TRUCKEE, Calif. – While living a mountain-centric lifestyle can be fulfilling, it can also evoke certain emotions at times that emulate feelings such as isolation and competitiveness. In an effort to combat the traditional norm that many mountain locals experience, a new Truckee business, The Gathering Place, is a new collaborative, healing arts studio, promoting the gathering of the local community members and sharing unique experiences. 

“The dance between the physical and spiritual world is a journey of surrendering, humility, and ritual,” co-owner and co-founder of The Gathering Place, Kirsten Bigliardi said. “We are on a quest to crack ourselves open to face our darkest shadows and to find our true essence.” 

Originally from the Bay Area, Bigliardi made the move with her family to Truckee, inspired to follow and lead a slower paced life that’s rooted in nature for her children and become further grounded in her surroundings. 

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“Ever since my mid-20’s, I’ve felt incredibly connected to nature and our surroundings,” Bigliardi said. “I went on a life-changing trip to Peru, where I visited sacred sites and surroundings; and since that trip, I really wanted to pursue a lifestyle based on connections with nature.” 

Pursuing a lifestyle styled around a “natural way of living,” Bigliardi fully embodied and quickly adapted to this way of life. She got her yoga teaching certificate, as well as when she gave birth, gave two home births, and shortly thereafter, became a doula to aid other expecting mothers on their birthing journeys. 

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“Once I had kids, I became inspired to continue on and help others find this powerful, natural connection with leading a natural lifestyle,” Bigliardi said. “When I met my cofounder of The Gathering Place, Laura Patterson, she was also very aligned with how she was raising her children, cooks everything from her garden and what she grows in her backyard, so we quickly became fast friends.” 

Once Bigliardi and Patterson joined forces, they initially wanted to create an outdoor retreat space for the community and other like minded people to enjoy and experience. However, a studio space opened in Truckee, and the duo quickly pivoted their idea, creating a common space in the Truckee community landscape. 

“We wanted to have a place where people gather, and just have a really beautiful sense of connection,” Bigliardi said. “The word ‘gathering’ has so many meanings, and to us it means coming together in a special place to connect with yourself, nature, and others in the community. The Truckee community has opened its arms to us and been incredibly supportive of our business opening, and we couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this community.” 

With bringing The Gathering Place to fruition, the space offers unique group experiences with a variety of workshops, classes, and events that are open for anyone to attend. Some of these events include a summer solstice sacred song circle fundraiser, yoga and breathwork classes, sound healing, and heart circles; and the space also offers specific classes that are tethered to mens-specific groups and “mama circles” for any mothers on their journey with motherhood. 

“We are offering an incredibly dynamic menu of offerings,” Bigliardi said. “From yoga to breathwork to specific circles, we are providing a variety of services that anyone can really find their connection with.”

The Gathering Place is also aiming to offer unique workshops that include children; including dynamic courses such as learning how to grow and cook your own food and educational workshops, educating children on nature and the local surroundings. 

Along with the workshops that The Gathering Place offers, they also have partnered with the nonprofit organization, the Boa Foundation, who works in alliance with indigenous communities to preserve and protect sacred land, culture, and ancient wisdom. The nonprofit supports projects such as strategic land buybacks, restoration of native ecosystems, cultural exchange, and sustainable living solutions. 

“It’s an honor to partner with and support this nonprofit organization through The Gathering Place,” Bigliardi said. “Through this partnership, we are going to be hosting some of the indigenous elders that the Boa Foundation partners with, and our hope is to bring more ancient wisdom to Truckee and to our studio space and create more awareness of these ancient teachings.” 

Looking forward, Bigliardi and Patterson are eager to bring unique experiences to the Truckee community through The Gathering Place; and are eager to continue to root themselves within the community landscape as well as have others embody a naturally-driven lifestyle that ultimately provides the opportunity to “connect back to source.” 

“Our big picture mission is to overall create a more harmonious place and create a beautiful, better landscape for Truckee,” Bigliardi said. “My mission in life is personally to connect back to source. Myself and my family try to connect back to source, in nature, in such simple ways. We are always aiming and providing a fresh perspective and unique take on how to approach day-to-day life, and it’s a lifestyle that’s incredibly fulfilling to indulge in. It’s a very peaceful way of life.” 

The Gathering Place has a rotating weekly schedule of events, workshops, and classes that are open and available for all to attend. For more information on upcoming classes or to get in touch with The Gathering Place, visit: https://www.thegatheringplacetruckee.com/. The Gathering Place is located at 10075 West River Street, Suite B in Truckee, Calif. 

Madison Schultz is a reporter for the Tahoe Daily Tribune and Sierra Sun.