Day Retreats
INDIVIDUAL OR SMALL GROUP EXPERIENCES WITH THE HERD AT OLD CANYON STABLES
Spend the day with me and Jax the horse in Topanga Canyon, our home. A day retreat is an immersive experience to receive the healing power of the horses while surrounded by the stunning natural landscape of the canyon.
Included in Day Retreat:
Morning session with Catie and the herd
Lunch at local Topanga cafe (tea, water, beverages during sessions)
Afternoon session with Catie and the herd
Our morning and afternoon sessions will be spent in the pasture with Jax (seen in the photo on the left).
Each retreat is individualized to your unique intentions, needs, and areas of interest. Whether coming solo, with a partner, or in a small group, I will meet you where you are in the moment — weaving multiple modalities into our work together. No two retreat experiences will be alike, as this is a co-creation and opportunity to be present with your unfolding.
The retreat will have a loose structure to guide our time, including a morning session, lunch together, and an afternoon session (approximately 10 am - 4 pm).
Upon arrival, I will meet you at the parking lot and welcome you to Old Canyon Stables. Together, we will walk the property to orient you to the barn, ground you into the energy of the land and introduce you to the medicine of the horses.
Old Canyon Stables is a working farm, home to many humans, plants, trees, and animals. Every element is participating in your experience. We may pause throughout our walk to observe elements of the barn environement.
We will end the walk at Jax’s pasture. Jax, my horse, co-facilitates the sessions with me and brings his unique medicine into this work. Since this experience is tailored to you, we begin with a conversation and opportunity to drop in and name any intentions you have for the day. This opens up the space to move into into a presence and embodiment session with Jax. Horses respond to intention and energy. The morning session allows us to uncover intuitive guidance and support from the wisdom of your body.
After the morning session, we’ll enjoy lunch together at a local Topanga cafe and you will have some time for you to integrate the morning session on your own.
The afternoon breathwork and healing session will create space to deepen into what is coming forward for you emotionally, physically, and energetically. Breathwork is a rhythmic breathing meditation to support the release of unprocessed emotions, stagnant energy, and past experiences. It opens your heart, builds trust in your body, and imprints safety in your nervous system. Horses are masters at transmuting energy. As you breathe… Jax, the herd, and I will hold sacred space for you to be witnessed in your experience and to feel all that is alive inside of you. The day will close with reflection and offerings of gratitude to the land and the herd.
Retreats may include: healing breathwork session with horses, embodied presence with horses, nature walks, equine co-facilitated observation, horse and nature constellelations, therpeutic conversation, reflection, inner child work, shadow work, somatic practices, writing/journaling with horses.
Investment: $925 for individual retreat
Please email me at catie@catiemacken.com to discuss pricing and details for couples or small group retreats.
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I felt deeply held by Catie, by Jax, and the natural setting.
“I had the honor of experiencing an immersive 1:1 day retreat with Catie at Old Canyon Stables, and it was truly unforgettable. From the moment we began, I was struck by her ability to be fully present and attuned to the emergent flow of what unfolded throughout the day. The natural surroundings were breathtaking, and the relationship she has cultivated with Jax was palpable and woven seamlessly into the heart of the experience.
I felt deeply held by Catie, by Jax, and by the fullness of the natural setting right from the start. Catie has a profound gift for inviting in the teachings of the moment, drawing meaning and wisdom from the land, the animals, and the subtle dynamics of what was arising, even during our nourishing lunch together in town.
Jax served as a gentle yet clear mirror, revealing the heart of what I most needed to see and feel. The breathwork session in the afternoon was a powerful culmination of the gentle, spacious work of the morning, allowing a deepening of insights, understanding, and integration.
I left our day together with the deepest trust that Catie is walking her truest path in offering this work to the world. She is doing exactly what she is meant to do on this earth. I cannot recommend this experience enough for anyone who is ready to meet themselves more fully, held in the wisdom of the natural world and in the presence of a truly gifted guide.”
— Jess S., Encinintas, CA (private day retreat)
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I had no idea how potent, how powerful, it would be.
I felt the energy starting to move the moment I started my route North from LAX. Headed to Topanga Canyon for my private retreat with Catie and her horses Jax and Mala. It’s been five weeks since then. Five weeks of integration, processing, and witnessing the effects of our work together in my day to day life.
I had a framework of what to expect but there was no way for me to prepare for just how meaningful the experience would prove to be. The land itself played a crucial role in the whole experience so starting with a tour of the stables helped me to ground and really be there before our sessions started. Immediately upon meeting/working with Jax it was like looking into a mirror of my psyche. Catie helped me navigate the process that unraveled quite literally in front of my eyes. I had no idea how potent, how powerful, it would be. He knew what I was experiencing even before I did, act responded accordingly. No tolerance for any incongruence between my physical presence and my conscious one. He’s a good teacher, that Jax.
With that material she led me through breathwork and a constellations session the following day which offered just as much medicine. More on the same themes but through different approaches to help deepen my understanding of what was manifesting.The level of support Catie held as a container for it all matched the intensity of the realizations and energetic shifts occurring. All of which have stayed with me. It wasn’t just getting swirled up in retreat energy. I have felt the change in my body and thought processes. Sure, not always as conscious memory, but most definitely through cell memory. And for that I am eternally grateful I said yes.
— Alicia D., Boston, MA (private retreat) -
A life-altering, heart and soul opening experience.
There are truly no words big enough to capture the explanation of my time with Catie and Jax in Topanga. This retreat found me at the exact moment my spirit needed it and I am eternally grateful
From the moment Catie welcomed me, I felt safe in a way l haven't in a very long time. If I could close my eyes and give this weekend a vision-- it would be Catie, standing next to Jax in the pasture, holding and healing my heart in both of her two hands.
She has a rare gift. She holds space in a way that creates a sacred field where you feel seen and safe and honored in all of your truth. We went deep into places most people would run from and I never once felt alone.
I believe she may have witnessed me die a little inside. She guided me right back home to myself with so much patience, compassion and grace. From booking confirmation to the airbb, to the delicious food and snacks, the recommendations, all of it. 100/10.
I cannot wait to bring my whole, healing heart back to Topanga. This was a life-altering, heart and soup opening experience.
—Kayla G., Cleveland, OH (private retreat)