Join Kirsten for a transformative mid-week retreat in helping individuals reconnect with their relationship to themselves and their body’s wisdom. With a deeply personal journey of recovery from Anorexia and Bulimia, she has dedicated her life to understanding the intricate ways we relate to our bodies. She believes that true, sustainable transformation begins with cultivating a curious connection to the body, mind, and spirit. During this retreat, we will explore various practices through a polyvagal-informed lens, emphasizing the importance of understanding and regulating the nervous system. This approach is grounded in the Polyvagal Theory, which explains how our autonomic nervous system responds to stress and how we can cultivate safety and connection within ourselves and others. The sessions will include:gentle yoga to calm the nervous system, foster body awareness, and enhance your sense of safety and grounding; embodied focusing that helps you tune into your body's sensations and signals, fostering a deeper understanding of your emotional and physiological states whilst co-regulating with other; light breathwork techniques that promote regulation and balance within the autonomic nervous system, helping to shift from a state of stress or anxiety to one of calm and connection; mindful movement and meditation and group discussions.
Find meaningful solitude on a Self-Retreat. One can do as much (or as little) reading, walking, meditation or resting as one chooses. Enjoy walks and bird watching in 300 acres of beautiful rolling hills and indigenous forests. Savour our delicious vegetarian food prepared with love by our wonderful cooks; or browse our well-stocked library. Visit the stupa and the raked Zen sand gardens and walk the labyrinth. Massage treatments, guided walks, qigong and meditation are offered by resident staff, Krishia and William mid week. Self-Retreats are an ideal opportunity to be in a gentle, sympathetic space where one can be still and get in touch with oneself.
William (Shogan) has been practising meditation for nearly 20 years, cultivating stillness and inquiry. He took precepts with Dae Chong, Osho at Poplar Grove and now leads morning and evening zazen at the BRC, weaving verses from the Dhammapada into meditation for reflection and insight. With a keen interest in how the Dharma might evolve in an AI-driven, multiplanetary future, William embraces both tradition and possibility. He also guides qigong in the mornings and offers tai chi in the afternoons, integrating movement into mindfulness. His practice is an invitation - to sit, to move, and to explore the ever-expanding nature of awareness.