The Higher Octave
Raise Your Personal Vibration with a blissful weekend of Movement, Breathwork, Nature and Sound!
Washington Spring Retreat 2025
April 25th-27th
Cedar Springs Lodge
31463 Barben Rd.
Sedro Woolley, WA 98284
Spacious and charming, the Cedar Springs Lodge is a converted 100+ year-old dairy barn and is a place of quiet beauty in the Skagit River Valley of Western Washington. It offers an ideal setting for retreats, workshops and celebrations of life. In addition to the main living space and great room, there is a detached 3 bedroom Cottage (pictured above upper left).
Retreat Specifics
This uniquely curated retreat includes gentle Yoga + Gong + Pranayama (breathwork) classes, an educational talk series to maximize the effects of the Gongs, an All Night Gong Puja Ceremony (a Gong Puja is honoring and allowing space for our being’s ability to heal – physically, emotionally & spiritually. It is the truest form of honoring thyself), plenty of time for relaxation, reflection and much more. All classes and events are optional. Full class descriptions below.
Your Weekend Retreat Includes:
Lodging
All meals, drinks and snacks
Opening and closing sharing circle
Daily YIN/Restorative Yoga practice (with optional hands on assists) + Gong Meditation + Pranayama
All Night Gong Puja Ceremony (Saturday 10:00pm - Sunday 5:00am)
Calming Yoga Nidra practice (known as “Yogic Sleep”)
Access to nature trails + time to explore
Educational Talk Series - How Sound Heals and The Power of Intention
Private 1on1 consultation with Wayne regarding Sound Healing, Intention Setting or other interests
A chance to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones
A few other surprise activities and treats
SCHEDULE (subject to change)
Friday April 25th
4:00pm - 6:00pm Check in, Settle in + Explore and Discover
6:00pm - 7:00pm Welcome Dinner
7:00pm - 8:30pm Meet, Greet and Connect - Opening Circle and Orientation
8:30pm - 10:00pm Restorative Yoga + Guided Meditation with Gongs
Saturday April 26th
7:00am - 9:00am Breakfast
8:30am - 10:00am Myofascial Release Yoga + Gong Meditation
10:00am - 10:45am Educational Talk: How Sound Heals - The Five Yogic Koshas
10:45am - 11:30am Educational Talk: Breathwork 101 - Essentials to Build On
11:30am - 12:00pm Open Time
12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch
1:00pm - 1:45pm Educational Talk: Intention Setting & Journaling
1:45pm - 2:15pm Educational Talk: Gayatri Mantra Chant Preparation
1:45pm - 2:30pm Break
2:30pm - 3:30pm Slow Flow Yoga
3:30pm - 5:30pm Open Time, Walking Meditation
5:30pm - 6:30pm Dinner
6:30pm - 7:30pm Final Preparation for Gong Puja, Intention Setting
7:30pm - 8:30pm Open Time, Journaling
8:30pm - 10:00pm Pranayama Yoga for Peace and Guided Meditation with Gongs
10:00pm - 5:00am Sacred Sound Gong Puja Ceremony
Sunday April 28th
5:15am - 5:30am Gayatri Mantra Chanting
5:30am - 6:00am Light Breakfast (fruit and tea)
6:00am - 8:00am Open Time, Walking Meditation, Journaling
8:00am - 9:00am Slow Flow Integration Yoga
9:00am - 10:00am Full Breakfast
10:00am - 11:00am Closing Circle, Group Photo
11:00am - 12:00pm Lunch
12:00pm Check Out
Our Yoga and Gong classes will take place in this gorgeous, cozy practice space
ACCOMMODATIONS
INVESTMENT
Pricing includes all meals, lodging and classes.
There are 12 Bedrooms, with 22 beds: 6 Queens, 2 Fulls, and 14 Twins. The Rose, Sunflower, and Honey Rooms have ensuite bathrooms. Additionally there is detached Cottage is not pictured in the floor plan below which includes the Cottage Master bedroom (1 Queen bed and private bath); the Cottage Queen bedroom (1 queen bed) and the Cottage Twin (2 twin beds). The Cottage Queen and the Cottage Twin share a single bathroom.
