Singing in Bloom:
A Women's Day Retreat
Sunday, September 13th, 2026
10:00 am - 4:30 pm
Swan’s Nest Holistic Wellness & Nature Centre
Schomberg, Ontario
(45 minutes from Toronto)
Nourish your soul, tend to your body, and uplift your spirit at this day-long wellness retreat for women.
This retreat is now full with a waiting list. To add yourself to the waiting list, please email mila@singforjoy.ca, with the subject line “Singing In Bloom Waitlist”.
Singing in Bloom is about nourishment with a capital “N” – filling up the well that feeds you through song, nature, community, and connection. We will gather at the Swan’s Nest Holistic Wellness & Nature Centre, a private land sanctuary high on the Oak Ridges Moraine. In between our morning and afternoon song circles, you’ll have time to explore the 350 acres of wilderness trails, swim in the spring-fed lake, and feast on a home-cooked organic lunch.
Throughout our day together, we’ll sing simple, soul-nourishing songs learned by ear, in the oral tradition. We’ll play with harmonies, layer songs, and “don’t make me think” songs that move us out of our minds and into our bodies. In the spirit of a small village, we’ll come together on beautiful land to sing, share, play, connect, and rest in the timelessness of the present moment.
The songs we sing will speak to themes of belonging and connection, earth and water, courage and freedom, grief and joy, nature and community, to name a few. They are songs that you can keep tucked away in your pocket for moments when you need them, and songs that you can weave into the rhythm of your daily life. More than anything, they are songs that were made to nourish and enliven us.
As a wellness practice, group singing is known to support health and wellbeing through the release of endorphins and oxytocin, helping to reduce stress and foster a greater sense of connection, belonging, and joy.
This retreat is open to all those with lived experience as a woman, including non-binary folx who feel comfortable in a woman-centred space. As always, no singing experience is required.
*This retreat is designed as an adult-only experience, due to the length of the day and the size of the group. However, pre-crawling babies are welcome.
Schedule of our Day
10:00 am - 10:30 am: Arrival, settle in, walk the land, and drink some tea
10:30 am - 12:30 pm: Opening Circle and Singing
12:30 pm - 2:30 pm: Home-cooked organic lunch, swimming, sunning, hiking, and relaxing
2:30 pm - 4:30 pm: Singing and Closing Circle
Retreat Host & Facilitator
Mila Redwood is a Community Song Leader, Mother, and the Founder of Sing for Joy in Toronto. Mila uses song as a tool for building community, for restoring our sense of belonging and connection in a fragmented world. She is passionate about singing together in the oral tradition, in the simple yet powerful ways that people have done for time immemorial. As the Founder of Sing for Joy, Mila pioneered a Community Singing movement in Ontario that has grown exponentially over the past decade. To read more about Mila, click here.
Location
Our retreat will be held at the Swan’s Nest Holistic Wellness & Nature Centre, a private land sanctuary high on the Oak Ridges Moraine, only an hour from downtown Toronto. It is located near Schomberg, Ontario. In between our morning and afternoon song circles, you’ll have time to explore the 350 acres of wilderness trails, swim in the private spring-fed lake, and feast on a home-cooked organic lunch.
Dinora and Rufus, who lovingly steward the Swan's Nest, are working towards having the land designated as a 'National Healing Forest' for the purpose of reconciliation between local indigenous and non-indigenous communities. They will share more about this initiative with our group, in the opening circle.
How To Get There
The Swan’s Nest Holistic Wellness & Nature Centre is a private land sanctuary, located only 45 minutes from Toronto, near Schomberg, Ontario. I will send out the address and driving directions to our retreat group, in a welcome email. For those who wish to take public transit, the best option is to make your way to Vaughn Metropolitan Centre Station, and get a Taxi/Uber from there.
Cost & Registration
Price per person: $175 + sales tax
This price includes:
Facilitated group-singing sessions in the morning and afternoon
A home-cooked organic lunch made by the incredible Annie
Tea, coffee, and a home-baked afternoon snack
A stunningly beautiful, natural setting to relax, connect, and unwind
A “basket” of songs to return home with
Terms & Conditions:
Please review the Terms & Conditions for this retreat, before booking your spot. The Terms & Conditions include information on the Cancellation & Refund Policy, Health & Wellness Agreements, and more. Click here to read the Terms & Conditions.
This retreat is now full with a waiting list. To join the waiting list, please email mila@singforjoy.ca, with the subject line “Singing In Bloom Waitlist”.
Words from past participants…
“The Singing in Bloom retreat was so uplifting, full of passion and connection. My heart opened and my spirit soared in song. I've found myself humming the songs we learned together all week. Little musical earworms of hope, joy and caring.” – Amy Gourley
“I am so delighted to have discovered Mila's retreats. We sang all day and it wasn't enough. Mila has such a clear, positive and down-to-earth energy. Grounded and uplifting all at once. She made it all feel so simple - I'm still marvelling that we learned those beautiful harmonies together in a way that seemed so effortless.” – Kate Keenan
“Thank you a thousand times for creating a space where I felt safe, seen, heard, honoured, respected and valued. I felt that I belonged in the most beautiful way in the circle of women that you invited on this journey. Every song resonated in its own unique way and felt like a balm to a different part of my soul, one I did not even realize needed soothing.” – Sacha Salenik
“Mila holds some serious song magic, and has a beautiful ability of weaving song, playfulness, and deep meaning into her workshops. These moments of group singing are cherished, and feed my soul in ways that are palpable for days after. Singing in this way has helped me to feel ever-more confident in my own voice and ability to share songs.” – Sammy Tangir
“Mila draws you in with authenticity and opens you up with her joy. Then, you remember parts of who you really are, and you come home to yourself. Connection and healing happen in the safe, thoughtful, exuberant song-scape that Mila creates. As she moves our group, I experience myself as an essential part of an essential whole, and I know that singing is everyone’s birthright.” – Sarah Vandenberg
“Mila's retreats have profoundly shifted my relationship with my voice. I highly, highly recommend Mila's work to any woman who wants to experience Community Singing that nourishes deeply while allowing space for grief, joy, and everything in between.” – Maya Nadeem
I respectfully acknowledge that this gathering will take place on the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Petun, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat. I also acknowledge that this land is covered by Treaty No. 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit. I strive to learn to recognize my part in the ongoing history of colonization, and to understand how our community can work towards reconciliation, repair, and uplifting indigenous values and traditions.