She unfolds

Retreat by Dorien

Dorien's blog about She unfolds

An early spring retreat

A journey through feminine wisdom, healing and transformation

This retreat is conducted in Dutch. There are times when life invites you to pause. Not because you cannot go any further, but because something inside you feels that you do not want to continue in the same way. Perhaps you find yourself in a period of change. You are leaving behind a relationship, an old role, or a phase of life. You are facing an important choice, or you feel—without knowing precisely why—that something new wants to emerge within you. As women, we constantly move through different phases of life. We grow, care, love, and create. We say goodbye, start over, and continually seek a new relationship with ourselves and the world around us. Every transition asks something different of us. Sometimes life calls for movement, sometimes for surrender, and sometimes for the courage to first truly become still. She Unfolds is an early spring retreat for women who want to slow down, go deeper and relisten to what is alive within.

The meaning of a retreat

The word pension literally means: to withdraw. You temporarily withdraw from daily life, from your responsibilities and from everything that constantly demands your attention. Not to escape from life, but to make space for rest, reflection and a genuine encounter with yourself. In the silence, what is easily drowned out in the hustle and bustle can become palpable. Your body, your feelings and your intuition are given space once again. You do not have to find an answer immediately or know which step to take. Sometimes change simply begins by being present with what is right now. A retreat can thus be both a pause and a moment of transition. A moment to pause and reflect on what is complete, what you no longer wish to carry with you and what requires attention in the next phase of your life.

A week of female immersion

This week has a natural progression. We begin with arriving and landing: in the surroundings, in the group, and above all in your own body. From a place of rest and trust, space emerges for deeper exploration. Later in the week, we focus more on integration and on the movement you want to take back home with you after the retreat. Yoga, meditation, breathwork, rituals, body-oriented exercises, sharing circles and moments of silence form the foundation of this journey. There is also time to be outside, to rest, to enjoy and to have to do nothing. We work in a small group of women. Because of this, there is room for personal attention and for a process that does not need to rush. You do not have to achieve or prove anything. You are allowed to be present with everything that is currently playing a part in your life.

Two wisdom traditions meet

In She Unfolds two spiritual traditions that have been part of my life and work for many years come together. From Himalayan tradition we work with yoga, meditation, breath, silence and consciousness. These practices help to step out of the continuous movement of thought and be present in the body once again. In addition, we work with insights and rituals from the South American shamanic path. This tradition connects us with the earth, nature, our ancestors and the cyclical wisdom of the feminine. Rituals can help not only to understand an inner transition, but also to experience it consciously and mark it. The Himalayan tradition brings stillness and inner perception. The shamanic path brings earth, ceremony, rituals and connection with the natural cycles of living, dying and rebirth. During this retreat, these two currents meet in an open and experiential way.

The relationship with yourself

The first and most essential relationship in your life is the relationship with yourself. Yet that connection can fade into the background. We care for others, carry responsibilities, adapt, and sometimes stay longer than is good for us in roles, relationships, or situations that no longer suit us. During this week, we pause to consider what you truly feel and need. We look at the places where you might be giving away your power or where old patterns still hold on to you. Not from a place of judgment, but from curiosity, honesty, and gentleness. There is space for sorrow, grief, anger, vulnerability, or confusion. And there is space for joy, creativity, sensuality, trust, and zest for life. The retreat is not only about letting go and healing, but also about reconnecting with what is alive within you.

Working with energy

Many women are sensitive to the moods, expectations and energy of others. That sensitivity can be a strength, but it can also make it harder to feel yourself sometimes or cause you to notice your boundaries only late in the day. During the retreat, we work with simple exercises to ground yourself, bring your attention back to your own centre and more consciously perceive what is happening inside you. We explore old connections and patterns that still demand energy, and practise setting boundaries, letting go and gathering yourself together again. It is not about shutting yourself off from the outside world. It is about learning to remain present with yourself, precisely while you are connected with others.

The 13th Rite of the Womb

During the retreat you will receive the 13th Rite of the Womb, from the lineage of the Munay-Ki rites. This feminine ritual invites attention to pain, fear and old stories that may have been carried down through the maternal lineage. The womb is approached here not only literally, but also symbolically: as a place of creativity, wisdom and the power of creation. The ritual can be meaningful for women in any phase of life, even if you no longer have a womb or have not had children. After receiving the rite, when it feels right for you and with respect for the tradition, you may also pass it on to other women.

The power of a small women's circle

Women need each other. Not out of comparison, jealousy or struggle, but out of recognition, honesty and support. When women come together in safety, space is created to share stories that are not always told in daily life. We can recognise ourselves in the experiences of another, without our stories having to be the same. Where one woman momentarily does not feel her strength, another can remind her of it. Where words fail, silence can be enough. During this week, the small group forms a container in which every woman can make her own journey, carried by being together.

The rhythm of the week

The days begin with yoga and meditation. Throughout the week, there are in-depth gatherings, sharing circles, rituals, energetic and body-oriented exercises, and moments of silence. We work with, among other things, the phases of a woman's life, recognising and breaking old patterns, energetic boundaries, connection with the female lineage, and shaping an intention for the period ahead. Not every moment is scheduled. Free time, nature, rest and integration are an important part of the programme. There will also be plenty of laughter, enjoyment, walking and eating together. A trip to a beautiful bay or a fishing village is also planned. Depth does not only arise from working hard. Sometimes it is precisely in the space between the exercises that something essential can be felt. At the end of the week, we reflect on what you want to take home with you and how you can continue to give attention to that in your daily life.

Born out of my own life journey

This retreat was born during one of the most profound periods of transformation in my own life. Following my divorce, I travelled to Chile. I did not feel that I was to blame for what had happened, but I did want to look deeper. I wanted to understand what role I had played myself, which patterns I had maintained and why I had stayed in an unhealthy situation for so long. I began to understand that a change in the outside world does not automatically mean that we are free on the inside. In order to truly be able to create a different life, something within myself also had to be broken through. My journey to Chile and my encounter with the South American shamanic path brought me rituals and insights that touched not only my thinking, but my entire being. Together with my years of practice within the Himalayan tradition, they formed the bed from which She Unfolds was created. This retreat therefore stems not only from what I have learned and passed on, but also from what I have lived through myself as a woman.

For which woman is She Unfolds?

This retreat is for you if you:

• are in a period of change or transformation;
• bring a relationship, role or phase of life to a close;
• facing an important choice;
• craves peace, depth and renewed direction;
• wants to examine old patterns;
• want to reconnect with your body and intuition;
• wanting to give more space to your feminine power and creativity;
• cares a lot for others and needs time for yourself;
• feels that something new wants to emerge within you;
• or simply wish to gift yourself a week of reflection, beauty and loving attention.

You don't need to have any experience with yoga, meditation or shamanic work. An open attitude and the willingness to meet yourself are enough.

She unfolds

You don't need to have all the answers by the end of this week. Perhaps you'll go home with greater peace of mind, a new insight or a clearer sense of direction. Maybe you've been able to let something go, or conversely, something has been awakened that is ready to grow further. Just as nature in early spring cannot be forced, but opens to the light in its own rhythm, so too your process may unfold. Layer by layer. At your pace. In your own way. Perhaps this is your moment to pause and reflect on what has been, to return to yourself and to make space for what wants to emerge within you. You are most welcome. Price excludes VAT and an invoice is available. Find out more about The Transforming Woman or check out Dorien's website: http://www.dorienvannieukerken.nl/