THE ART

OF BECOMING

a five day retreat in the heart of Tuscany

May 13 - 18th, 2026

The Art of Becoming Retreat is a five day women's gathering in the Heart of Tuscany. An experience to retreat from your normal routine, immerse yourself in nature, healing practices and the romance of the Italian countryside to support your aliveness, and your becoming, all while being in the loving embrace of community.

Together we'll nurture the soft dance of evolution by slowing down and returning home to the wilderness of our hearts, earth-body, and the innate knowing that is revealed when we create spaciousness to deeply listen, and be in communion with this precious life unfolding.

The Experience

Conscious-Connected Breathwork

Conscious-Connected Breathwork will be our main medicine. We'll dive into this practice to connect with our bodies and unearth what's ready to be set down and reinvigorated with fresh life-force, presence, and new perspective. 

We'll have afternoon workshops and plenty of spaciousness to integrate our breathwork experiences.

Spaciousness

The schedule provides plenty of spaciousness to lean back into simplicity, wander through the farm, walk to a nearby village, or simply nap, read a book, and savor your rural surroundings. This is an opportunity to deeply rest and gently restore your connection to life.

Place

There is a palpable sense of magic at this place. The extinct volcano that Ebbio sits upon was known as “magic mountain” by the Etruscans. A sacred location and home to their Gods. We’ll connect to the lands, sit with the Great Earth, walk the Via Francigena - an ancient pilgrimage path and swim in the cleansing waters of a natural spring nearby the farm.

Workshop Magic

Added workshops include a guided ecstatic dance from Sweden facilitator Minna Julkalender, an authentic Italian cooking class lead at the farmhouse with foraged ingredients from the farm. Jessica Langella will lead an altar building experience to generously give back to the land.

Evening Wind-downs

Each evening we'll wind-down with a gentle group ritual to end our day together. This will include candle-lit poetry readings, yin yoga and warming herbal tea before bed.

Our final evening we'll close with a fire ceremony under the clear night sky.

OUR RETREAT HOME

Ebbio is a gorgeously restored 13th century farmhouse surrounded by 17 acres of rustic countryside, sitting on an extinct volcano, overlooking the medieval walled town of Monteriggioni.

The country ways of old Italy are preserved at Ebbio, where they dedicate themselves to the organic cultivation of olive trees, fruit, vegetables and herbs.

Much of Ebbio life is spent outdoors, often at the large communal tables under the shade of the pergolas. For alone time, there are plenty of chairs in the sun and hammocks in the shade, ideal for sunbathing, reading or star-gazing. A south-exposed patio is perfect for enjoying sunrise and sunsets.

Ebbio has 8 uniquely furnished rooms cozied around a spacious communal area with a traditional fireplace.

CEREMONY SPACES

Our group practices will be held in a variety of unique spaces; in a grounding yoga shala, between the ancient olive trees, atop a sun-lit patio, and at a natural spring near the farmhouse. .

FARM TO TABLE

Ebbio offers an in-house chef that uses fresh, locally foraged ingredients, to create delicious family style meals. These meals are certified organic and vegetarian.

Their mantra is ‘food is medicine’, with meals always rich in nutrients, organic and vegetarian, their menu varies to complement what’s in season and in their fields.

A morning beverage & fresh fruit, brunch and dinner are included during each full day of the retreat.

EXCURSIONS AND SPECIAL WORKSHOPS

WALKING THE ANCIENT PATH

The Via Francigena is the ancient path that has connected Canterbury and Rome since the Middle Ages. Nowadays it remains a pilgrimage path, as part of the Way of Saint James (Camino de Santiago).

For our excursion, we'll be lead by a local guide through the Tuscan countryside and ancient old towns on the pathway of the Via Francigena. We'll stop for lunch in a beautiful hamlet and treat ourselves with some gelato, before heading back to our farmhouse for some R&R. 

The walk is about 10-12 kms. 

BUILDING AN OFFERING TO THE LAND

Jessica Langella will lead us in a workshop to build an altar to the land.

We will gather in gratitude, to build a living altar - a gateway to the unseen, a mirror of unity, a place where our prayers, songs and love meet the spirit of the land.

Jessica Langella is a land tender, artist, herbalist, and mother rooted in the mist and moss of the Pacific Northwest. She helps steward Wapato Island Farm, listening to the whispers of soil, seed, and spirit, tending food and medicine in sacred reciprocity with the land. Through the Wapato Table UnSchool, she shares ancestral skills as pathways of remembrance — where making, tending, and breathing become prayer. Jessica’s work is an offering to the Earth, a call to return to belonging, and a blessing of gratitude for all that nourishes life.

Daily magic ~ Sample Schedule

7:30 AM Morning warming beverage, fresh fruit and biscuits

9 - 11 AM Breathwork Ceremony

11 AM Brunch

12 pm - 4 pm Free Time

4- 5:30 pm Afternoon Workshop

6 pm Dinner

7:30 PM Evening Wind Down

A cooking class and a day excursion will also be weaved into the schedule. Schedule is subject to flow and change. 

How do I get there?

