2o16 Wellapalooza Retreat Details!

Our 2016 Wellapalooza conference is a destination 3-4 day integrative health and wellness retreat. Think vacation, calm, fun, and informative – the perfect way to recharge your mind, body, and soul!

Scheduled dates: June 10th – 12th, 2016

Where: Haven on the Lake (Possible 2nd location added for Friday, June 10th)

Website: www.havenonthelake.org

City/State: Columbia, MD

***Wellapalooza 2016 Update – Below are the details that I can share at this point***

  • Registration will be up by May 1st.
  • Haven on the Lake has been confirmed for Saturday and Sunday, June 11th & 12th.
  • Possible 2nd venue for Friday – Details are being worked out as I’m typing this. (I.e. Candlelight Yoga at The Mindfulness Center in Bethesda, MD. Or, Happy Hour/Welcome Friday afternoon/early evening at Haven on the Lake & maybe a book signing with Dr. Afrin.)
  • To keep costs low, we are going to focus on a per day rate ($100 +/- per day for Saturday and Sunday. Friday – TBD. Price is an estimate and is subject to change based on the cost of room rental. Price per day does not include lodging, transportation, food and spa appointments, unless otherwise stated.). If possible, we will offer a rate for the entire conference, and possible retreat & lodging package as well.
  • Hotels and food, other than snacks and drinks provided as part of Wellapalooza 2016 or one of our presentations, will be on your own. However, we will provide names and links for hotels that we’ve been in contact with concerning Wellapalooza 2016. For food specifically, there’s a massive Whole Foods one floor above Haven on the Lake, and there’s plenty of parking for both.
  • Haven on the Lake has generously provided a fantastic discount to access their facility all day. The discounted cost will be part of your registration ticket each day. You will have access to all healing environments and classes, but sign-ups for classes and the salt cave must be done ahead of time. We will provide details on how to sign-up for both when registration is posted.
  • Haven on the Lake also has a fantastic spa. All spa appointments are not part of your Wellapalooza retreat registration, but we will provide you details on how to make appointments at your convenience.
  • Max people is 40 per day; however, we will have a minimum number of individuals that need to sign-up per day to hold Wellapalooza 2016.
  • Dr. Afrin has been confirmed and has purchased his plane ticket.
  • Dr. Francomano and Rebecca Snow have both been confirmed as well.
  • Additional speakers and presentations will be announced soon!
  • We are working on holding a physicians learning conference/meeting on Mast Cell Activation Diseases while Dr. Afrin is in town as well. Details will be provided as soon as we put them together.
  • We are also working to possibly hold a DC/MD/VA support group meeting in conjunction with Wellapalooza on Sunday, June 12th. Details will be provided as soon as we work them out.
  • A rough retreat schedule for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, including anticipated days and times for specific speakers and presentations will be posted along with registration.
  • We cannot get into a studio for speaker presentations or other Wellapalooza-specific activities, until 2pm each day. The mornings through lunch will be low-key – we may hold a presentation in the Whole Foods cafe upstairs, or put together a more low-key, but active activity. You will also have “free time” to enjoy the facilities. The intent is that you will use this time to make spa and salt cave appointments, use the healing environments, and try the various classes that Have on the Lake offers.
  • Our intent is to not jam-pack the schedule each day, so that you have time and energy to use the facilities, relax and rejuvenate. That’s the whole point – right?
  • Turf Valley Resort is one of the hotels we’ve already been in contact with about Wellapalooza 2016. It’s about 5 miles from where Wellapalooza will be held, and is a full-service resort.
  • Please remember, as we finalize the retreat schedule and cost of registration, details and prices are subject to change.
  • Please also remember that we will do our best to consider the sensitive nature of our broader chronic illness community; however, we cannot guarantee a perfectly safe environment for everyone. Attendance is at the risk of each attendee. We are all responsible for doing our due dilligence to ensure that we make the best judgement for our bodies.
  • Questions? Info@Wellapalooza.com

Previously posted information: 

Who should go to Wellapalooza?

Everyone! Wellapalooza is the coolest integrative health and wellness conferences (& retreats!) ever!

And no, you don’t have to have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), Mast Cell Activation Disease, or any of the other 50 billion other chronic illnesses that I constantly post about being related to EDS and MCAD to attend. Even if you have other “issues,” but they aren’t EDS or MCAS, trust me … this conference still applies to you and will be well worth it.

