Science & Soul: A Women’s Longevity Retreat
with Dr. Mary Pardee & Schuyler Grant
Topanga, CA // October 17-19, 2025
Join us for a transformative long weekend focused on optimizing health and well-being — for the present and the future. This retreat now includes a free, full-body DEXA scan plus a one-on-one review of your results with Dr. Mary, so you can fully understand them and create an action plan under the advisement of a functional health doctor.
Longevity science is usually catered to men, but women live longer and continue in their many roles as caregivers, breadwinners, and life explorers well into their latter decades, so optimizing your healthspan is of utmost importance. There are also health issues that affect women at higher rates, such as osteoporosis and dementia, which need special attention.
Dr. Mary will share her deep knowledge about women’s health, including bone health, maintaining muscle, hormonal balance, cancer prevention, brain health nutrition, and heart health. She will also answer questions and provide each participant with an individualized review of their DEXA body composition scan. (What’s a DEXA scan?! See the next section.)
You will leave knowing the key things to consider as you age, avoiding the quick fixes and fads that overcomplicate pursuing realistic health goals.
Schuyler balances all the top-down learning with bottom-up movement and breathwork. Her four classes will be both challenging and rejuvenating. Maintaining physical strength and mobility is, of course, key to aging artfully, as is the flexibility of the nervous system you gain from cultivating a regular breathwork practice.
This retreat will serve as a holistic health reboot. In addition to Dr. Mary’s lectures and Schuylers' classes, you will enjoy nourishing, locally sourced meals, hikes, and our unique sauna, ozone spa, and cold plunge experience (aka “LaLa Land”).
New & Now Included:
Free Full-Body DEXA Scan & Personal Consultation
We're bringing a mobile DEXA scanning unit to Commune Topanga on the Friday of this retreat!
Body composition – i.e. how much muscle, fat, and visceral fat you have and where it is located – is a much better indicator of health and cardiovascular risk than your weight alone. In fact, it is one of the key longevity markers.
DEXA scans use low-dose X-rays to measure body fat percentage, lean tissue, visceral fat, bone density, and more. They provide a very accurate measurement of body fat and muscle composition, so you can know where you stand — and where you could improve.
You will have the opportunity to get scanned on the Friday of this retreat. Over the weekend, Dr. Mary will review your results privately with you, giving you information about how you compare to your age and gender-matched peers, as well as any changes that would be helpful to improve your overall health.
BONUS: Dr. Mary will also test your grip strength during the weekend. A strong grip is correlated to a lower risk of all-cause death and is a good proxy for total body strength. Don't worry, this does not involve arm wrestling!
Retreat Schedule & Details
Friday, October 17
DEXA Scans Available from 12pm-5:00pm
Guests are welcome to arrive anytime from noon onward to enjoy the property.
12:00pm - 2:00pm: Arrive & settle in
2:00pm - 4:00pm: Welcome circle & lecture with Mary (Introduction to Women’s Longevity)
4:00pm - 5:00pm: Break to settle in to rooms & perhaps a quick dip in the ozone pool or sauna/cold plunge
5:00pm - 7:00pm: Slow flow yoga class with Schuyler
7:30pm - 8:30pm: Dinner
8:30pm - 9:00pm: Guest lecture with Sara Villafranco (founder of Osmia natural skin care)
Saturday, October 18
6:30am - 8:30 am: Light breakfast
8:30am - 10:30am: Vinyasa yoga class with Schuyler
11:00am - 12:00pm: Brunch
12:00pm - 2:00pm: Lecture / Q&A with Mary (Heart, Muscle, Bones, and Hormones: Primary Focuses for Women’s Health)
2:00pm - 4:30pm: Free time for sauna/cold plunge therapy, general relaxation
4:30pm - 6:30pm: Slow flow yoga class with Schuyler
7:00pm - 8:00pm: Dinner
Sunday, October 19
6:30am - 8:30am: Light breakfast
8:30am - 10:30am: Vinyasa class with Schuyler
11:00am - 12:00pm: Brunch
12:00pm - 12:25pm: Guest Talk With Catherine Arnston, founder of ENERGYbits: Why Algae Nutrition is Your Tiny but Mighty Secret to Women’s Longevity
12:25pm - 2:00pm: Lecture Q&A with Mary (Where to Go from Here: Your Longevity Blueprint) + Ask Us Anything with Mary & Schuyler
2:00pm: Pack up (or become a permanent Commune squatter)
Check Out: Depart after lecture Q&A. Topanga is full of epic hikes and cool little local shops, plus the beach is just 20 minutes away! Ask us for recommendations.
Commune Topanga is located off Old Topanga Canyon Road. Directions will be provided with your ticket purchase.
Questions? Please check out our FAQ page.
For any other inquiries, please email us at [email protected].
Meet Your Guides
Schuyler Grant
Schuyler Grant has been practicing and studying yoga for more than 20 years. Her signature style integrates the breath-based flow of Ashtanga with the precision of Iyengar. She is a co-founder of Wanderlust and the founder of Kula Yoga Project, and is dedicated to bringing her students deep and transformative mind-body experiences.
Our Playground
At the end of the end of the end of a road, perched atop a remote valley of the Santa Monica mountains, sits Topanga Commune: 10 acres of meandering paths, oak trees, palms and gardens abutting state land. You won’t believe you are less than an hour from the heart of LA.
The property has a main house, a guest house, four tea house private rooms, three sweet A-Frame cabins, and plenty of space for camping. Sleep on organic mattresses and linens and enjoy the bounty of LA’s best local farmers for every home-cooked meal.
The property also has a sauna, hot tub, plunge pool, basketball, badminton, and a plethora of hammocks.
Songwriter Neil Young lived on this property for many years and was deeply inspired by this magical spot. If there is anywhere in the world to find “a heart of gold,” it may be here.
“I want to live, I want to give. I've been a miner for a heart of gold. It's these expressions I never give that keep me searching for a heart of gold.” ~ Neil Young
La Casa
Ladies Lounge
La Casita
Tea House Singles
A-Frame Cabins
The Lost Cabin
The Grounds
