Soul Journey into Spring

A Mindfulness Meditation and Yoga Retreat

with Johann van Greunen, Specialist Wellness Counsellor and Reiki Master and Glenda van den Oever, Yoga Teacher

“…when it is springtime in your soul, then the rhythm, the energy and the hidden light of your own clay works with you. You are in the flow of your own growth of and potential.”

- John O’Donohue

Spring is the Season of Awakening to new possibilities and new life. For the soul a journey into spring can entail undertaking new projects, giving attention to desires and hopes that stir up after the slumber and sleep associated with winter, or even making some important life changes. A silent space to focus on awakening of the senses and spirit is especially needed as our bodies and souls are still recovering from the traumatic effects of living through the COVID pandemic that affected our lives on all levels. This silent retreat will create the sacred space for solitude and deep reflection to facilitate this soul journey into spring through the practices of mindfulness, meditation, yoga and movement.

On this retreat we will focus on the following:

Silence and Solitude:

• The retreat will be silent from after dinner on the Friday till the Sunday brunch. We will intentionally create a structured and supported environment to support silence and deep reflection.

• Entering deeply into silence and solitude through the mindfulness practices of meditation, yoga, movement and mindful eating.

• Connecting with nature through a focus on the elements and garden walks.

Meditation:

During the retreat we will engage with the following meditation practices:

• Seated early morning and early evening Mindfulness Breath Meditations.

• Walking the Labyrinth (walking meditation).

• Chakra Cleansing Meditation.

• Lying-down Sound Journey.

• Seated Chanting (Mantra) Meditation. This will be done at the hand of a recorded chant and it will be optional for participants to stay silent during this meditation. Mantras always come from the ancient Sanskrit language, which is sound sensitive. Chanting a mantra calms the nervous system and tones the vagus nerve. Every mantra (chant) activates a particular kind of energy in a different part of the body. Benefits are increased self-awareness, reduced stress, a greater sense of calm and sets you up for a better night’s sleep. No experience is needed to participate in a chanting meditation.

Yoga:

Morning and late afternoon yoga classes will be restorative, cleansing and deeply relaxing.

The practice will be suitable for all levels of practitioners.

Awakening:

• Awakening the senses through a focus on the elements to facilitate grounding and connectedness to nature and all in existence.

• Awakening the senses through movement and mindful eating.

• Creative expression through drawing, painting, collaging, creative writing and journaling.

• Awakening creative energy through a practical session with colour and music. This session will be followed by the creation of a Nature/Fresh Mandala as a group. This will be done with both supplied materials and materials collected by participants. Creating a mandala is a meditative/reflection tool to assist quieting the mind and “turning inward”. Building a mandala is a process of journeying into joy and happiness. This process allows the opportunity to be taken on a journey into presence, aligning mind, body and spirit, and to let go of what no longer serves us and allow new growth in.

What participants say about this retreat:

• “Silence gave me the opportunity to get away from “niceties” and really connect on a deeper level. I have discovered beautiful truths and learned and integrated these through the yoga sessions and meditation.”

• “The yoga sessions were amazing! Glenda is the most gifted facilitator.”

• “Stappie vir stappie, stukkie vir stukkie weer by my siel uitgekom.”

• “... creating safe space to land and be – thank you for your fantastic presence Glenda and Johann.”

• “Die meditasie sagkens en professioneel hanteer, wat dit vir ‘n beginner toeganklik en maklik maak. Die joga ‘gentle’ maar ook ferm. Ek neem huis toe meer as wat verwag is, gemoedsrus en nuwe ‘tools’ om te gaan gebruik in ‘n deurmekaar wêreld.”

• “Gentle, grounding – an opportunity to re-assess and re-align my personal values, situation and goals.”

• “Enjoyed the balance and variety of activities.”

You are invited to join us at Temenos Retreat Centre on the 7th October 2022 for this retreat, inclusive of brunch and dinner daily, coffee/tea with snacks the Saturday afternoon, as well as all retreat activities and materials used. Checking in-time will be from 14:00 on Friday 7th October and we will gather 16:00 for the start of the retreat. The retreat will end at 14:00 on Sunday 9th October, although the fee includes free accommodation for Sunday evening for those that can stay over. Supper on Sunday evening will be at your own cost. The restaurant, Tebaldi’s at Temenos is closed on Sunday evenings, but you can order a take away at the restaurant before 2pm, or choose to self-cater or book for dinner in town. The cottages at Temenos are fully equipped for self-catering.