Please contact Wayne with lodging questions at - wayne@beneficialsound.org or 425 296 6513
The Crows Nest (reserved)
Double occupancy $1499
The Pond Room
Single occupancy - $1299
Double occupancy - $1499
Shared upstairs bathroomThe Lavender Room (reserved)
Double occupancy $1499The Rose Room (reserved)
Single occupancy $1499The Honey Room (reserved)
Double occupancy $1599The Sunflower Room (reserved)
Double occupancy $1599The Eagle Room (reserved)
Single occupancy $749The Dorm Room
Twin Bed - $699 (reserved)
Twin Bed - $699 (reserved)
Twin Bed - $699 (reserved)
Twin Bed - $699 (reserved)
Shared downstairs bathroomCottage Master
Single occupancy - $1499
Double occupancy - $1699
1 Queen Bed
Private BathroomCottage Queen
Single occupancy - $1299
Double occupancy - $1499
1 Queen Bed
Shared Bathroom on floorCottage Twin
Twin Bed - $749 (reserved)
Twin Bed - $749 (reserved)
Shared Bathroom on floor
A $300 deposit holds your spot.
Full payment is due by Friday March 28th, 2025
Cancellation/Payment/Refund Policy:
A $300 deposit holds your spot
Full payment is due by March 28th, 2025
Cancel before November 31st, 2024: Full refund
Cancel after November 31st, 2024: Refund minus $300 deposit
Cancel between February 22nd, 2025 and April 1st, 2025: Refund minus $300 deposit and 50% of any amount paid over and above the deposit.
Cancel after April 1st, 2025: Refund minus $300 deposit and 80% of any amount paid over and above the deposit.
MEALS (subject to change)
Catered, plant based, organic and locally grown. Coffee, tea and fruit throughout.
Friday Welcome Dinner - Thai basil pumfu (like tofu except made with pumpkin seeds), jasmine rice bowls, romaine lettuce, roasted squash. Dessert: homemade V, GF chocolate chip cookies with homemade hemp milk.
Saturday Breakfast - coffee, tea, cold overnight chia & coconut milk pods, granola, fresh fruit, toast, avocado, cucumber, hard boiled eggs.
Saturday Lunch - Buddha bowls: roasted sweet potatoes, pickled red onion, massaged kale, crispy chickpeas, quinoa and tahini-maple sauce.
Saturday Dinner - Chunky vegetable soup, GF bread. Dessert: homemade V, GF chocolate chip cookies with homemade hemp milk.
Sunday Breakfast - coffee, tea, cold overnight chia & coconut milk pods, granola, fresh fruit, toast, avocado, cucumber, hard boiled eggs.
Sunday Lunch - Thai Rice Salad with peanut sauce.
Please contact Wayne with any special dietary needs - wayne@beneficialsound.org or 425 296 6513
What to Bring
The following is a list of suggested items to bring to the retreat:
Yoga: mat, 2 blocks, strap
Meditation: sitting cushion(s)
Restorative: blanket, pillow, eye pillow, bolster
General: flashlight, evening jacket, rain-coat, mud shoes, toiletries
An intention to transform your life
COVID & SAFETY
Masks are not required to attend but are encouraged for those who feel more comfortable using one.
Wayne Marto is the Founding Director of Beneficial Sound, a 501(c)3 public charity committed to bringing wellness to the mind, body and soul through sound and vibration.
Wayne recently stepped away from the IT industry after 25 years to focus full time on Beneficial Sound. He worked in the content management space, performing numerous sales related roles for companies like Fujitsu, Hyland Software, Lexmark and Ibml.
He is a life-long musician who has studied the gong extensively under Gong Master Mehtab Benton. His authentic style of playing, infused with passion and intention, promotes deep relaxation and transformation.
He has a degree in Psychology, is a Certified Gong Practitioner and Yoga Instructor and is a member of the American Sound Healers Association.
"The gong has forever changed me, leading me on a journey of awakening, and uncovering my true passion: to share the healing sounds of the Gong with all those willing to listen."
Aubrey Jackson is a yoga enthusiast. Her yoga journey began at the young age of 17 with Kundalini yoga. After many years of exploring other styles and incorporating yoga into her lifestyle she became a certified yoga instructor in 2004.
Aubrey has a 500hr certification under Gary Kraftsow of the American Viniyoga Institute, 200hr certification with Tracy Weber of Whole Life Yoga, and Pre/Postnatal training with Colette Crawford of Seattle Holistic Center.
Aubrey has logged many hours of teaching, trainings, and workshops and loves working with all ages and levels of practitioners.
In 2015 she fulfilled a lifetime dream by opening her own Yoga studio - Limber Yoga in West Seattle. Limber has been a way for Aubrey to share her knowledge and offer a place for everyone to cultivate a yoga practice that benefits the individual.
Aubrey has a way of uplifting you and making you feel strong, confident, and at peace.
