Women's Weekend Creative Retreat at Chico Hot Springs with Katie Goodman

The group of 35 women were applauding and laughing. It had been a pee-in-yer-pants kind of funny and insightful day at this retreat. "Improvisation For The Spirit" is an internationally touring women's retreat that uses improvisational theatre games to access one's inner creativity. Led by Katie Goodman of Broad Comedy, Camp Equinox, and Spontaneous Combustibles in Bozeman, Montana, this self-help workshop is unusually inspiring.

The participants come for a number of reasons. "I have a very loud inner critic and I want to work on quieting it down," says Jill, a woman who started joined the retreat last year. She had started the day shy and a little anxious. On day two, she brought the house down with an improvised rap. "Whatever it is that is blocking my expressive self, stands between me and everything I want in life - self-esteem, artistic expression, confidence, joy, love," she said.

Some come to the retreat with Katie to learn how creative people go about "crow-barring open the fire-doors between their mouth and their muse" as one participant put it. And some join the fun simply looking for new insight and renewed energy for their lives and work. Whatever the reason, they find that they have more creative potential than they'd thought when they walked through the door.

The next upcoming retreat will be held at Chico Hot Springs, February 2 - 3, 2019. Katie is an internationally touring speaker, self-help and comedy author, comedian and a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher. She has combined her interests in the spiritual growth process with her skills as an improvisational comedian and teacher.

The workshop will use improv, in her words, "to enable participants to learn self-trust, release themselves from judgment, take-risks and accept challenges, practice being present, and be flexible and open to change. The comedy improv exercises teach the retreat participants to surrender to the moment, ridicule perfectionism, stay in beginner's mind, listen to our intuition, move with the flow and give up attachment to the goal." The retreat promises that all of what will be experienced in this workshop can be easily applied to our daily lives.

Comedy improv games are designed so that you don't have time to censor yourself, so that you are pulled automatically into the flow of the game, says Katie. Learning to feel comfortable in this flow is important for those of us who don't operate this way on a daily basis. Improv takes us out of normal time and interactions and can be used as a diagnostic tool in discovering how we operate. We can look at ourselves, laugh at ourselves, and learn from others. We can then use the improv to practice changing our behaviors, such as bravely going for it, ignoring our inner critic, and being present.

"This retreat is a great place to connect with other like-minded, creative souls," says Katie. "There will be a lot of laughter and a lot of self-discovery."

Lisa, an enthusiastic participant shares her perspective: "Improvisation for the Spirit answers the question 'How can I be whole in all that I do, achieve and who I interact with?' And 'How can I be whole when I am angry, hurt, disappointed?' It was beautiful! Katie wonderfully blended a playful yet professional approach in all the activities. She chose a curriculum that spoke to me and the others in an encouraging way."

"I knew the workshop would energize me and give me confidence," says a vivacious woman named Pam, "but I'm amazed at the strength of the energy and confidence this weekend has inspired. Katie possesses a real knack for putting people at their ease. Her inner peace and strength draw others to her and her humor and intelligence keep them around."

The all-women retreat begins Saturday morning, February 2nd, at 9:00am and ends at 5:00pm, Sunday, February 3. Chico Hot Springs is located one hour from Bozeman, Montana. The workshop fee is $345. This includes lunch and a workbook to take home. Prices for accommodations vary from $45 - $200/night. Lunches are provided for workshop participants both Saturday and Sunday. Exceptional cuisine from one of the region's finest restaurant is available in the Chico Lodge restaurant for breakfast and dinner, as well as other budget options nearby. Other activities available include massage, hiking, horse-back-riding and more. Registration is filling up, so sign-up right away by going to the website: http://www.katiegoodmanspeaking.com or call now for details: (406) 522-7623.

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