
Two Together
An Intimacy & Connection Retreat
Friday, May 23rd - Monday, May 26th
CHRISTINA DELLA IACONO, LAURA SANCHEZ & BALA YANCEY
Just Love Forest, Poetry, Georgia
A Transformative Retreat for Coupled Partners, or paired Friends & Family
Designed for any two people who want to understand each other more deeply.
Deepen your connection in nature.
This year, the Intimacy Retreat at Just Love Forest invites two people—partners, friends, or family members—to journey into deeper connection and understanding. This is a space for those who crave authentic closeness, vulnerability, and shared presence. Whether you're looking to strengthen a romantic relationship, nourish a friendship, or deepen family bonds, this retreat creates an intentional environment for exploration, play, and profound connection.
Discover new depths of connection with each other. This retreat doesn’t have to be about fixing what’s broken—it’s about exploring what’s possible. Whether with a partner, friend, or family member, you’ll engage in meaningful practices to enhance communication, deepen understanding, and cultivate greater presence together. Through guided experiences, you’ll gain valuable tools to strengthen your bond, opening the door to even more authentic connection. Spend a weekend immersed in nature, learning, growing, and truly seeing each other in a new light.
Watch the Zoom video with Christina, Laura and Bala talking about this year’s retreat.
It starts within
Let’s journey into true intimacy, together.
Intimacy isn’t just about romance or touch—it’s about listening, being heard, and feeling understood. It’s about learning to express yourself authentically and discovering new ways to support one another without judgment or reactivity. With guided exercises, somatic practices, rituals, and time immersed in the beauty of nature, this retreat fosters the kind of intimacy that transforms relationships.
This year, we’ve expanded the experience to include a pre-retreat online gathering on Tuesday, April 29th at 7pm (Zoom link provided with registration email) and a post-retreat integration call, ensuring you have the tools and community support to carry these lessons forward. Through every step—whether it’s walking the labyrinth, dissolving resentments around a fire, or simply recharging together in the forest—you’ll rediscover what it means to feel connected and loved.
Imagine this: You are laughing with your loved one, feeling seen, heard, and connected in a way you never have before. This retreat isn’t just about fixing problems—it’s also about deepening what’s already good. It’s about liberating joy, strengthening heart connection, and embracing free expression with someone you care about.
Come with a partner, friend, or family member—whoever you wish to deepen your relationship with. Through embodied practices, creative exercises, and immersive nature experiences, you’ll explore ways to communicate openly, move through challenges with grace, and cultivate more playfulness, presence, and ease in your relationships.
WHAT TO EXPECT
FOREST THERAPY & NATURE IMMERSION
Reconnect through guided experiences that restore harmony, mindfulness, and deep presence.
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DANCE, MOVEMENT & EMBODIMENT PRACTICES
Explore freedom and expression through dance, somatic shaking, and sacred movement—then return to these practices later in the weekend to feel how intimacy allows you to move with even greater ease.
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SOMATIC & EMOTIONAL RELEASE
Release stored emotions, clear ancestral wounds, and move frustration or anger before it turns into resentment. Experience rituals that include back breathing, shadow work, and a guided resentment release ritual to cleanse and restore.
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THROAT & SACRAL CHAKRA ACTIVATION
Unlock your voice and creative expression with primal sound, toning, and movement exercises that enhance your ability to speak freely and connect deeply.
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COMMUNICATION & CONNECTION TOOLS
Learn and practice skills like active listening, mirroring, and “I see/I feel” exercises to strengthen your ability to express needs and navigate challenges with more clarity and ease.
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VICTIM TO EMPOWERMENT: MOVING FROM REACTIVITY TO CHOICE
Shift from resentment and blame to self-leadership and sovereignty through experiential workshops, including a Marianne Williamson-inspired exercise on empowerment and a role-playing practice to express boundaries with compassion and confidence.
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VOWS & RELATIONSHIP SCRIPTING
Craft a new energetic contract with your loved one—whether it's about friendship, romance, or family—by writing and witnessing vows to honor the relationship you want to create.
