The sequoia circle
Partnering with Nature and Community for support after religion or sexual assault
starting spring 2024
Are you looking for healing and community after a faith transition or sexual assault?
Do you want to cultivate a relationship with nature and deepen your relationship with yourself?
Are you seeking space and time to process and integrate the work you’re doing with a therapist or other practitioner?
Are you curious about trying out alternative types of healing but maybe are intimidated by the many options or don’t know where to begin?
Are you wanting to (re)build trust with your intuition and your body?
Then, The Sequoia Circle is for you.
Dedicate time and space to partner with the natural world — connecting with her, building relationship with her, and allowing her to HELP heal you and showing you how to thrive.
Do this work with others, build community and relationship with them, and connect intuitively with yourself.
The origin Story
In an early therapy session after I was assaulted, and several years after my faith transition, I told my therapist that the pain I felt was excruciating, that I couldn’t imagine sharing this pain with anyone because it was too much to expect someone else to carry. And I also couldn’t keep feeling it and holding it any longer. I felt tired, so so tired.
What a lie that we must bear trauma alone? But that’s where I was.
And the therapist asked me: Ok, so what can you do with this pain right now?
I closed my eyes, and the ocean appeared in front of me. I jumped into that water, face down, floating on my belly, and I let the ocean hold me and rock me. Then, I screamed and screamed and screamed into that dark, deep abyss. And I visualized all of that pain going down down down into the earth, and she absorbed it. All of it. Just took it and swallowed it up.
A wave then formed and carried me to shore at the base of a giant sequoia. I walked into the sequoia’s opening, a large scar that opened many years before. I felt enveloped by that great tree, so safe and warm. The water from the ocean lapped up to the roots of the sequoia, nourishing it, feeding it, and as I looked up high into the canopy of this tree, I watched it grow as I merged with its trunk and became that tree.
I then saw myself standing tall amongst a large circle of giant sequoias. Our branches swayed a hello, nodding in recognition of our similar journeys. Our very existence bore witness to all that we had endured and experienced. We stood in counsel, in solidarity. Collectively strong.
One lone sequoia is a wonder. But a grove, an entire forest, of sequoias? That’s a miracle worth investing in and experiencing.
I would like nothing more than for you to stand and grow with me and other survivors into a circle of giant sequoias, taking up space in the forest, spreading our branches and wisdom, and opening our hearts to the possibilities of the future.
My healing has not involved any one thing or followed a linear path. Community supports me. Therapy delivers and continues to deliver me. And nature, she holds me and guides me. This beautiful natural world – a world that has experienced abuse, neglect, violence and so much more – she has shown me how to let old things die, to rebuild, to regrow, and to thrive. She reminds me of what it means to live and to be alive, and to do so with such magnificent splendor and abundance.
Nature heals. We merely need to show up.
“If we surrendered to earth’s intelligence, we could rise up rooted, like trees.”
— Rainer Maria Rilke
The WHY
Nearly 40 years of scientific research supports the holistic benefits and power of immersing ourselves in nature. These benefits include:
reduced stress and blood pressure
increased creativity and focus
improved mood and sleep
boosted immune functions
suppression of the ‘fight or flight’ system
enhanced mental wellbeing
As nature heals the body, it also heals the mind. Research shows that nature immersion helps survivors of trauma:
cope with challenging emotions
establish a sense of safety and spiritual connection
facilitate greater acceptance of self
reduce negative thinking and rumination
increase attention to the present
I’m Naomi (she/her), and I’m your guide.
I am a certified forest therapy guide, an educational leader, a breathwork facilitator, a yoga instructor, a storyteller, a survivor of sexual assault, and a former participant in a high-demand religion. I’ve trained and worked with thousands of people across the United States, developed 30+ in-person and online courses for adults and children, co-founded a professional networking and mentoring nonprofit community for women, and hold a Ph.D. in education. I also share the stories of women past and present through writing and podcasting. While I grew up on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, my chosen home is on the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Shoshone, Ute, and Goshute Tribes in Salt Lake City, Utah, where I continue my healing journey with the land as a partner.
I look forward to you joining me!
“Naomi is a patient and intuitive guide, and I was grateful to have her leading me through this new experience.”