Fly into Florence, Pisa, or Bologna and book a rental car, take train or order a taxi to arrive at Ebbio.

All surrounding airports are connected by the Italian railway system. Siena and Castellina in Chianti are the closest train stations to Ebbio.

A group shuttle can also be arranged by Natasha from Florence to Ebbio if enough women are interested.

Note that transportation to Ebbio is not included in the price of the retreat. 

Raina Jung

“The Art of Living Retreat in Italy was magic beyond magic. It was a space of deep healing and, at the same time, gentle restoration. A re-centering and reconnection with myself and with a greater sense of support through the presence of the group of wise and powerful women. There is nothing quite like being in a place so breathtakingly beautiful that it stirs something inside you, and then being invited to breathe deeply into that beauty, to ground into it, expand within it, and let it open your heart and move you.

To be held in the practice of breathwork, to journey into the unseen spaces within and around me, and then be given time and space to integrate, was a gift beyond words. I came into the retreat with the intention to open myself to inspiration. What I found was how naturally and abundantly inspiration flows when we are given spaciousness, when we remove the layers of rushing and distraction, and let ourselves flow through the time and space of a day.

There are so many moments I've held close to my heart since leaving—reading poetry by candlelight, passing the flame as we shared the words of great poets with one another... doing yoga nidra as the sky erupted with thunder and lightning and rain fell like the release of our tears... laughing over meals that were so delicious they felt like love made edible. I took naps and walks. I rested and had long conversations. I played and painted and made messy marks free of judgment. And somehow, in the perfect weaving of depth and lightness, I found an even deeper intimacy with parts of myself I'd been slowly reconnecting with over the past year.

The retreat space itself felt like something out of a dream—more beautiful than I could have imagined, down to every texture and detail. The way the steps were worn down by all the many footsteps that came before us. Each room was its own unique cocoon.

Natasha, oh my goodness! She holds space in a way that is powerful and rare. There is a grounded trust in the way she facilitates, a deep sense of safety and belonging that reminds you that you already have what you need, that you can go exactly where you need to go, one breath at a time. Her presence feels like the loving embrace of an unconditionally supportive mother being, so steady and sure that you can’t help but feel trust in yourself more fully.

I returned home with more of myself than I could’ve hoped for. The magic is still unfolding. I’ve carried it with me, and I continue to feel its presence in how I live into the moments and details of my life back home. I went in hoping for inspiration, and I came away with my eyes wide open to it. I’m deeply, deeply grateful.”

Kind Words

Jillian W.

“When people ask me how the Italy retreat was, the thing I keep coming back to is that I felt very held. It was the little things- someone making my bed everyday, a daily handwritten schedule, someone else making my coffee, and it was the big things- the relationships, the life changing breathwork sessions and thoughtful weaving of the daily rhythm. To be held to that degree is a healing experience. It mended parts of me that I didn't know I needed to heal!

A retreat in a different country sets the experience up to be different. Every person was arriving to every breathwork session without the pulls of family, work, parking, and all the daily tasks and trials that come with being near home. Arriving as our most present selves made the sessions so much more intense. I feel like every session was ten fold more powerful than the sessions I attend at home (and those are powerful!).  And then having the time and beautiful physical space to process afterwards was truly life changing. I returned with a new found sense of who I am and how I need to navigate through my life.”

Natasha Stewart

Natasha is passionate about fostering nurturing and transformational spaces for individuals and groups, to unveil their innate healing capacity and unearth material blocking their most authentic expression and connection to life. She is trauma-informed and provides a compassionate, judgement-free and gentle presence for clients to dive into their full spectrum of human-ness and open to the preciousness of this life.

Her favorite healing modality to guide is Conscious-Connected Breathwork for it’s ability to connect individuals with their bodies, unleash creativity, and help people get unstuck.

Natasha delights in international travel as she’s spent 5 years collectively working as a flight attendant and a first mate/chef on a sailboat. She is well versed in holding space for large groups on international journeys and loves to combine her passion for travel with her hearts work of facilitating transformative experiences.

ROOM OPTIONS

Single Room - $3,700

Sleeps one person

1 single available

$500 deposit included

Double Room - $3,400

Sleeps two people, separate twin beds

1 available

$500 deposit included

Triple Room - $2,900

Sleeps three people

1 triple rooms available

$500 deposit included

$200 off until Feb 28th

two weeks after deposit is sent in, the full payment or a payment plan can be set up.

5 days and 5 nights at Ebbio

Daily meals: morning beverage service, brunch and dinner

Breathwork, Meditation, Evening wind-down sessions

Excursion on Via de Francigena

Bed Linens and Towels

Yoga Props: blankets, bolsters, yoga mats

A non-refundable deposit of $500 is due to secure your spot, this is included in the price. Three weeks later the full payment is due or a payment plan is to be set up. 

Payment Plans are welcomed! Please reach out to inquire about plans.

What’s included

What’s not included

Travel to and From Ebbio

Personal Excursions

Travel Insurance

Individual Lunch for Excursion day

The magic of Tuscany awaits…

Thank you for your interest in this dreamy retreat! Please send me any questions you have!

With love,

Natasha