YUCCA VALLEY — A decade of creativity and healing in the Hi-Desert will be celebrated later this month as Cactus Moon Retreat marks its 10-year anniversary with a weekend of community events and wellness experiences.
Founded in 2016, Cactus Moon Retreat has become a quiet cornerstone of Yucca Valley’s wellness and creative scene, hosting retreats, workshops and gatherings that draw visitors seeking restoration.
To celebrate the milestone, the retreat will host a three-day anniversary event April 24-26, beginning with a free community open house and culminating in a specialized retreat for wellness leaders.
The celebration begins Friday, April 24, with “An Evening Under the Stars,” a free public event from 4:30 to 9 p.m. designed to welcome the local community and visiting practitioners alike.
Guests can expect an evening of poolside connections and live music beneath the desert sky. A live performance by Tumbleweed Timemachine will set the tone, while private chef and retreat facilitator Elka Wilder will provide nourishment.
“It’s going to be a real celebration,” organizers said. “Guests can come as early as 4:30 — we’ll have welcome snacks and the pool will be open, so people can settle in and start connecting.”
The evening will also include a networking session for wellness leaders, a fire pit gathering and opportunities to connect with practitioners from across the region.
A highlight of the evening is a drawing for attending retreat and workshop leaders: the chance to host their own event at Cactus Moon Retreat, offered complimentary as part of the anniversary celebration.
“It’s our way of paying it forward,” owner and psychologist Dr Caron Post said.
The weekend continues Saturday and Sunday with “The Elements of Life Retreat,” an experience created specifically for retreat facilitators and workshop leaders.
Led by Wilder, the retreat invites participants into what organizers describe as a “day out of time,” focusing on embodiment, self-care and presence through the four elements — water, fire, earth and air.
Through somatic movement and voice work, attendees will explore ways to deepen their own practices while gaining tools to incorporate into future retreats and offerings.
In honor of the 10-year milestone, the retreat is offered at a reduced rate, though organizers note that space is limited and early registration is encouraged.
For many first-time visitors, the experience of arriving at Cactus Moon Retreat begins before they even step onto the property.
“There’s quite a shift that happens on the drive in,” property manager Julie Robson said. “The landscape opens up, everything gets quieter and by the time people pull onto the property, they’re already starting to exhale.”
That sense of release is something guests consistently describe. “Cactus Moon is such a special place, and I’m always so grateful to host retreats there,” Elizabeth Shinn, director of fitness at Soul Seek Studios and leader of multiple retreats at Cactus Moon, said in a statement shared by the property.
The retreat invites a slower pace. Whether it’s soaking in the heated saltwater pool, gathering around the fire pit or stargazing in the stillness of the desert night, the environment creates what the team at Cactus Moon calls “permission to slow down” — something many visitors don’t realize they’ve been craving.
Over the past 10 years, Cactus Moon has hosted a wide spectrum of gatherings, from yoga, meditation and Pilates retreats to writing and dance workshops and women’s wellness circles. The space has also welcomed more specialized offerings, including somatic healing, breath work, Qi Gong, sound baths and retreats centered on grief, self-nourishment and spiritual growth.
“There’s really been a beautiful tapestry of communities finding their way here,” Caron said.
The retreat has also made a point of giving back, opening its doors to organizations like Art Division, a nonprofit that provides free arts education and support to underserved young adults.
“Hosting young artists and giving them this desert experience has been very gratifying for us,” she said. “They are so deeply appreciative of the experience and that makes us feel great.”
The retreat also partners with local nonprofits, including Unity Home, a Morongo Basin organization that supports survivors of domestic violence and their children, reinforcing the idea that community wellness extends beyond the retreat itself.
As the space has evolved, so too has its focus.
“In the early days, it was about getting the space right. Now it’s about the relationships. Retreat leaders come back year after year and bring their communities with them. The desert really does the rest,” Caron said.
The people behind Cactus Moon also see it as part of a larger ecosystem within the Morongo Basin’s wellness and creative community.
“We think of Cactus Moon as a gathering place — a container where facilitators, healers, teachers and artists can bring their communities to the high desert and create something meaningful,” Caron said.
That same spirit of openness is what inspired the anniversary celebration to take the form of a community gathering rather than a private event.
By making the opening night free and accessible, they hope to welcome new faces into the fold while reconnecting with longtime collaborators.
Said Caron, “We want people to come see what we’ve built, feel the energy of this place, and imagine what they could create here.”
