Communion
A Nature Retreat on Liberatory Leadership &
Embodiment for Women
April 23-26, 2026 | River Mountain, Everett, PA
Listen to Your Body. Commune With Nature.
Women are holding more than ever—
Navigating work, family, and community...
...in a society that too often demands more than it gives.
The village feels fractured.
Success comes at too high a cost.
Our bodies are stretched thin, our spirits are tired, and we are left wondering:
Is this the only way to live, to lead, to exist?
It isn’t.
To move beyond “making do,” we must commune deeply.
... With ourselves.
... With the land.
... With our ancestors.
... With spirit... And with one another.
Communion is the premier retreat for women ready to design lives they don’t need to escape—where slowing down, trusting your body, and reclaiming imagination become the foundation for leadership that frees you and those you serve.
This Retreat Was Designed for You.
Communion is for women who carry responsibility in places where the stakes are high—whether at home, at work, or in the community.
High stakes might mean:
- Raising and protecting a family in a world where survival and safety are never guaranteed
- Leading organizations, institutions, or communities where decisions impact many lives
- Holding responsibility for others in contexts shaped by violence, injustice, or systemic pressure
- Being “the one everyone counts on,” even without a formal title
This retreat is a safe space for Black women and Women of Color who have been leading and holding in these ways for generations. Women of all walks of life are welcome, provided you are ready to honor this centering and join with openness and care.
Join us for Communion.
A 4-day, all-inclusive, Women's Retreat on Liberatory Leadership and Embodiment — where you will slow down, connect with nature, listen to your body, and redefine leadership in life and at work.
What You’ll Carry Home
- A felt sense of freedom in your body, even when the demands around you don’t change overnight
- Practices—QiGong, journaling, dance, silence—that sustain you when life feels heavy
- A deeper relationship with nature and ancestral wisdom as sources of grounding
- Community with women who understand the complexity of leading and holding so much in this moment in history
And more than that—
You’ll leave with a Liberatory Framework as guidance for strategically reorganizing your leadership in life and in work. Grounded in the Womanist Triad of Concern, you will have tools to reshape how you relate human-to-human, human-to-spirit, and human-to-nature so that your leadership—at home, in your body, and in the world—is more sustainable, rooted, and aligned with freedom.
SECURE YOUR SPOT NOW.
This 4-day All-Inclusive Nature Retreat Includes:
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Modern-minimalist lux glamping accommodations (linens provided)
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All meals, nourishing snacks, and daily happy hour (alcoholic and non-alcoholic options available)
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Daily Qigong, movement, and healing circles
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Yoga mats, bolsters, and all practice materials
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Guided reflection with a custom workbook and journal
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Hot springs soaking tub for deep rest
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Space to grill and a nightly bonfire for stories and s’mores
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150 acres of lush landscape to wander, reflect, and connect with nature
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Limited WiFi — an invitation to unplug and turn inward
- Dedicated Space for Quiet Indoors
It does NOT include:
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Flights or Transportation to the Mountain Resort
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Travel insurance
The Retreat At-A-Glance
Our Itinerary Invites a Flow of Reflection, Relaxation & Connection
Black Heritage Hike
A guided walk on historic land, listening to oral histories of Black women whose stories embody resilience, leadership, and freedom; inviting reflection on the past and imagination for what’s possible.
Fireside Reflections
Honest conversations under the stars about what it means to hold so much in this moment in history, and how to reclaim joy alongside responsibility.
Lineage Healing & Embodied Leadership
Mapping, ritual, and movement practices that invite us to name what has been passed down, and choose how we want to live and lead moving forward.
Embodiment as Prayer
QiGong, African dance, and body mapping to release grief, move energy, and root ourselves in joy and pleasure.
Ancestral Connection
Journaling, altar-building, and meditation to honor those who walked before us as active participants in our healing.
Naps, Nature & Silence
Hammock meditations, afternoons of stillness, and quiet communion with the land as our original teacher.
Our Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrival & Opening
Day 2 – Listening to the Ancestors and the Land
Day 3 – Reclaiming Freedom in Body and Life
Day 4 – Closing & Integration
Where We'll Be Communing
We’ll gather at River Mountain Retreat Center in Everett, Pennsylvania—on land once traveled by freedom seekers along the Underground Railroad.
This place holds memory, courage, and resilience. It reminds us that freedom has always been pursued in community, through connection with land and spirit.
Your Retreat Host
Dr. Shawna Murray-Browne
Shawna Murray-Browne, Ph. D., LCSW-C (she/her) is an integrative psychotherapist, womanist scholar, liberatory strategist, and mind-body medicine practitioner. Based in Baltimore, she is known for creating powerful healing spaces that center Black women and their families, guiding them toward generational healing and authentic leadership.
The creator of the Liberation-Focused Healing Framework, Dr. Shawna has advised organizations, universities, and communities nationwide on building cultures rooted in ancestral wisdom, authenticity, and care. A cultural historian who studies the healing ways of Black women, she weaves oral history, Qigong, and Black spiritual traditions into her work. Featured in The Huffington Post, PBS, Good Morning Washington, New York Times and Therapy for Black Girls, she brings over 15 years of expertise in trauma-responsive healing to Communion, inviting women into a life of presence, freedom, and embodied leadership.
Your Retreat Host
Mya Dixon Ajanku
Mya Dixon Ajanku is an award-winning educator, DEI specialist, and dancer whose work is deeply influenced by Eastern philosophy and the indigenous Akan principle of Sankofa (“Go back and fetch it”). Her pedagogical and andragogical approach fosters equity, engagement, and accountability among students, faculty, and staff. Through Sankofa, she cultivates a culturally responsive and inclusive learning environment where every experience is tailored to diverse learning styles and needs.
An innovative educator with over two decades of classroom experience—from Pre-K through higher education, including special education—Mya has used dance and education as mediums for knowledge-sharing and healing for more than 30 years. Inspired and mentored by her instructors at Sankofa Dance Theater, she began assisting and teaching classes at the age of 13.
As a performer, Mya has shared the stage with renowned artists such as Roberta Flack, Fertile Ground, M.I.A., and Spank Rock. Her movement research includes collaborations with Sankofa Dance Theater, NaZu & Co., the National Ballets of Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, and numerous instructors specializing in movement from across the African diaspora.
Mya holds a B.A. in Dance with a K–12 teaching certification from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and an M.F.A. in Dance from Hollins University in collaboration with the American Dance Festival (ADF) and the Forsythe Company. She also completed a specialization in Organizational Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership.
Her professional journey includes work with institutions such as Maarifa Shule, ConneXions Leadership Academy, Baltimore County Public Schools, The Bryn Mawr School for Girls, Ball State University, and Coppin State University. During her tenure with Sankofa Dance Theater, she served as Dance Captain for the adult company and Director of the Sankofa Dance Theater Youth Ensemble—though she considers teaching her true superpower.
Her research and development work at the Kennedy Krieger Institute expanded her expertise in alternative teaching practices, particularly supporting individuals with autism. Mya has also contributed as a curriculum writer for Baltimore County Public Schools and the Open Society Fellow Meshelle Shields’ Goal Diggers: The Sankofa Project, and she created two courses that enhanced the Fine Arts core curriculum at Ball State University.
Currently, Mya’s research explores movement and writing as therapeutic modalities for healing embodied familial narratives and developing resources for African diasporic movement practitioners navigating academia and the tenure process.