About.
River Medicine Trips are anchored in the depths of nature immersion, and with all of your basic needs such as food, shelter and fire provided for you by Middle Fork Wilderness Outfitters, we are able to focus fully on the offered practices that draw us deeper into the natural world, and allow us to inhale the spirit of nature more fully into ourselves. The three main practices are breathwork, dreamwork and qi gong.
Breathwork has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, increasing blood flow and oxygenation efficiency. It also can be very therapeutic for the mind. It has the power to help us process old emotions, adopt new empowering perspectives and release mental patterns that no longer serve us. It also provides the opportunity to work beneficially with discomfort, so that we are better prepared to lean into the growth edges elsewhere in our lives. The River Respiration Technique that we use draws on many breathwork traditions, but most notably Tummo, the Tibetan breath of fire, and Pranayama, the Yogic science of breath.
Dreamwork is a tool we use to connect more deeply with nature, our inner world and find creative solutions for our individual stuck points. It can be a means to connect meaningfully with past loved ones, process grief or inspire new directions of creativity in our lives. We use intentional dreaming, solicit the support of dream allies, and do dream sharing at breakfast. Gabe has learned the most potent lessons in dreamwork from his dream teacher Ariella Daly. She is part of an ancient lineage of bee shamanesses that emerged from ancient Greece and Lithuania.
Qi Gong translates to “cultivation of life force” and is a Taoist form of movement medicine that has been practiced in China for millennia. Gabe studied for several years at the Taoist Studies Institute under Qi Gong Master Mo Zhicheng, and it is very effective at promoting relaxation and improved circulation so that we can be more present in our bodies.
Morining Cold Plunges in the river will offer us another way to expand body awareness and put the breathwork to immediate use.
Each evening, we hold a simple Fire Ceremony which enables us to connect more deeply with the natural elements, to learn more about the offered practices and share about our experiences though-out the day. This offers us the opportunity to both integrate what we’ve learned and connect with our fellow practitioners.
As we are carried by the river, you will be in a raft that is piloted by an expert river guide from Middle Fork Wilderness Outfitters that holds 4-6 people. These guides will also be cooking healthy scrumptious meals, and setting up and taking down your provided camping gear. We have removed as many distractions from this trip as possible, so that you can focus on experiencing the practices and the magic of the river most fully.
Gabe typically travels by kayak, both providing kayak safety for the rapids and check-ins with the different rafts as we descend through the canyon.
A typical day on the river will consist of waking up early for 30 minutes of qi gong, and then 45 minutes of breathwork followed by breakfast and dream sharing. We then board the rafts for 10-15 miles on the river with a break at mid-day for lunch. Once we land at our new camp, we do another session of breathwork lasting 60 minutes, followed by free time for reflection and exploration. Dinner is then served, and we close the day with the fire ceremony and tips for intentional dreaming that night.
Alcohol and substances are prohibited on this special trip, so that everyone may glean the full benefits of the offered practices with the utmost clarity. Group size for these trips is capped at 22, and a waitlist will be established as needed.
Gabe Newton has been studying nature based healing modalities for over 20 years. He has combined breathwork, dreamwork and qi gong into a powerful combination that is perfectly complemented by the potent healing properties of wild rivers, and led our first River Medicine trip in 2022. He fell in love with rivers at an early age, and went on to compete for the US Freestyle Kayak Team in 1997, placing 18th at the World Championships. He has also run numerous first descents, including 40-foot Tsunami Falls in BC. There is no place he would rather be than on a multi-day river trip deep in the wilderness, and combining his passions for rivers and healing has been a dream come true.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
River Medicine Trips are not meant to treat any medical condition, whether it be physical, mental or emotional. While breathwork can offer many amazing benefits, breathwork can be strenuous and does have contraindications, as listed below.
If you have any of the contraindications, you need to discuss them with your doctor prior to attending. These trips are held in a remote wilderness setting where emergency medical services can be very distant and costly. If you have a previous or current mental health diagnosis or take medication or substances to support your mental health, you need to contact the River Medicine Facilitator for your trip to discuss your readiness to participate and any supportive strategies that we can put in place.
Breathwork has the potential to bring up past events, emotions and patterns in order to be processed, and it is important that you feel ready to face and deal with anything that might arise through breathwork.
No alcohol or substances will be allowed on this trip in order to allow everyone to take full advantage of the offered practices. This provides us with a clean slate from which to experience immersion in nature and any insights that you may glean from breathwork and dreamwork with the utmost clarity.
Contraindications: Currently pregnant, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, previous heart attack, aneurysms or family history thereof, stroke, seizures, transient ischemic attack, blood thinning medication, epilepsy, detached retina, glaucoma, bipolar or schizophrenia diagnosis, psychiatric hospitalization in the past ten years, previous suicide attempts or any other medical, psychiatric or physical conditions which would impair or affect ability to engage in activities involving intense physical and/or emotional release and/or issues from the past being brought up for processing and release.