ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Patricia Vernhes has been on a path of research, study, teaching, and consulting in Yoga & Ayurveda, Reiki, Native American Energy Medicine, Eastern European and Mongolian Medicines, Sound Therapy and Binaural Acoustics as well as many other release and shift techniques for body, mind, and spirit for over 20 years. A Sivananda Hatha Yoga teacher under Swami Brahmananda and a disciple of Dr Marc Halpern of California College of Ayurveda, she is a certified Ayurveda Yoga Therapist and a Reiki Master in the lineage of Usui Reiki Ryoho. Following in the footsteps of her ancestors – medicine women and herbalists in Eastern Europe, this path allowed her to formulate an intuitive approach which draws from many schools so she can guide her clients in a unique healing experience. Twelve years ago, Patricia settled in the Mojave Desert of California where she began working with indigenous traditions and plants, and was invited to learn with a local Native American elder. She also had a rare opportunity of studying with Nancy and Joanne Karl and apprenticing as a sound therapist with the use of Quartz Bowls at The Integratron.
Bridging her continuous research in the fields of Ayurveda, sound therapy, nutrition, skincare formulation and skin healing, health and longevity, with ancient traditions and cutting edge innovation, she personally designs all of Mojave Desert Skin Shield’s treatments, protocols as well as organic skincare formulas and wellness products.
THE EXPERIENCE
An immersive flow of group sessions, individual treatments, transformative lectures and workshops combined with delicious meals, in the tranquility of a private retreat.
Next upcoming session : September 24 - 28
OUR HOME
Our desert home, which sits on 14 acres of pristine land amongst boulders of Pipes Canyon and abuts 70,000 acres of protected Sand To Snow Monument will welcome a group of up to 8 guests for a 4 night / 5 day immersion.
DAILY PROGRAM
- Sunrise Meditation with breathwork nestled in the boulders on the property
- Tao Tea Medicine sessions
- Sound Sessions
- Mineral Outdoor Baths (large cedar hot tub as well as three outdoor and one indoor large fresh water baths)
- Individual Fascia Healing Sessions
- Whole-body infrared therapy with PEMF
- Body Work (Classic and Thai massage)
- Movement Classes (Pilates with elements of Barre, Yoga, Dance, Weights)
- Guided Hikes to the sacred sites in the Black Lava Butte flat top mesa area (known for its abundance of petroglyphs and quartz veins)
- Delicious Meals made freshly with organic, locally sourced produce and prepared by our talented dear friends (according to the Ayurvedic principle that food should be prepared by loving hands.)
- A Protocol of Juices, Broths and Elixirs prepared accordingly to MDSS philosophy.
INTEGRATION
The purpose of your stay is to detoxify, process, release, recharge and work on all layers of what it means to be a human in the modern day.
You will be offered an individualized program, in a small but nurturing tribe of likeminded people, with whom we hope you will build lifelong friendships.
We will be here to support you every step of the way in the process of peeling back the layers to connect you with your most radiant inner self. The Mojave Desert is a perfect setting for personal growth and healing.
The retreat will conclude with a transformative and heart opening Cacao Ceremony.
THE EXPERTS
We invited locally based experts in the fields of personal growth, functional nutrition, movement (Yoga, Pilates, Dance), as well as herbalism and sacred knowledge of Cacao to join us in the program of Patricia's daily offerings.
SUPINDA SIRIHEKAPHONG
Supinda is a certified EDD, Birth Doula, Yoga Teacher and Thai Massage Therapist. After a successful 15 year career in the nonprofit sector and higher education, Supinda's life took a major turn and she found herself leaving her service in bureaucratic institutions to serving individuals in supporting a healthier and empowered lifestyle. For the last 7 years, Supinda has been serving her community as a certified birth doula, yoga teacher and massage therapist specializing in Traditional Thai Massage and Cranial Sacral Therapy. Her services are rooted in her Buddhist upbringing and shamanic practices that integrate earth elements and Universal principles to support health and wellness in body, mind and spirit.
KARA HOPPE
Kara Hoppe, MA, MFT, is a psychotherapist, teacher, feminist, and mother. She has spent more than a decade as an inclusive therapist working with individuals and couples toward healing and growing, and toward becoming grounded, integrated people with better access to their own instincts, wisdom, and creativity. Hoppe is the coauthor of Baby Bomb: A Relationship Survival Guide for New Parents, a 2021 INDIES finalist. Her work has been featured in The Atlantic, Parents Magazine, Psychology Today, Fatherly, and YourTango, among other publications. She lives with her husband and two children in Pioneertown, CA, and sees clients in private practice via telehealth.
SEPIDEH KASHANIAN
Sepi was born in Tehran and raised in Los Angeles. After college she moved to Europe where she graduated from L’Institute Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France, as a chef. In 2007 she returned to Los Angeles and founded MotherOrganica, a bespoke catering and food delivery company. After a decade as an entrepreneur, food stylist and private chef, she left the hustle of the city for the high desert, to raise a family and build a new community. The move allowed her to immersel herself fully in studying Functional Nutrition as the foundation of a healthy and vibrant lifestyle, as taught by Andrea Nakayama of Functional Nutrition Alliance. Sepi’s lifelong passion for food allows her to share her research and insight with her clients and her community, inway of cooking workshops and meals that combine the knowledge of deep healing with world class expertise.
THE ACCOMMODATIONS
We have a vast library of physical books and records and although we do have wifi, the lack of cell reception in our beloved canyon is an invitation to put the electronic devices away and focus on being in the moment.
BEDROOM 1
Cali King Size Tempurpedic bed
Ensuite with Steam Shower and Large Bath
Accommodates 2
BEDROOM 2
280 sq ft
Queen Size Bed
Ensuite with Shower
Accommodates 1-2*
*optional surcharge for second guest
BEDROOM 3
250 sq ft
King Size bed
Adjacent to a bathroom with tub
shared with one other room
Accommodates 2
*optional surcharge for second guest
BEDROOM 4
250 sq ft
Double bed
Adjacent to a bathroom with tub
shared with one other room
Accommodates 1-2*
*optional surcharge for second guest
To reserve your stay or let us create your own MDSS retreat at the time and / or location of your choice, email us via the address below
please contact us here:
wellbeingspace@mojavedesertskinshield.com