You should also come because you want to be part of the cool kids and attend something new, fun, and hang out with me. Or, maybe you will want to attend because Haven on the Lake is the an amazing new wellness facility with incredible amenities and an awesome spa. You also don’t need to be a patient to attend – this conference most certainly is beneficial for all healthcare providers.

Confirmed speakers are:

– Dr. Clair Francomano (EDS/Genetics)
– Dr. Larry Afrin (MCAS & Author of Never Bet Against Occam: Mast Cell Activation Disease and the Modern Epidemics of Chronic Illness & Medical Complexity)
– Rebecca Snow (Nutritionist/Herbalist/Chef)
– Abby Peterson (Acupuncturist)

Planned seminars & presentations (speakers/instructors need to be confirmed before announcing names. All activities and speakers are subject to change at any time):

– Gentle Yoga for hypermobility and chronic illnesses
– Meditation & Mindfulness therapies for chronic pain
– Natural Movement/Physical therapy
– Pilates
– Natural Healing
– Chronic Pelvic Pain & Women’s Health
– Separate seminar(s) for healthcare providers (possibly)
– and more!

Special guest speakers:

To be announced, but I’m hopeful that we may have a special guest or two from other well-known organizations, who come to Wella to either guest speak or host a display table during the retreat.

Pricing:

To be determined, but the cost will be a bit higher per day than Wellapalooza 2015. The reason is that the expense of the conference will include daily access to Haven on the Lake’s healing environments (they have their own salt cave!) and classes, in addition to classes that are part of Wella.

Haven on the Lake has an amazing spa as well. All spa services are separate, but we will provide all information necessary for you to make spa services if you wish.

We will have options for daily attendance, attendance for the entire retreat, and options if you need accommodations as well.

Food will not be included, other than light snacks and drinks, food that is part of a seminar or presentation, and any light food/snacks and drinks that may be served during a book signing event/reception with Dr.Afrin. The reason we are not planning on including food is because it helps keep costs down, and there’s a massive Whole Foods one floor above. It’s also nearly impossible to provide food to our very sensitive community(ies).

Retreat Schedule (i.e. what you will be doing each day):

One of our primary goals for Wellapalooza 2016? We will be moving more than we did during the one day Wellapalooza in November. Additionally, we will be working on more comfortable seating options for when we do have to sit through presentations. And the plan is not to jam pack the schedule. You may not see a ton of speakers listed or each day packed with activities, but that’s not the point of a Wellapalooza. You can attend any of the other large medical conferences to hear the most top specialists speak on a given day, or to have your day packed with activities.

Wellapalooza isn’t mean to compete with the learning conferences put on by any of the large foundations – it’s intended to complement them. Wellapalooza’s mission is to serve as a vehicle to help you establish a solid basis for gaining strength and overall wellness – a retreat (AKA – wellness “vacation”) where you can try various integrative therapies in a safe, relaxing, and positive environment. Wellaplaooza conferences and retreats will always be held in an area or at a venue that we *think* you would want to visit, even if Wellapalooza were not being held there. For Wellapalooza conferences and retreats that are more than a day, we will plan the daily schedule to allow as much time and freedom to relax, heal, and enjoy the amenities as possible while also attending the seminars and classes that are part of Wellapalooza.

Specifically for Wellapalooza 2016 – Haven on the Lake is located on “the lake” in Columbia, MD, and because Wellapalooza 2016 is being held in June, the lake offers paddle boating, a 3 mile walking trail around the lake, live music on the weekends, and Have on the Lake even offers yoga on the lawn. I also believe that Haven on the Lake *may* have childcare available, but I’m not sure if that will be an option for Wellapalooza attendees, or what the cost is if they have to do offer childcare.

Last, we will be using the @MindBody for conference registration. The MindBody app will also serve as your “conference planner,” if you decide to attend. The MindBody app is a free download and is a great way to register for countless other classes and events with hundreds of other wellness-related companies and organizations.

The official announcement and confirmation of details should be posted later this week, including registration!

Questions? Info@Wellapalooza.com

***Please note – Wellapalooza 2016 is scheduled on the heels of the EDS International Symposium; however, the actual number of attendees that we can accommodate will be limited – registering early is important. We do recognize that both the speakers and venue will be big attractions, and we are working to allow for as many people to attend Wellapalooza as Have on the Lake can comfortably accommodate. Actual dates and number of days may change, but the weekend in June will not.***