The Heart Project:

A Sacred Retreat for Women

 

The 2026 Heart Project will be held at Heartdance Studio, 1806 E Michigan Ave, Lansing, MI

FRI 9/25/26 6-8PM ET | SAT 9/26/26 10 AM - 5PM ET | SUN 9/27/26 10:30 AM - 2PM ET.

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We begin Friday with a fire ceremony. We'll connect with each other, set our intentions for the weekend, and begin the trek towards the space we desire to create for ourselves and for each other. 

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Saturday we'll have breath-work, dance, a 1 hour break for lunch followed by meditation and other activities. You're invited to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy in the beautiful gardens near the waterfall.

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Sunday we move, write, breathe and meditate. You're invited to bring a picnic lunch for the midday garden break.

 

Snacks, coffee, tea and water will be provided. 

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This retreat offers a safe space to reconnect with your heart, honor your body's wisdom, and be held by a circle of women who truly see you.

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Together, we provide a gentle unraveling of the survival barriers we all build over time, opening the door to a lighter, more authentic way of being.

 

How We Heal

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• Breathwork: Deep, somatic release to clear stagnant energy.

• Movement: Mindful practices to reconnect with physical wisdom.

• Meditation: Grounding sessions to quiet the mind and center the spirit.

• Journaling: Recording your thoughts to capture a record of this unique experience.

• Sisterhood: A supportive, judgment-free circle of authentic connection.

 

Dress comfortably for dancing, gentle yoga, lying on the floor for breath-work and meditation.  

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Our Story

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Carlene Kanellis is a medicine woman, somatic healer and spiritual guide who has walked through fire and found medicine in the ashes.

She has cracked open in the middle of healing and learned that truth, even messy truth, is always the way home.

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She stands where the mystical meets the human — where ancient practices meet modern pain, where nervous systems unravel and spirits remember. Learn more about her practices and lineage here.

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Deb Hart is a trauma informed yoga facilitator, Level 1 iRest teacher and seeker who deeply loves being in a connected, healing space to offer up the energy of what she's learned to create a container for healing and transformation. 

 

It was talk therapy, community theater and yoga that transformed Deb from hating herself and making life choices that fed the darkness that most people never saw. She was guided to those spaces of healing as she grieved the death of her father, her brother's suicide and a divorce. In more recent years, writing and making art are the creative practices she loves that also offer healing and new ways to express her evolution of being.

 

She understands that we all have trauma, that it looks and feels different for all of us, and we all need varied approaches to get through the struggles we encounter.

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Carlene and Deb share a passion to combine their collective healing tools and offer deep restoration, transformation and community. 'The Heart Project' was born in October 2025, a two-day retreat hosted at HeartDance Studio in Lansing, MI. They invite you to the sacred space that takes place over three days this time. 

 

Here's what participants said about their experience with us:

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"One of the most freeing, healing experiences of my life. Transformative. I encourage everyone to experience a retreat like this!"

 

"...I feel loved."

 

"I feel tingly, alive...truly loved."

 

"A much-needed balm for the world today."

 

"Reborn"

 

"I feel seen...renewed."

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​​​Email debhart9@gmail.com with questions. Your investment in this weekend of healing is $324.99 and the time you allow yourself to care for you. Click here for registration. 

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