Class Descriptions
Gong Meditation is a transformative journey of healing and deep relaxation as we bathe every cell of the body in therapeutic sound and vibration. The Gong acoustically elevates us, creating a deep spontaneous meditative state that restores harmony and vitality to the mind, body and soul, leaving you feeling tuned, refreshed and at the height of physical and emotional wellbeing.
The Gong Meditation is best experienced lying down on your back or a similar comfortable position. Wear comfortable clothes and bring whatever you need to be relaxed for the meditation - yoga mat, blanket, pillow, water, eye mask, etc.
Guided Meditation with Gongs is similar to Yoga Nidra, and generally starts with you lying supine on the floor, supported in whatever way you wish - bolsters, blankets, or blocks, etc. Over the course of the class, Aubrey Jackson will provide a guided meditation, usually starting with an inventory of our physical body and mental states at that moment.
Using our breath, we’ll go through steps to help clear the mind, and then move to focusing our attention on different parts of the body, breath, and thoughts, until we gain the necessary awareness of our bodies and relaxed state of being.
As your body sinks, you will find yourself in a state between wakefulness and sleep. The objective is to remain in this state of not fully asleep but not fully awake. And in this place of deep relaxation, healing, reconstruction, repair, and reorganization can take place at a cellular level.
Restorative/Myofascial Release Yoga is a form of yoga that focuses on releasing tension and tightness in the fascia, the connective tissue that surrounds muscles, organs, and bones and is slow-paced style of Yoga as exercise, incorporating principles of traditional Chinese medicine with asana (postures) that are held for longer periods of time than in other styles. Advanced practitioners may stay in one asana for five minutes or more. The sequences of postures are meant to stimulate the channels of the subtle body.
How Sound Heals is a class discussion on the impact of sacred sound on the human being as seen through the filter of the The Five Yogic Koshas (an ancient Vedic philosophy on the five levels of being - physical, energetic, emotional, wisdom and bliss). This class explores how we can harness the sound for optimal impact and transformation during the Gong Puja.
Intention Setting & Journaling is a class discussion that explores the simple and powerful practice of intention setting as well as offering journaling ideas to help clarify our desires. Gong Meditation is a great way to clear away emotions that no longer serve us, creating fertile ground for the seeds of our intentions.
Breathwork 101 is an insightful workshop on breathwork, the theory behind this ancient practice, its physiological effects, and the numerous benefits it offers. You’ll learn various techniques and have the opportunity to put them into practice, preparing you for a breath set later in the evening before our all-night Gong Puja. Pranayama (breathwork) helps balance the mind and body, putting us into an optimal state to fully absorb the benefits of sacred sound.
Slow Flow Yoga is a gentle Yoga practice that synchronizes breath with movement, cultivating mindfulness and deepening the mind-body connection. This session enhances physical well-being while promoting mental clarity and emotional balance, leaving you feeling calm and revitalized.
All Night Gong Puja Ceremony is a seven hour extended Gong immersion from 10:00pm to 5:00am. In Buddhism, Pujas are expressions of “honor and devotional attention.” A Gong Puja is honoring and allowing space for our being’s ability to heal – physically, emotionally & spiritually. It is the truest form of honoring oneself!
Fifteen tuned planetary Gongs are gently played throughout the night and into early morning hours while guests rest or sleep. The healing vibrations and subtle energies are imbued with intentions of the highest good, promoting a deep sense of peace and well-being. As the mind floats in a state of cosmic consciousness, the body rests on an optimal plane for healing - strengthening the nervous system, balancing the chakras and increasing energy and vitality
Gayatri Mantra/Chant is a universal prayer and that is considered the essence of the four ancient Indian religious texts, the Vedas. Veda means knowledge, and the Gayatri mantra fosters and sharpens our knowledge-yielding faculties.
It is a sacred chant that demonstrates the unity that underlies all creation. It is addressed to the Transcendent Divine and is considered as having three parts - (1) Adoration (2) Meditation and (3) Prayer. First, the Divine is praised, then It is meditated upon in reverence and finally, an appeal is made to the Divine to awaken and strengthen the intellect and discriminating faculty of mankind.
The Gayatri Mantra/Chant is repeated 108 times and lasts 27 minutes
Gayatri Mantra
Om Bhur Bhuvaḥ Suvaha
Tat-savitur Vareñyaṃ
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyo Yonaḥ Prachodayāt
General meaning:
We meditate on that most adored Supreme Lord, the creator, whose Divine light illuminates all realms (physical, mental and spiritual). May this divine light illuminate our intellect.