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CREATING YOUR IDEAL RELATIONSHIP
Through guided reflection and co-creation, dream up the qualities you want to cultivate:
- How do you want to feel in your relationship?
- How do you want to navigate discomfort and challenges?
- What do you desire more of—laughter, adventure, trust, safety?
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BENEFITS YOU’LL TAKE HOME
Greater harmony, joy, and nourishment in your relationships
Tools to express your needs with clarity, compassion, and discernment
Practices to deepen listening and being heard
Playful, embodied ways to cultivate fun and lightness together
A blueprint for gracefully moving through conflict before frustration turns into resentment
Stronger intimacy—emotionally, physically, and energetically
Are you ready to thrive in your relationships? Let’s journey into true intimacy—together.
FAQS
Who is this retreat for?
Pairings (romantic partners, friends, or family members) who are ready to deepen their connection.
Those who want to move beyond old communication patterns and experience relationships with more honesty, play, and ease.
Individuals who value experiential learning and are open to embodied practices that foster heart-to-heart connection.
Anyone who wants to create a foundation of trust, vulnerability, and joy in their relationships.
Is this retreat only for romantic couples?
No! This retreat is designed for any two people looking to deepen their connection, whether that be best friends, siblings, parent and child, or romantic partners. True intimacy isn’t limited to romance—it’s about trust, understanding, and presence in all relationships.
Whether you're seeking to nurture a lifelong friendship, reconnect with family, or enrich your romantic partnership, this experience is open to all who wish to explore and grow together.
Who isn’t this retreat for?
Those seeking traditional therapy or a space to vent grievances without accountability.
Individuals unwilling to engage in respectful, permission-based interactions.
Pairings who are in active conflict or who require crisis counseling.
Those uncomfortable with introspective, experiential exercises or group dynamics.
What if I’m nervous about being vulnerable?
Feeling nervous is completely natural. The retreat is a judgment-free, supportive space where you can move at your own pace. Exercises are designed to be gentle and permission-based, encouraging you to listen to your body and honor your boundaries.
What’s the schedule like?
The retreat starts on Friday at 2 PM with a warm welcome and introduction to the land. Saturday and Sunday are filled with structured activities and plenty of rest time to integrate. Monday concludes with optional activities and a relaxed departure.
What do I need to bring?
Bring an open heart, comfortable clothing, a journal, and an optional offering for the land or labyrinth walk (flowers, fruit, or a poem)—we’ll provide everything else!
Your registration includes all meals, accomodations, bedding, and towels, but you’re welcome to bring your own. A detailed packing list will be in your confirmation email.
Come experience
Deeper Connection & Authentic Presence
Clear & Compassionate Communication
Deep Listening & Emotional Attunement
Embodying Boundaries with Love
Moving Through Conflict with Grace
Liberated Expression & Playfulness
Heart Intimacy
A Reawakening of Pleasure & Vitality
Your forest home awaits
We offer you a large, beautiful canvas bell tent with your own luxury tempurpedic mattress.
