Open: Meditators
Upcoming Meditators’ retreat
The practice of meditation enables us to see clearly, to gaze without bias, into ourselves and the nature of reality. It sharpens our awareness, stretches our mind and opens our heart.
Committing to a spiritual practice can shape the course of our lives by providing us with new meaning and experiences that transform us, give us a sense of direction. It teaches us to work with life: to learn from it and dance with it, rather than merely get through it. The practice of meditation in particular gives us access to a vast pool of inner resources with which to meet the many facets of human existence. It can transform everyday confusion into timeless wisdom, and our ordinary consciousness into awakened mind.
However, following a spiritual path isn’t without its potential pitfalls, especially while also seeking a sense of personal wellbeing and fulfilment in our fast-paced modern lives and relationships. At times, our practice gets ‘hijacked’ by our tender, fearful ego and conditioned personality structure: we use spiritual notions to protect ourselves from the most painful aspects of life. Fleeting transpersonal experiences become a means to avoid engaging with life and our personal wounds. Instead of opening up, we rigidify.
Other times, it is our modern culture that gets in the way of us following our path and trusting our practice. We sit, we reflect, we meditate; insights and a certain clarity arise. And yet the moment we get up from our meditation cushion and start rubbing up against life again, it is as though all the wisdom thus cultivated had suddenly vanished, overpowered by our environment and conditioning.
The Alalaho Meditators Retreat is a unique opportunity to explore the synergy between meditative practices, non-ordinary states of consciousness and therapeutic work.
In the company of fellow meditation practitioners and consciousness explorers who share your aspirations and your struggles, we will explore the many challenges of integrating an earthly life with the spiritual path, and of fully embodying a wisdom that must include yet transcends the personality.
Who is it for?
Our Meditators retreat is an exclusive retreat for people who have significant experience of meditation and/or dharma, be it through attending retreats or several years of committed practice. While it is open to practitioners from all spiritual traditions, the lead facilitator will mainly draw from her 13+ years of experience following the Tibetan Buddhist path, as well as her work as a transpersonal psychotherapist.
Our OPEN retreats offer an accessible entrypoint into psychedelic and other forms of inner exploration and personal growth. They are available to all, regardless of prior experience of psychedelic substances.
Disclaimer
- Our retreats are for people in good mental and physical health. We do not offer therapeutic or medical treatment.
- Reasons for not being able to participate in our retreats include serious cardiovascular (e.g. recent stroke or heart attack) or neurological issues (e.g. epilepsy or brain trauma), use of antidepressant (e.g. SSRI/TCA), mood stabilising (e.g. lithium) or antipsychotic (e.g. Abilify) medications or severe mental health problems (e.g. psychosis, bipolar disorder, personality disorder).
- Even though the vast majority of our participants have very meaningful and beneficial experiences, there is no guaranteed outcome from participating on a retreat.
- The majority of research indicating the positive effects of psilocybin was done in a clinical setting, which is very different to that of a retreat environment. More research is needed to explore the benefits offered by group psilocybin experiences.
What’s included?
PREPARATION SUPPORT
Giving due energy to preparation before the psychedelic journey not only reduces the possibility of anxiety and tension blocking the flow of the experience, it also enhances the probability of an enriched, deeper experience. Ahead of each retreat, you will receive reading material and suggested exercises to support your preparation for the retreat. One week before the retreat you will also have the opportunity to meet your lead facilitator and fellow participants via video call, allowing you to get to know each other and feel safe in the group, as well as ask any burning questions you might have.
On the retreat itself, we offer one-on-one sessions with the facilitators, and individual and group activities to help you feel well prepared and supported, as well as safe and bonded with the group before stepping into the unknown.
INTEGRATION SUPPORT
In many ways, the journey only really begins when the psychedelic effect subsides. In the days after the ceremony, we incorporate solo and group integration activities, and individual one-on-one sessions with the facilitators to give you the opportunity to explore the deeper nuances of your journey. We also offer 3 weeks of support following the retreat – through group video calls as well as suggested exercises – to help you weave the insights from the retreat back into your everyday life.
“The attention to integration was amazing, extremely impactful, and probably the main reason I’d recommend these retreats.” Li, 32 years old
GROUP EXERCISES & GROUP SUPPORT
On the retreat we can safely explore relating to one another in a held and loving space. Tremendous healing comes from being witnessed and accepted as who we are. In traditional contexts, psychedelics have often been used in group settings, the benefits of which were recently explored in a research study. The group is also a major resource in the integration process. In a society that hasn’t yet incorporated the use of psychedelics and other peak experiences into its fabric, the community of fellow retreat participants plays a central role as allies and companions on this extraordinary journey.
“I learned so much simply from being in the company of fellow participants, facilitators and volunteers. It was so wonderful to feel part of such a supportive community.” Duncan, 35 years old
MEDITATION & CONTEMPLATIVE EXERCISES
Embodiment practices
NATURE CONNECTION
HEALTHY, EXQUISITE FOOD
CREATIVE EXPRESSION
RITUAL AND CEREMONY
MEDITATION & CONTEMPLATIVE EXERCISES
Embodiment practices
NATURE CONNECTION
HEALTHY, EXQUISITE FOOD
CREATIVE EXPRESSION
RITUAL AND CEREMONY
“We are not just humans learning to become buddhas, but also buddhas waking up in human form, learning to become fully human.” John Welwood