for men to show up authentically, share their stories, and uplift one another in brotherhood.
He’s spent the last 7 years deepening his connection to ceremony through sweat lodges and completed a 4-day, 4-night vision quest in the mountains of North Georgia in 2022. In 2023, he received his 200-hour yoga teacher certification from House of Om, and for the past 5 years, he’s helped lead wilderness-based rites of passage camps for young men. Whether it’s through movement, presence, or storytelling around the fire, Britt is here to walk alongside brothers as we remember who we truly are.
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Nick
Nick Portolese is a somatic practitioner and movement guide with a background in chiropractic and the healing arts. He studied Exercise Science at West Chester University and later graduated from Life University, following in the footsteps of his mother, whose compassionate heart helped shape his path.
Rooted in embodiment, Nick’s work is less about fixing and more about remembering — guiding people back to their bodies and their natural intelligence. His own healing journey transformed the way he related to life, turning knowledge into lived experience.
Nick lives in Marietta, Georgia with his partner Tati, where they steward land dedicated to healing, community, and connection. Together, they offer a private practice space for people to slow down, listen deeply, and come home to themselves.
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Naga Das (Sean Owen)
Naga Das is the founder of All Heart Holistic Group, a holistic wellness practice dedicated to heart-centered healing and conscious transformation. With a foundation in personal recovery and spiritual growth, Sean brings a unique blend of experience and professional training to his work. He is a certified addiction recovery specialist, experiential facilitator, anger resolution therapist, breathwork instructor, yoga and meditation teacher, and Reiki Level III energy healer.
Sean specializes in guiding individuals and groups through powerful journeys of breathwork, somatic movement, meditation, and energy alignment. His approach honors the sacred connection between body, mind, and spirit, creating intentional spaces for release, reconnection, and inner awakening. Known as Naga Das—“Servant of the to the transformative energy within”—Sean’s work is rooted in deep presence and the belief that healing is a path of remembering who we truly are.
2025 Registration for
BEING MEN RETREAT
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Early Registration Special:
Register by April 25th and receive $50 off your full retreat cost — a thank you for saying yes to yourself and this sacred circle early.
Twin Nylon Bell Tent
$600 plus tax
Deluxe Queen Bell Tent
$800 plus tax
Self Camping
$400 plus tax
+ add-on*
Early Check in
June 6th @ 5 PM
$150 plus tax - includes pre-retreat dinner, bonfire singing circle and accommodations
* Payment plan options and financial support are available. Please contact bala@justloveforest.com with your questions.