— Gretchen
“Naomi has a strength and presence that mirrors nature. With well-paced invitations, she guided me through a private forest bathing walk where my senses were activated and a deep calm settled in. The experience has stayed with me throughout the seasons, and I look forward to another guided session soon.”
— Kora
how the sequoia circle works
eight-WEEK experience
Tailored to mirror the natural rhythms and flow of the seasons, participate in an eight-week immersive experience. Eight weeks provides time, space, and safety to develop community and to more deeply build a relationship with yourself and the land. Each circle is limited to no more than 15 participants, so you can build safety and relationships with the same people every week. Choose from one of two circle foci:
Circle #1: After Religion
Circle #2: After Sexual Assault
Structure
Every two weeks includes the following:
One 90-minute guided forest bathing walk in Salt Lake City, Utah
Healing practices tied to seasonal themes in the form of journal prompts, affirmations, breathwork, guided meditation, movement, art, reading, music, ritual. You select the practices and tools that most interest you and have the option to adapt them to meet your individual needs. These practices will be shared with you through a virtual platform and are yours to keep.
One 90-minute virtual community circle to build relationships and connection with other participants and to share insights from working with the land and the healing practices
Over the course of the eight weeks, you will have participated in:
4 forest bathing walks
4 community circles
numerous healing practices
1 culminating group celebration
spring 2024 dates
after religion circle
March 11 — May 6, 2024
Mondays | 6:00 — 7:30pm MT
March 11 | walk
March 18 | circle
March 25 | walk
April 1 | circle
April 8 | no meeting
April 15 | walk
April 22 | circle
April 29 | walk
May 6 | circle
After sexual assault circle
March 13 — May 1, 2024
Wednesdays | 6:00 — 7:30pm MT
March 13 | circle
March 20 | walk
March 27 | circle
April 3 | walk
April 10 | circle
April 17 | walk
April 24 | circle
May 1 | walk
Interested but live outside of the Salt Lake City area?
Send me a note to express your interest in an all-virtual offering.
$395 | Pay-It-Forward Membership
$325 | Standard Membership
$250 | Supported Membership
Sliding Scale Pricing:
If you have recently lost your job and/or are experiencing financial insecurity, please choose the supported tier.
If you are still employed and/ or are meeting your basic financial needs, please choose the standard tier.
If you have financial abundance and security, personal or generational wealth, or want to support my sliding scale practice, please choose the pay-it-forward scale.
Try out forest bathing!
Want to try forest bathing before committing to The Sequoia Circle? Or are you a mental health or wellness professional who wants to experience the practice before referring clients?
Then, join a free forest bathing walk in Memory Grove Park in Salt Lake City to get firsthand experience of the practice!
Interested Participants
Sunday, February 11 at 10:30am
Saturday, February 24 at 11:30am
Saturday, March 2 at 9:30am
Mental Health or Wellness Professionals
Monday, February 12 at noon
Saturday, February 24 at 10:00am
Sunday, March 3 at 9:30am
“The land knows you, even when you are lost.”
— Robin Wall Kimmerer
FAQs
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The Sequoia Circle is open to individuals who identify as women and regardless of financial means, experience in the outdoors, education level, sexual orientation, and background. Participants must be age 18 or older.
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No. You will never be forced to share any information unless you feel comfortable doing so. Showing up and offering your presence is enough.
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Please note that this training does not replace formal treatment. If you are in crisis, please consider contacting the free and confidential National Suicide Prevention Line or National Sexual Assault Crisis Hotline for immediate support, local resources and options at 1-800-656-4673, visiting their online chatroom for support, or calling 911.
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A guided forest bathing is a leisurely walk on a path or trail with stops along the way to gather. Through a series of carefully crafted invitations, we will use our senses to develop an immediate connection to the natural world and the land. This is a slow, mindful way of walking and connecting with nature. Our walk concludes with a service of herbal tea. Our Circle walks will occur in Salt Lake City in a location disclosed after registration to preserve participants’ safety.
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There are some scholarship monies available. Please contact me if finances would prevent you from participating. If you are interested in donating towards this scholarship fund, you can donate here.