These rivers passed at length into the sea across the sandy beaches not far from the city; and in the moonlight the Nereides, the beautiful nymphs of the sea whom Doris, daughter of Ocean, bore to her brother Nereus, could sometimes be heard calling to the river nymphs their haunting salutations”
-Sappho of Lesbos
INNER WELLSPRING
CRANIOSACRAL BIODYNAMICS
immersive training + retreat
a pilgrimage to the sacred waters within and without
27th-3rd of September
Molyvos, Lesbos, Greece
Let yourself immerse in the healing embrace of water,
become water,
remember her fluid dance,
find her flow,
find her breath,
find her presence,
dive deep into the inner wellspring of your becoming
and let the fountain of life pour, as an offering, through you.
This course will be a unique opportunity to both receive and learn essential skills and techniques and, also, be a transformative container for your own healing and remembrance. Set in the ancient and magical lands of Lesbos in Greece w will gather to explore the fundamentals of Craniosacral Biodynamics and also create a space for you to slow down, to be cleansed and purified, to immerse yourself in ancient rituals with water and reconnect with the clear essence of your being.
The lands that will hold us are truly charged with immense beauty and memory. Home to the first devotional female poet of the West, Sappho, this island is known for its connection to the Feminine, for its ancient temples and rites to the Great Mother and, especially, for its healing thermal waters. As part of our time together we will have the opportunity to make a daily "piligramige" to the deep blue Aegean sea from which hot, sacred waters emerge right out of the belly of the earth. As we will gather there, sometimes alone, sometimes as a group in ritual and ceremony, you are invited to find yourself anew, to offer yourself to the waters and their medicine and let the sacred song of these ancient lands embrace you and help you return to the invisible breath that inhabits you.
This will be a journey deep into the well of aliveness that you are and contain, to find enough stillness to listen inside and be present with the pulsing, spacious life that flows through us all and, in turn, learn how to hold space for others in their journey of remembrance and returning home in the inner wellspring of their being.
ABOUT THE COURSE / EXPERIENCE
In this course we will delve into the guiding principles of craniosacral biodynamics. With presence and wholeness as primary orientations, we will explore inner practices such as embodied felt-sense, tonal match, full body breathing, resting in invisible midline, and residing in neutral. Following the insights of Dr. Sutherland and his successors, we will learn how to listen to primary respiration and the Breath of Life, sensing tides, fulcrums, stillpoints, subtle rhythms, states of consciousness, and more.
This course will invite you to develop and refine your essential skills for grounding and centering in yourself, creating and maintaining safety and trust with your client, increasing potency in your touch and sensitivity in your awareness. With dynamic stillness as the guide, we cultivate our capacity to support the body’s innate wisdom of healing – in ourselves, each other, and the world.
THIS COURSE OFFERS 28 CEU
THE FLOW
The first day and a half will be a time of arrival, to truly land in your own body, in your heart, in your intention, a space to meet and greet the land and waters and create a safe container with each other for our deep dive.
We will have time to sit in circle, to explore the surroundings, slow down and open with a ritual in the hot springs, opening the deep well of our being.
On the third day we will begin with the course and will continue immersing ourselves in the material for four days. In this time we will fully dedicate ourselves to learning about the basics of craniosacral biodynamics and how to awaken your awareness, sensitivity and touch.
There might be some special event in the evenings and an opportunity to receive some healing treatments in between - as well as dip into the sea/hot springs.
On the last day we will have a full day to integrate and harvest all the wisdom received, to ritualize our closure once again and prepare ourselves to making our way back home.
THE LAND + ACCOMMODATION
Set on the Greek Island of Lesbos in the Eastern Aegean, the retreat center is nestled in between hills of fig trees and old cypress trees and surrounded by abundant olive yards. In very close proximity to the town of Molyvos and close to the sea these lands have something mesmerizing and sacred. Perhaps it is the old history of the devotion to the Feminine or maybe the vulcanic hot springs that emerge out of the sea in one of the closest beaches or the proximity to Turkey and its profound traditions, there is a uniqueness to this place.
The retreat center that will be hosting us is owned by a German couple who moved here many years ago and decided to create a little sanctuary of 3 acres where they could host retreats and be a place of calm and intimacy.
