Day 1: Presence, Connection, and the Enneagram This day is dedicated to sinking deeply into our being. We connect with ourselves and each other through exercises, nature walks, and gentle restorative yoga at the end of the day. We become present in ourselves, opening our mind, body, and senses to receive the nourishment found in nature, the scents, the energy of Bali, and the nourishment that comes from collectively connecting with the essence of our souls. We also tune into how the retreat can serve as the best individual framework for self-love and life purpose. When you begin to live in the present moment and create presence with yourself and your world, you will experience a whole new and wonderful sense of fulfillment and happiness. You will set goals for how you will continue to cultivate presence in your life moving forward. We will gain clarity on how we tend to step out of presence in our everyday lives and examine the patterns of thought and behavior we fall into when we’re stressed or disconnected. We will also begin to sense the peace and love we have access to when we are connected with our soul. Additionally, we will look at some of the blocks and wonderful essence qualities embedded within our Enneagram types, which will serve as the foundation for the teachings over the coming days. I use the Enneagram as a wisdom tool to understand what blocks us from living in presence, acceptance, and love. We will use the essence potential of the Enneagram types as a form of meditation on different qualities and insights. A day focused on presence, the feeling of coming home to yourself, and tuning into both your blocks and potential.

Day 2: Self-Love On this day, we focus on the areas of your life where you hold yourself back and limit yourself. We work on increasing your level of self-love and dissolving the blocks that prevent you from living freely, in love with who you are and what you are here to do. We will work on feeling and owning your essence, so that old limiting stories and survival strategies that hinder your life can be seen for what they are, while we open up to who you are in your essence. We’ll also work with forgiveness – of yourself and others – which is crucial for our sense of inner peace. You will learn how survival strategies from childhood can prevent you from living from your authentic core. The ego creates patterns of behavior that are not necessarily helpful, and you will learn how to connect with your soul and the incredible power and love that exists within you. You will learn how to shift from autopilot to reclaiming your power and becoming your own authentic life leader. We will “taste” the essence of different Enneagram types, helping you to find your unique resonance. We will practice authenticity and power, enabling you to be in life fully as who you are, with all that you have to contribute. You will experience gaining access to the courage to be in life, completely as the amazing person you are. The day will be complemented by yoga, supporting our inner processes, focusing on inner strength, self-love, and peace. We will train authenticity and integrity, and give ourselves permission to be in the world as a fully authentic person, with love for everything that you are. We will tune into the soul’s inherent wisdom, where we don’t just know that we are always loved and supported, but where we are love itself. We’ll work with techniques to observe how our thoughts can take us out of self-love, and practice standing strong in our own integrity. You will come to know your super-ego and your compassionate self. You will work with old and new thought and feeling patterns, learning how to replace them with a loving and compassionate presence. With high self-esteem, you will be able to create the amazing life you deserve.

On Day 3, we continue working with self-love, this time exploring your relationship with your own vulnerability. You will learn how to hold space for yourself and embrace what is — even when life is painful. You will experience how allowing yourself to be a whole person with everything you contain — even when it feels infinitely vulnerable — is the portal to your inner strength and life force. How self-compassion is the key to overcoming trauma, fear and crisis.

Day 4: Rest, Deepening, or Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone From previous retreats, I’ve learned that the six days are very intensive, so I’ve included a day in the program to allow for rest and time to let the insights from the first three days settle. If you feel like trying something new on this day, connecting with yourself and Bali, I’m happy to help arrange excursions for you, such as a beautiful bike ride down the volcanic mountain near Ubud, white-water rafting (a fun and scenic experience), take a painting class, go shopping or learning Balinese dance. There is also a wonderful yoga center in Ubud with fantastic teachers where you can take extra yoga classes. On the first day, we’ll discuss the options for these activities. This way, you can make the most of the retreat experience. AND you may also feel like just resting, getting a massage and integrating everything we have now done together. At the end of the day, we will gather for a sound bath in Ubud or a meditation session in nature for those who are interested.

 Day 5 is dedicated to listening to the voice of your soul and getting clear on what you are here to be and do in this life. It’s not about what you do for work or whether you already feel like you’re following your calling. Our focus is on tuning into the qualities that you naturally carry within you. We’ll work on identifying your essential life values, your core human qualities, and listen to what your soul already knows. On this day, we will also explore what nourishes and brings joy to your soul. So often, we spend so much time and energy doing things that neither nourish nor bring us joy. Many of us don’t know how to find the place within us where our happiness already resides, allowing us to be guided from there. We’ll use your essential qualities and inner happiness as beacons for your life. You will create a map of your Ego patterns so that you can recognize them easily in the future and of your Soul qualitiues, so that they may remind you of your true Self. In the afternoon, we will visit the beautiful water temple outside Ubud and hold a ceremony together, where we release (wash away) what no longer serves us and manifest the new beautiful energy that you are meant to step more and more into in your life. See pictures from last year’s group here on the page.

 On the final day, we work with the principle from A Course in Miracles (ACIM), which teaches that not only do we deserve miracles in life, but we are entitled to them. We explore what miracles mean to us, what we truly desire from life, and work on tuning into the energetic frequency from which all things are possible. We’ll also make a concrete plan for how to maintain this new alignment when we return home. We conclude with the most beautiful ceremony, where we honor the journey we’ve shared together and the journey you are on in your life. It’s a love ritual where you will receive affirmations from me and the other participants, which you can take with you and always carry in your heart. We usually gather for a communal dinner at one of the many fantastic restaurants and celebrate ourselves and each other.