716 acres of pristine protected forest
Our gathering space
A hand-built intentional yurt
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday
- 2:00-4:00 PM: Arrival & Healthy Snacks
- 4:00 PM: Welcome Tour
- 5:00 PM: Labyrinth Walk
- 6:00 PM: Dinner
- 7:30-9:30 PM: Opening Ceremony
- 9:30 PM: Bonfire Rest + Rejuvenation
Saturday
- 7:00 AM: Continental Breakfast
- 8:00-9:00 AM: Optional Yoga/Meditation
- 9:00 AM: Breakfast
- 10:00 AM-12:00 PM: Empowerment Workshop
- 12:00-2:00 PM: Lunch & Free Time
- 2:00-5:00 PM: Fire Tending: Exploring & Dissolving Burning Issues
- 5:00-7:00 PM: Free Time
- 7:00 PM: Dinner
- 7:30-9:30 PM: Somatic Bonding & Sound Journey
- 9:30 PM: Bonfire + Medicine Songs
Sunday
- 7:00 AM: Continental Breakfast
- 8:00-9:00 AM: Optional Yoga/Meditation
- 9:00 AM: Breakfast
- 10:00-11:00 AM: Scripting: Desires, Dreams, & Letting Go
- 11:00 AM-1:30 PM: Forest Bathing Hike to Bhakti Mountain
- 1:30 PM: Picnic Lunch at the Summit
- 2:30-4:00 PM: Vows Ceremony
- 4:00-5:00 PM: Forest Bathing Hike
- 6:00 PM: Dinner
- 7:00 PM: Closing Ceremony: Receiving Love Ritual
- 9:00 PM: Bonfire Fun & Games
Monday
- 9:00 AM: Breakfast & Spontaneous Dance
- 10:00 AM-12:00 PM: Optional Activities
- Field Trip to Little River Canyon Swimming Hole
- Bodywork
- Integration & Relaxation
- 12:00 PM: Lunch
- 3:00 PM: Departure (Optional Overnight Stay Available)
CHRISTINA DELLA IACONO, M.S.
Christina has been directly initiated as a curandera in the shamanistic tradition of her Peruvian lineage. She was also initiated as a song carrier by a Cherokee Taíno Choctaw medicine woman and trained in the priestess temple arts for almost a decade. She has served as a ceremonialist since 2019, helping others activate their authentic voice and embody their soul essence and heart wisdom. Through various modalities, she invites people home to the remembrance of ecstatic movement, sensuality, body wisdom, joy, and pleasure. You can learn more her story and offerings at www.gaia-sophia.com and on Instagram @hathorsdaughter.
LAURA SÁNCHEZ, MS, NER
After finishing her Master's in Nutrition, Laura ventured into the depths of her essence and shadows through Neo Emotional Release. She now helps others witness and release their emotions by creating a safe and loving container in which they can unshame the parts that they don’t like about themselves, decondition limiting beliefs, and lift any ancestral weight. She guides people into alchemizing pain into pleasure and blessings and helps them remember the juicy parts of being alive.
BALA YANCEY
Bala is a dedicated space holder, meditation teacher, forest therapy guide, and retreat facilitator who weaves together nature connection, embodiment practices, and deep relational work. Rooted in the wisdom of the land, he creates immersive experiences that guide people back to presence, authenticity, and connection—with themselves, each other, and the natural world. Through ritual, and intentional conversation, Bala invites participants to explore vulnerability, release old patterns, and step into greater joy, intimacy, and self-leadership. As the steward of Just Love Forest, he curates transformative retreats that honor the power of community, sacred relationship, and the healing intelligence of nature. Learn more at about him at www.bala.love.
ABUNDANCE SPECTRUM
Seeking monetary support? Please read about financial accessibility below.
What’s included in the retreat?
The retreat includes pre-retreat (April 29th) and post-retreat (June 5) virtual gatherings; delicious plant-based meals (3x breakfast/lunch/dinner) and snacks; three nights of lodging (bell tent, mattress, bedding) in the serene beauty of Just Love Forest; guided group activities and solo reflection time; and a special forest bathing hike, ceremonies, and playful bonding experiences.
Shared Glamping
Share a canvas bell tent with another attendee. All retreat activities included plus vibrant plant-based meals.
Early bird pricing until May 1st: $800 + tax per person
Standard Pricing after May 1st: $900 per person
Private Glamping
A canvas bell tent with queen mattress all to yourself. All retreat activities included. Meals are additional.
Early bird pricing until May 1st: $1,000 + tax per person
Standard Pricing after May 1st: $1,100 + tax per person
The bell tents come with sheet and towel service with your choice of a personal plush tempur pedic queen or twin mattress
No cancellations
SPECIAL RATES APPLY FOR MEMBERS
Up to two members are eligible for a limited $450 flat fee. Read more here.
Financial Accessibility
We always want these gatherings to be as financially accessible as possible. If you would like to be considered to serve as part of our volunteer and support teams for a reduction in fees, please contact us.