There are different accommodation options and you can decide whether you want to share the room with someone or have your private room.
Here is their website: http://www.milelja.com/
THE FOOD
Only breakfast will be provided at the retreat center with an option to also ask for lunch or dinner with a small extra price.
In alternative the typical Greek town is just next door and offers a wide range of traditional food at a very accessible price and with the addition of integrating yourself in the local culture.
Moreover, you will all have your own kitchen/or shared kitchen where you can cook. In the village there are many local shops that sell delicious greek products from olives, to feta cheese, to homemade bread and more.
The first and last dinners will be shared all together.
HOW TO GET HERE
The best way to reach Lesvos is with a flight from Athens. Once you arrive in the capital you will need to get a taxi (or rent a car if you wish to do so) which is around 60 euros and these can be shared amongst participants and arranged through us once we know your date and time of arrival.
The town is about 1.15hr from the airport. More info will be sent through the Info PDF upon paying your deposit.
The opening circle won't be until 4 pm in the afternoon which gives you plenty of time to get to the retreat center
DAILY SCHEDULE
Sunday
2-3pm Check-in.
4pm Welcome Ritual & Circle
7.30pm Opening dinner
Monday
Grounding Day with Water Rituals / Land & Sea Explorations
Tuesday-Friday
7.30-8: Morning tea ceremony (optional)
8-9.30 am: Breakfast
9.30-10am: Stillness sit + Midline meditation
10-1pm: Class
1-4pm: Lunch break/free time
4-7pm: Class
*on august 30th we will gather for a powerful Full Moon Bathing Ritual
w/music & candlelight
Saturday
Integration day w/ Water Rituals + sharing circle
Sunday
Closing ceremony + departures
A FEW MORE WORDS...
This is a creative cauldron for anyone looking to deepen their embodied observation in service to transformation, transmutation and liberation.
This is a restoration and amplification of our inherent connection to the Breath of Life that informs all of nature and the Health that is never lost.
It will be an immersion within the well of your being and its watery landscape as well as an intimate experience with the medicine and wisdom of water herself.
It will be a time to grow in your skillsets and sensitivity as well as an opportunity to receive and expand.
It will be a container to connect to ancient stories and lands that hold powerful healing traditions and that have maintained a deep connection to its own history, stories, songs and roots.
* Early Bird until the 1st of May
ALL PRICES INCLUDE
- Rituals & Ceremonies
- 8 hours of class for four days
+ arrival & grounding day
+ integration & departure day
- One delicious breakfast a day
- Access to retreat center pools and practice halls
- Access to the surrounding hot springs, seas, and lands to walk, bathe, and explore
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED
- Flight to Mytilene (Lesvos)
- Transportation to the retreat center*
- Lunch + Dinner**
- Add on activities such as massage and bodywork
*if you let us know your time and day of arrival we can try to arrange shared taxi
**the prices range from 5 euros to 15 euros per meal + you can cook yourself in the kitchen
SINGLE BED IN SHARED ROOM
one of two single beds in a shared room with communal kitchen
early bird 2015 euros
regular 2175 euros
SINGLE BED IN SHARED APARTMENT
one of two single beds in private apartment with private kitchen
early bird 2205 euros
regular 2350 euros
PRIVATE ROOM
one of one single beds in private room with communal kitchen
early bird 2355 euros
regular 2500 euros
PRIVATE APARTMENT
one of one single beds in private apartment with private kitchen
early bird 2755 euros
regular 2900 euros
*A 300 euros non-refundable deposit is asked to reserve your spot
*Payment installments can be arranged
FACILITATORS
KOA KALISH
Koa is first and foremost devoted to the way of water, as water is her greatest teacher in this work. Koa carries thirteen years of extensive training with four master craniosacral teachers, as well as a deep well of learning from earth-based medicine keepers and mystic spiritual leaders. She has worked in private practice since 2016. In 2021, Koa launched her Breath of Life Course, a program designed and synthesized from her studies in the healing arts as well as from breaking through her own challenges as highly sensitive seer who has withstood two traumatic head and brain injuries. Both her private sessions and group immersions are uniquely transformative, restorative, and healing.
