Open: Women's Retreat

Upcoming Women’s retreat

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Gathering in a sacred way to support each other’s journey of remembering.

We will take a sacred pause away from the hustle and bustle of modern life, so we can move at a slower pace – the pace the feminine in us needs to feel seen and safe so that she can open, soften and surrender, and reveal her ecstatic treasures and pearls of wisdom, grace and beauty. It is by s…l…o…w…i…n…g   w..a..y    d…o..w..n  that we can hear and understand the language of our bodies, our hearts, and the earth.

This retreat will be beautiful and magical, and it will also be messy, challenging and raw. On the path of respecting the voice of the feminine, we will meet the many ways we regularly cut ourselves off from this energy. To re-ignite our intuition, wisdom and wildness, we must shake off the thick layers of centuries of suppression of feminine power. To honour the wisdom of our body, we will meet the many ways we disown, shame and judge it. To express our shine, we meet our self-limiting beliefs of ‘not being good enough’. To cultivate a supportive container of sisterhood, we will meet the competition that often exists between women.

 

It is not about learning how to shine. It’s about unlearning how we block our shining.

We will work with the shadows, the parts of ourselves we reject or deny, so that we can integrate these parts and become whole. The psychedelic ceremony will be a crucial component of this journey, with the psilocybin-containing truffles being incredible allies helping us connect to our essence and facilitating understanding, heart opening and connection. This will be supported by a nurturing and inspiring blend of ritual, song, dance, embodiment practices, meditation, personal and group inquiry, shadow work, as well as connection with nature and feminine wisdom anchored in the earth, the elements and its cycles.

“I had never truly felt the power of sisterhood the way I did on the retreat. I will be forever thankful for choosing the Women’s retreat. I am looking into further women’s retreats and workshops as we speak!” Susanna, 43

Who is it for?

Our OPEN retreats offer an accessible entrypoint into psychedelic and other forms of inner exploration and personal growth. Open retreats introduce you to the foundational pillars of our approach: relationship with self, relationship with others, relationship with nature, relationship with the Mystery. They are open to all, regardless of prior experience of psychedelic substances.

The Women’s retreat is an inclusive space for all who have female bodies or identify as women. We wish to emphasise that this workshop will have a strong focus on femininity and the female experience. If you are called to join and you are transgender or genderqueer, please get in touch at retreats@alalaho.org and we can discuss if this would be a safe space for you.

“I had a certain resistance to being around an all-female group and have had my eyes opened to the amazingly nurturing and unique experience this can provide – and why it is vital in today’s society […] I have taken away so much on the importance of ritual, altars, bodywork, voicework, meditation, sharing and holding space for others, dancing freely, and music. I cannot describe the feeling of ease and safety I now feel when meditating on the ever-present and unfaltering elements. And I will forever keep the memory of swaying in a circle with my sisters.” Sima, 27 years old

Disclaimer

  • Our retreats are for people in good mental and physical health. We do not offer therapeutic or medical treatment.
  • 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 the psilocybin experience.

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

By settling into the here-and-now of our present, embodied experience, the agitation of the mind subsides and gives way to a profound sense of presence and peace, from which love and compassion naturally arise. We begin to access deeper layers of ourselves, and sharpen our capacity for insight into the nature of reality. By learning to attend to, work with, and direct the flow of our awareness, we are more equipped to navigate not just the psychedelic experience, but the journey of life itself.

Embodiment practices

We incorporate different activities to start reinhabiting our bodies. We begin the journey of learning to better hear, understand and respond to the messages our body is constantly sending and receiving. Being more embodied also allows us to more fully enjoy the pleasures of being a living, breathing, seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, sensing human being. Movement and embodiment exercises can also help us get out of our usual controlling thinking mind, and access more freedom, creativity and flow.

NATURE CONNECTION

We invite you on a break from the disconnecting effects of technology and city life and into an engagement with the natural world, which can make us feel more resourced, grounded, alive and remind us of our belonging to and interconnectedness with all of life. Observing nature, we learn about the way of life, and we learn about ourselves. Being immersed in it, we reconnect with our own life force and regain access to the creativity and resilience that flows through all life.

HEALTHY, EXQUISITE FOOD

“Let food be thy medicine” (Hippocrates). “We are what we eat” (folk wisdom). Food is one of life’s extraordinary expressions of love: full of abundance, richness and creativity. On our retreats we honour and celebrate that by cooking with the same spirit of love and creativity, and sourcing produce locally and organically where possible to do our part in taking care of the Earth in turn.

CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Creativity is our birthright. Many of us have been conditioned to believe that we are not creative and artistic, that we cannot sing or dance. At Alalaho, we believe that if we can speak, we can sing, and if we can walk, we can dance. Creative, non-linear expression has been a key part of what it means to be human across culture and time. Our retreats offer easy, accessible exercises to support each participant to let go of some self-limiting beliefs at their own pace, and to let themselves be guided by the creative life force living at their core.

RITUAL AND CEREMONY

“Ritual allows us to transcend passivity and become active agents in changing our own lives” (Caroline Casey). Rituals and ceremonies allow us to mark important moments in time, such as navigating big life transitions, processing grief, or setting intentions. We learn to gather our awareness and conscious energy and pour it into the moment, transforming a seemingly mundane act and imbuing it with power and meaning.

MEDITATION & CONTEMPLATIVE EXERCISES

By settling into the here-and-now of our present, embodied experience, the agitation of the mind subsides and gives way to a profound sense of presence and peace, from which love and compassion naturally arise. We begin to access deeper layers of ourselves, and sharpen our capacity for insight into the nature of reality. By learning to attend to, work with, and direct the flow of our awareness, we are more equipped to navigate not just the psychedelic experience, but the journey of life itself.

Embodiment practices

We incorporate different activities to start reinhabiting our bodies. We begin the journey of learning to better hear, understand and respond to the messages our body is constantly sending and receiving. Being more embodied also allows us to more fully enjoy the pleasures of being a living, breathing, seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, sensing human being. Movement and embodiment exercises can also help us get out of our usual controlling thinking mind, and access more freedom, creativity and flow.

NATURE CONNECTION

We invite you on a break from the disconnecting effects of technology and city life and into an engagement with the natural world, which can make us feel more resourced, grounded, alive and remind us of our belonging to and interconnectedness with all of life. Observing nature, we learn about the way of life, and we learn about ourselves. Being immersed in it, we reconnect with our own life force and regain access to the creativity and resilience that flows through all life.

HEALTHY, EXQUISITE FOOD

“Let food be thy medicine” (Hippocrates). “We are what we eat” (folk wisdom). Food is one of life’s extraordinary expressions of love: full of abundance, richness and creativity. On our retreats we honour and celebrate that by cooking with the same spirit of love and creativity, and sourcing produce locally and organically where possible to do our part in taking care of the Earth in turn.

CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Creativity is our birthright. Many of us have been conditioned to believe that we are not creative and artistic, that we cannot sing or dance. At Alalaho, we believe that if we can speak, we can sing, and if we can walk, we can dance. Creative, non-linear expression has been a key part of what it means to be human across culture and time. Our retreats offer easy, accessible exercises to support each participant to let go of some self-limiting beliefs at their own pace, and to let themselves be guided by the creative life force living at their core.

RITUAL AND CEREMONY

“Ritual allows us to transcend passivity and become active agents in changing our own lives” (Caroline Casey). Rituals and ceremonies allow us to mark important moments in time, such as navigating big life transitions, processing grief, or setting intentions. We learn to gather our awareness and conscious energy and pour it into the moment, transforming a seemingly mundane act and imbuing it with power and meaning.

“Only by discovering and loving the goddess lost within our rejected body can we hear our own authentic voice.” Marion Woodman

Sample Schedule

Day 1: Arrival – Landing
2.00 pm Meet in Amsterdam + travel by coach together
6.00 pm Arrive at the venue
7.00 pm Dinner
8.30 pm Opening Circle
9.30 pm Group connection activity
Day 2: Ceremony – Opening
9 am Morning Practice
10 am Breakfast
11 am Preparation activity
12 am One-to-one’s with facilitators
1 pm Preparation activity
1.30 pm Light lunch
3.30 pm Opening Ritual
4 pm Ceremony begins
9 pm Closing Ritual
9.30 pm Dinner
Day 3: Integration 1 – Unpacking
9 am Morning Practice
10 am Breakfast
11.30 am Sharing Circle
1.30 pm Lunch
3 pm Integration activity
4 pm One-to-one’s with facilitators
6.30 pm Dinner
8 pm Evening integration
Day 4: Integration 2 – Deepening
9 am Morning Practice
10 am Breakfast
11.30 am Integration activity
1.30 pm Lunch
3 pm Integration activities
7.30 pm Celebration Feast
9 pm Celebration
Day 5: Leaving – Emerging
8 am Morning practice
9 am Breakfast
10 am Integration Talk
11 am Closing Circle
12.30 pm Departure

Prices

4 Day Retreat — 2,850€ / 5 Day Retreat — 3,350€ /