Get Connected at the Farm

A variety of physical movements help to release stress and emotional tension from the body. Each morning, guests meet as a group to practice therapeutic connectivity drills incorporate elements from qi gong, yoga and much more.

How you breathe constantly affects your ability to perform, so we practice nose-only breathing and specific breathing drills to optimize oxygen utilization, reduce stress, prevent dehydration, and enhance the mind-body connection.

Often people eat certain foods or remain constantly full to mask emotions they do not want to feel. Many foods are medicinal, but depending on foods is not healthy, so we vary the interval, timing and selection of foods we eat each day. This intermittent fasting and intentional eating practice creates openings for personal growth and more holistic wellness.

From May through October, we grow chemical-free vegetables, greens, and herbs in permaculture raised beds. Throughout the year, guests eat all-organic meals with farm-to-table ingredients, as seasonally available. We personally have relationships with all the farms from which we source products on an annual basis.

Team members of the TEDS Foundation have observed various diet regimens to enhance performance or help address health challenges over time. They would love to share their impressions and experience of these diets with guests. They will also equip guests with skills to determine the best eating focus for themselves and optimize the nutritional value they get from the foods they eat.

Chickens, ducks, turkeys, donkeys, pigs and cattle (beef and dairy) live on the farm. The farm animals are intentionally moved through pastures across the 50 cleared acres and into silvopasture paddocks to enhance the health and carbon-carrying capacity of the soil. We encourage guests to participate in the regenerative farming practices, such as hand-milking the dairy cows or feeding the animals. 

Spending time in nature is a phenomenal way to reconnect with the earth and become grounded. Participating in outdoor recreation between sessions is an opportunity for reflection on what guests learn during the scheduled sessions. The farm has over 10 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking and ATV riding through the mountainous native forests. The forest includes 1.25 miles of frontage on the Smith River, voted one of the top 100 trout streams in North America.

A steel-framed 6-bedroom, 3-story guest house is situated at one end of a North-South aligned river valley. The third floor of this building serves as a workout and game room.

Eight single bedroom, 2-bathroom cabins rim the crest of a hill overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. Each of the cabins houses two beds.