Retreat from the grasps of rigid, straight-lined thinking
In this one-day retreat, we address and embrace the endangered inner wild life that has been bulldozed over and cemented up with mental constructs and life-draining beliefs. The natural tendency of nature is to expand. The lush forests and mountains and open sky remind us of the limitless power that is ours when we step into it.
The retreat will take place largely outside.
What you get
Going through this retreat gives you the chance to tap into your most unconditioned reflexes and activate them for your everyday life. At the end of this experience, you will have the tools to stand more empowered in your life, feel safe in yourself and more connected to your environment with a sense of mastery over your circumstances and choices.
what you need
You know there is a part of you that fuels something greater, that is more resourceful, kind and powerful. You feel ready to create a partnership with that aspect of you, get to know it and harness its infinite wealth, wisdom and support.
where you will be
The retreat takes place in a remote group of houses tucked away in the mountains of Topanga Canyon, California. The air is clean, there are more sounds than noises and the stars can be seriously out.
How it goes
Introductions to each other
Presentation of the retreat and defining the wild
Intention. We will set an intention for the retreat (who do we want to become here) to share or to keep to oneself.
Zazen meditation in an ever-renewed awareness of posture and breath
Movement. Most of us spend our days in one or two basic postures – seated and looking forward. Here we open up those parts of our bodies that are crunched by these limited, everyday positions, namely the hips, the shoulders and the lower back. When the body is free, the spirit can soar.
Archetypes. Having embodied our visceral nature through movement, we connect with the deepest, often dormant – even dying – parts of ourselves through stories from the book Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pikola Estes. These stories help us to recognize and honor the life-saving, life-giving function of intuition and dreams. They have us put together the scattered bones of our visions and projects, breathing flesh and life back into them. We dive into that wild nature of presence and from the grasps of our straight-lined, angular, cement-wall thinking we retrieve the creativity and the innate wisdom, which are intrinsically ours and that make us alive.
Foothold. Living in the wild self requires agility. We become aware of our feet as anchor points. We learn tools to create a core strength that makes us gracefully upright. The wild needs others. Through partner yoga, we use each other’s weight and strengths to move into postures we cannot embody alone, becoming mutually strong, stable and supple.
Sharp eyesight. The wild needs clear vision. We widen our peripheral vision and enhance our fine-tuned seeing, an approach that allows us to honor the natural function of the eyes to sharply see details. We learn to create a strong connection with our environment and keep ourselves safe.
Night walking gives us a unique occasion to perceive with our natural nocturnal vision in an environment far from light pollution. We learn to rely on our footing, our sense of hearing and intuition, awakening our natural ability to navigate in the dark.
Who guides you through this experience
Catherine Montondo is a certified yoga instructor, breath coach and Bates Method natural eye improvement instructor. She is also an ordained Zazen Bodhisatva by l’Association Zen Internationale in France. www.finetunedbeing.com
Who will explore with you
The event is attended by a group of 5-8 kindred spirits ready for a change that sets them up for connecting with their wild selves.
When & where
how much
This price includes the price of the retreat, lunch, munchies and beverages for the day.
if you want to be part of this or to know more