Tantrics depict the life force as Shakti, the Queen Snake.
The Tantric Vision of Beauty is within reach.
Shakti awaits just beneath the skin… full of Life and Love.
The skin is a frozen shadow that the snake in us is ready to shed.
To awaken the serpent within is to awaken the Kundalini.
She is the one who won’t wear the skin that represses Life and Love,
she is our nature.
As the Kundalini awakens she reveals the infinite possibilities that lay on our path.
ECOLOGIA PROFONDA
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L'ECOLOGIA PROFONDA
UNA NUOVA CONSAPEVOLEZZA...
In this 5-day full-immersion healing retreat we will open to the Moon-side of yoga.
This line of Yoga offers us a rich set of tools to awaken Kundalini Shakti.
In this Shamanic Hatha Tantra circle of Healing we shall work together with the frozen energies within us.
We will engage in powerful ritualistic Hatha practices to help us move forward in Life and Love.
Particular to this retreat will be the working with the energy and spirit of the Moon.
We will practice a rare and powerful form of Tantric Moon invocation.
The Moon is she that lights the blackest night.
The Yogis call her Gori, the shining Goddess.
The Goddess opens us up to the vision of all things – from the place where the blackest shadow cowers to the shining place of beauty & Love in Gori’s clear eyes.
The Moon is a receptive force. The Moon is the Queen of Feeling. In our active lives, wilfulness and action may have taken precedence over receptivity and the lunar mode of feeling and sensitivity.
Both poles are obviously needed for Life and Love.
Healing happens through relation, and relationship and intimacy can’t move into depth without the power to receive and feel.
We will call upon the Lunar forces to open us up fearlessly to Feeling.
We have the ability to feel all things and at the same time remain in our Seat of Power.
This is the secret meaning of Shiva, the eternal yogi who lives in us, as us.
He is the one who is able to meet without resistance all the moves of Shakti.
He is the one who has the Moon in his hair and carries the Crescent Moon Sword of receptive power.
The Tantric Vision is very near. It bursts forth with Life and Love and is there just beneath the skin.
The skins that are made of shadows of the past have come to harvest.
The shedding time is ripe.
A YOGA DETOX DIET
The diet on these retreats will be a traditional yogic mono diet of detoxifying Kitcheri – a mixture of half mungbeans & half rice, fruits & vegetables. Used as a healing food (one of the best diets to rid the body of accumulated toxins), Kitcheri is an ancient detoxifying yogic formula used for thinning the veil between the spirit and the physical worlds. It is classically undertaken for 5 days, which is the length of the retreat.
“It shifted my understanding of what Yoga actually is,
on a fundamental level”
Joe
Farmer & Activist | UK
ANCIENT & SACRED
In these full-immersion retreats you will practice a form of Yoga that is rarely available and accessible even in India today. You will take part in a sacred Yogic tradition that roots itself in India’s native shamanic wisdom & Tantric lineage handed down orally between generations of Yogis, Babas, Sadhus and Fakirs.
You will be exposed to the old tantric ways of seeking profound healing and spiritual awakening, including practicing in darkly-lit spaces to quieten the mind and awaken the senses to the body’s subtle energy currents, holding simple postures for long periods of time, and engaging in powerful breath-work to open-up the body and take the mind into altered states of consciousness.
GENTLE
The practice draws on postures seldom used in modern styles of yoga, ancient sequences that honour the mother and the divine feminine, gently opening-up the body to its highest levels of flexibility through minimal effort.
Integral to this experience will be the exploration of sound-currents present in the body (Nada Yoga) – perhaps one of Yoga’s greatest secrets and one of the most powerful vehicles through which the karmic patterns stored in the chakras can be accessed and released in pursuit of profound healing.
UNIQUE
Unique to this tradition is its simultaneous employment of Asanas (postures), aerobic & anaerobic Pranayam (breathwork), Mudras (gestures), and Mantras (sacred sounds).
The synergy created by the employment of these various yogic tools will lead you into altered states of consciousness and dream-like experiences aimed at facilitating a greater openness to inward journeying and an easier access to your subconscious.
UNBOUND
Because we are going to play with shamanic yogic traditions, the practice will take place outside of clearly time constraints. In line with this approach, there will be no predefined time schedule in order to allow the energy of the group to flow freely, and for the teacher to guide the practice in accordance with the group’s energy and needs. Classes, ceremonies, exercises, chanting, eating and even sleeping will happen naturally and not according to a fixed time. Participants will be expected to take part in every session and it will not be possible to dip in & out of the practice. Participants will be expected to spend some time every day helping with the preparations of meals and the tidying of the yogashala.
INCLUSIVE
The retreat is suitable for beginners & advanced practitioners. In particular to all those seeking a deeply healing experience. The practice does not involve strenuous physical exercise, but physical flexibility will be necessary to participate in the retreat. Because places are typically limited to 12 participants, priority will be given to those with a serious intention & commitment to leaving their comfort zone & seeking genuine change. Yoga teachers, bodyworkers & shamanic practitioners will benefit from the retreat as they will learn rare tantric healing techniques. The retreat is not suitable for people with serious forms of psychosis. If you are a regular user of alcohol or drugs please discuss the issue with us prior to booking, thank you.
The practie usually takes place in the dark or darkly-lit spaces.
The pictures below were taken during the closing circle on the final morning of the retreat.
