INTERNATIONAL GAY RETREAT
2024 INTERNATIONAL GAY RETREAT
Joyful exploration, relaxation, fun and intimacy for GBTQ-men.
Co-created by GaySpiritFriends & Spirit Journeys.
When: Saturday Oct 5th - Thursday Oct 10th, 2024.
Check-In: Saturday, October 5th, 14.00h (2 pm)
Farewell: Thursday, October 10th, 12.00h (12 pm)
Where: Charneux, Belgium
Price: € 1095,-
Early Bird Price: € 1045,- (€ 50,- discount until the end of March or until sold out!)
IN SHORT: WHAT IS OUR WEEK ABOUT?
Join us on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment at our gay retreat, where the hero within you awaits. Step into the unknown, leaving behind societal constraints, and embrace your true identity with pride. Join fellow GBTQ men as you step into a safe space, where acceptance and belonging are nurtured. Our facilitators will guide you through the challenges, helping you unlock your potential to thrive. Explore the depths of your being in workshops designed to cultivate personal growth and connection. Return home transformed, armed with newfound confidence and new tools to grow and flourish.
The International Gay Retreat is built around four themes:
- Exploring the gifts in your shadows;
- Celebrating your unique talents and gifts;
- Seeking a new vision and setting new intentions;
- Integrating and implementing all of these new insights when you go home again.
WHY JOIN A RETREAT?
The magic of a retreat!
No matter how happy we are in life, a retreat offers us the opportunity to get away from the daily hustle of our lives and to distance ourselves from everything we think we know.
It offers the possibility to experience ourselves, others and the world in a new powerful way.
We create a safe space to re-experience what really matters to us, see our potentials and set new intentions.
With new intentions set, we can experience a new reality in our daily lives.
WHY A RETREAT for GBTQ men?
Because we experience ourselves as gay, bisexual, trans or queer, we share certain themes that are important in our lives. These themes that can be very different from those that straight men deal with. Sharing our stories with others who share similar themes, hopes, dreams, and challenges can create a powerful experience of safety, belonging, and clarity around ourselves and our lives.
A retreat for GBTQ men is also a wonderful opportunity to meet gay, bisexual, trans and queer men in a whole different setting. Although we have more options to connect through social media and dating sites than ever before in history, the quality of our connections has decreased dramatically.
For deeper, more meaningful connections we need a real social setting. At the retreat we have the opportunity to connect with our minds and hearts. A retreat offers a safe, fun and often magical setting. We will create supportive, loving community to understand and reclaim the gifts that each of us bring to this life. Whoever you are, this is a place where you can be yourself, the way you want to be!
THE PROGRAM
We offer a variety of workshop experiences during the week and a multidisciplinary approach.
Some of the workshops that you will experience during the week will be described below.
21st CENTURY
CONSCIOUS CONNECTED BREATHING
Our breath is a powerful tool for health, healing, and transformation.
At the retreat, Hunter will introduce you to 21st-Century Conscious Connected Breathing.
He will provide you with amazing insight into your own breathing patterns, exercises to free your breath and practical skills you can use every day for the rest of your life.
Drawing from the latest discoveries of interpersonal neurobiology, polyvagal theory, sports physiology, and proven spiritual practices from around the world, the conscious breathing practices offered can set your breath and your life free.
With powerful conscious breathing, you can:
- Breathe easy, recharge, relax, sleep better, and feel more at ease in your body.
- Relieve the symptoms of anxiety, depression, fatigue, and the little traumas life brings.
- Cultivate awareness, self-love, authentic power, and spiritual connection.
NATIVE AMERICAN
SWEAT-LODGE TRADITION
Hunter will introduce you to the Native American Sweat-lodge tradition.
He has trained, been initiated, and been given permission by his Two-Spirit Native Elders to pour water for (to facilitate) this ceremony and share these teachings and has been offering profound and safe sweat lodge ceremonies for over twenty years.
Sweat lodges have been or still are a tradition in many cultures around the world, including here in Europe.
It is, among other things, a very powerful ritual for purifying body and mind, connecting you with your own truth, and revealing new possibilities in your life.
It has the power to transform you in ways you couldn't imagine.
Hunter will guide you through the process in a very gentle, loving, and expert way, with the greatest respect for everyone’s personal boundaries.
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
The science of well-being and flourishing.
Positive Psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on understanding and promoting well-being, happiness, and fulfillment in individuals and communities.
An important element in positive psychology is identifying and leveraging individual character strengths and values. By recognizing and utilizing our unique strengths, such as creativity, kindness, or perseverance, we can align our actions with our core values, leading to a greater sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.
Setting meaningful goals that are aligned with our values and strengths is also crucial in Positive Psychology. By clarifying our aspirations and breaking them down into manageable steps, we can work towards realizing our optimal potential and leading a more purpose-driven life.
Our retreat will provide participants with practical tools and insights drawn from Positive Psychology to enhance their well-being, cultivate happiness, and navigate through life with greater meaning and fulfillment.
TIME SCHEDULE International Gay Retreat 2024
The schedule may be subject to minor changes. No rights can be derived from this schedule.
SATURDAY: Welcome and Orientation
14.00 Check In
15.00 Welcome soup & free time
16.00 Welcome Session
18.30 DINNER
20.00 Evening Session
SUNDAY: Reclaiming the Gifts in our Wounds
08.00 Morning Practice
09.00 BREAKFAST
10.30 Morning Session
13.00 LUNCH & Free Time
16.00 Afternoon Session
18.30 DINNER
20.00 Evening Session
MONDAY: Purification
08.00 Morning Practice
09.00 BREAKFAST
10.30 Morning Session
13.00 LUNCH
14.00 Afternoon Session: sweat lodge
18.30 DINNER
20.00 Evening Session
TUESDAY: Renewing our Light & Finding our Vision
08.00 Morning Practice
09.00 BREAKFAST
10.30 Morning Session
13.00 LUNCH & Free Time
16.00 Afternoon Session
18.30 DINNER
20.00 Evening Session
WEDNESDAY: Celebration & Integration
08.30 Morning Practice
09.00 BREAKFAST
10.30 Morning Session
13.00 LUNCH & Free Time
16.00 Afternoon Session (2h)
18.30 DINNER
20.00 Evening Session
THURSDAY: Closing
08.30 Morning Practice
09.00 BREAKFAST
10.00 Goodbye Session
11.00 Packing
12.00 Goodbye
ABOUT OUR ACCOMMODATION
The old stone farmhouse dates back to + / - 1650 and originally served as a syrup distillery. Nowadays the farmhouse is used as a holiday accommodation after thorough renovation.
The accommodation is situated on a hill with beautiful views over the meadows. It is located in Herve, in the triangle Maastricht-Liege-Aachen. The accommodation has a large capacity and an interesting layout of rooms and floors. It exudes nostalgia and atmosphere and has many surprising rooms and corners to discover. The property also has a large attractive workshop space, where we will withdraw for the workshops.
OVERVIEW OF PRACTICAL INFORMATION