Can I come on my own?
Yes, and a large proportion of women do. Coming alone is unremarkable here — it's close to the default. Nobody will ask why you came by yourself, and you won't be the odd one out in a group of pre-formed pairs.
Coming on your own when you don't know anyone
The most common thing women worry about, and the one that resolves fastest.
Will I be the only one who doesn't know anybody?
No. Most women arrive knowing nobody, which is precisely why it works — everyone is in the same position at the same moment, so nobody has to break into an established group. The women who come with a friend are usually the minority.
I'm quite introverted. Will I be forced to socialise?
No. There's no icebreaker, no pairing exercise and no expectation that you circulate. Meals are the natural point of contact and everything else is optional. Plenty of women speak to almost nobody for the first day and find they warm up on their own schedule, or don't.
What if I don't click with anyone?
Then you've had two quiet nights away with good food and nothing asked of you, which was the point. The social side is a bonus rather than the product. It's worth going in with that expectation — the women who enjoy it most tend to be the ones who came for the rest.
Do I have to share a room with a stranger?
It depends which accommodation option you book, so check the occupancy before you pay rather than after. If having your own space matters to you, say so at registration — it's much easier to arrange in advance than to change once the group is allocated.
What if I'm much older or younger than everyone else?
The range is usually wider than women expect, and it matters less than you'd think — what people have in common is the stage of life and the depletion, not the birth year. Conversations tend to organise around that rather than around age.
Can I come with a friend or my sister?
Yes, and many do. If you want to be roomed together, note it at registration. Worth saying: coming as a pair works best when you both give each other permission to disappear separately for stretches — the women who stay welded together sometimes rest less than the ones who came alone.
EXHALE
Two nights, women only, and nothing asked of you.
The kashrus, the food and the accommodation are handled. There is no programme you have to attend.
See the retreat