They capture the flow of a practice spent grounding before returning home.
KIM BIZZARRI
KIM is an Eco-activist & researcher turned Yogi and the founder of Healing in the Willows, the retreat company hosting Working with the Shadow, which he developed in 2014 in collaboration with Boonath, who he assists with the teaching on the retreat. Kim discovered Yoga in 2005, following a burn-out at work that brought him onto a spiritual path. Kim had spent over 10 years coordinating international environmental campaigns in Brussels, Amsterdam and Berlin for major environmental NGOs, including Greenpeace, WWF, Friends of the Earth, ActionAid, and many others.
Kim practiced Yoga with many teachers from several modern styles of Yoga (including Iyengar, Astanga, Vinasa, Bikram, Sivananda, Scaravelli, Kundalini) all over Europe, India and further afield. In 2011 Kim set up a first yoga collective in Berlin, which he then expanded to a new location in 2013, in one of the economically deprived areas of town that was undergoing gentrification. The collective brought together a variety of local teachers to promote yoga on a donation basis within the surrounding community unable to afford the increasing cost of living. It was there that Kim met Boonath and, through Boonath, that his understanding of what Yoga is and what Yoga can do shifted entirely. Boonath’s rare and ancient Tantric lineage revolutionised Kim’s understanding of Yoga and initiated him into a mystical healing journey that impacted strongly also on Kim’s activist work.
Since then Kim has been collaborating with Boonath on developing Working with the Shadow through the retreats they run in a remote forest in Tuscany, where Kim lives, and the workshops they run across Europe.
“Two years ago I went on a deeply self-
& life-affirming yoga retreat called “Working with the Shadow.”
Boonath, the teacher, shared a very different yoga experience than I had ever had
& it was profoundly beautiful… and challenging!
One of the chants stayed with me
& ended up on the song “Remain the Sea” on my album Land of Gold.
I urge anyone interested to check out their upcoming retreats.”
Anoushka Shankar
Musician | India/UK
“I cannot begin to describe
how beautiful the location is…”
Kim
Hotel Manager | UK
QUIET. COMFORTABLE. PRIVATE.
You will stay in the renovated historical apartments of Querceto, a millenary hamlet purched on the edge of Tuscany’s largest National Park, Monte Rufoli.
Each apartment hosts 4-6 participants in single & double rooms, but renting private apartments is also possible for those searching a quieter experience.
Located on the Etruscan Coast, Querceto is just a short drive away from beautiful and secluded Mediterranean beaches, which make for a perfect holiday for those wishing to extend their stay. The closest train station is Cecina, a short train journey from Pisa airport. We organise airport transfers from PIsa and pick-ups from Cecina station.
YOGIC VEGAN DIET.
The diet on these retreats will be a traditional yogic mono diet of detoxifying Kitcheri – a mixture of half mung-beans & half rice, with a pinch of rock salt and coconut oil (with the occasional addition of fruits & vegetables). Used as a healing food (one of the best diets to rid the body of accumulated toxins), Kitcheri is an ancient detoxifying yogic formula used for thinning the veil between the spirit and the physical worlds. It is classically undertaken for 5 days, which is the length of the retreat. All meals will be Vegan (and Gluten-free) as Veganism best embodies the contemporary meaning of Ahimsa [‘non-violence’] – the very first observance on the path to Yoga.
PRICES.
20% OFF.
Late Availbility Discount
Committed to making the retreats available to the widest possible demographic
we offer a range of prices to match all pockets.
For those in need of financial support (students, the unemployed or on low income)
we have two BURSARIES available on every retreat – up to 40% discount depending on cirsumstances.
It is also possible to set up a PAYMENT PLAN if paying all at once should not be possible.
Prices vary according to the type of accommodation and include all meals, materials
and full access to the location’s facilities (yoga-shala, infinity pool, etc).
€240.oo
was €300.oo
COURSE FEES.
+
€ 279.oo
was €349.oo
TWIN ROOM.
Price is per person.
Two people in two single beds.
€ 489.oo
was €599.oo
SINGLE ROOM.
Double occupancy €799.
Two people sharing a large double bed.
€ 840.oo
was €799.oo
PRIVATE APARTMENT.
One bedroom apartment.
Larger apartments available.
If you cannot find affordable flights for the dates of the retreat,
look for the cheapest flights closer to the retreat’s dates and consider extending your stay
either in the hamlet or the nearby cities of Pisa or Florence.
Get in touch for more details.
BOOK / INQUIRE.
If you would like to join the retreat we kindly ask you to send us an email and tell us a little about yourself:
– Your age,
– Your background / profession,
– Your lifestyle,
– Any health issues (physical/mental/emotional),
– Previous experience with practicing Yoga, meditation, shamanism, etc.,
– More importantly, what draws you to come on such a healing journey?
Please be aware that typically places are limited to 12 participants per retreat, so places go fast.
Also, we request that participants abstain from recreational drugs (including weed & hash) and alcohol, for at least a month prior to the retreat taking place as their use can seriously compromise the experience on the retreat and its outcome, both for the individual and the group as a whole (if you have an addiction, please let us know and we will find look for a solution).
The retreat is not suitable for people affected by severe forms of psychosis, however Boonath is available to treat people affected by psychosis privately in Berlin (get in touch with us for more details).
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