The retreat fee is R 3 900.00 shared accommodation and R 4 500.00 single accommodation. An immediate deposit of R 1 000.00 secures your booking. The outstanding balance need to be paid by Friday 30th September. Please book soon as space is limited. For bookings, contact Johann at johann@johannvangreunen.co.za or 021-914 1294 or 083 764 5978.

Please note my Cancellation Policy:

• Should you cancel your reservation up to 4 weeks prior a retreat, you will be refunded, but an admin fee of R 100 will be charged. An option would be to keep your deposit, but to transfer it to another retreat at no additional cost.

• For cancellations 2-4 weeks prior the retreat, refunds will only be offered if your place can be re-sold. You will still have the option to transfer your deposit to another retreat at no additional cost.

• Cancellations up to 2 weeks prior the retreat will not be refunded, and no deposits will be transferred.

About your facilitators:

Johann Van Greunen

Johann is a Specialist Wellness Counsellor in private practice with training and background in Pastoral Therapy. In his practice he focuses on counselling, Reiki healing and training, teaching mindfulness meditation and he runs various workshops focused on mindfulness practices and inner wellbeing. Johann has realised the value of Meditation and Mindfulness Practices early in his life and has come to know Mindfulness Meditation as an invaluable aid in assisting us to develop integrated and coherent life stories.

With an interest in Integral and Complementary Medicine from early on, Johann qualified as Reiki Master to offer a hands-on healing practice that complements his counselling practice. Being a Master in Reiki, he teaches courses on Levels 1, 2 and Master Level.

Johann had been training in both ballroom and contemporary dance for years and developed a strong interest in the healing power of creative processes, especially in art, movement and music. He uses these processes working with groups and during his workshops and retreats teaching Mindfulness Practices. He encourages his clients coming for counselling to use creative processes in order to develop new narratives for their life stories.

Johann holds an Honours degree in Psychology from the University of Pretoria and a M.Th. (Clinical Pastoral Care) from the University of Stellenbosch. He is registered as Specialist Wellness Counsellor at the Association for Supportive Counsellors & Holistic Practitioners. He is involved with mentoring programmes for the City of Cape Town which involves psycho-social support for health clinic staff and clinic managers. His work with these teams includes team building, trauma debriefing and teaching mindfulness practices. Past work in this field includes mentoring programmes for HIV/AIDS counsellors at Lifeline, Wola Nani, Sothemba AIDS Action Group, Positive Muslims and Desmond Tutu TB Centre linked to the University of Stellenbosch. He was also supervisor for the M.Th. Clinical Pastoral Care (HIV Counselling) programme for 5 years.

Johann is passionate about life, the arts, music, dance, nature, good food, coffee, wine and soulful friendships. He lives with his partner in the leafy suburb of Kenridge in Durbanville and is the servant of a big fluffy ginger cat.

Glenda van den Oever

Certified Hatha Yoga Teacher

Yoga has been part of my life for over 25 years and my passion for the practice has helped me grow stronger both on and off the mat. I love sharing how yoga inspires me to live each moment mindfully.

I will always be a student of the practice and I am deeply grateful for the loving wisdom each teacher has shared with me.

Certification Blissful Kids Yoga

Certified Hatha Yoga Teacher

Yoga has been part of my life for over 25 years and my passion for the practice has helped me grow stronger both on and off the mat. I love sharing how yoga inspires me to live each moment mindfully.

I will always be a student of the practice and I am deeply grateful for the loving wisdom each teacher has shared with me.

Certification Blissful Kids Yoga

My love and passion for young souls is what has inspired my pursuit in teaching yoga to children of all needs, having an authentic and neutral teaching style that is compassion centred and mindful.

In my classes I love to combine creative heartfelt educational sequencing and a spirit of playfulness with an art element. I dedicate one art-based class a term, however should the need arise I would include an extra art element to the class. This will further express and inspire the young mind.

I tailor the classes to a theme that is running alongside the school classes. I welcome and encourage teacher interaction and collaboration. This helps me to cater to needs of the student/s and keep continuation.

It is wonderful to see kids shine in class and see how they blossom from yoga focussed classes. I seek to help others thrive in life by nurturing body, mind and spirit with yoga. I trust that at the end of a class, you step off the mat feeling balanced, nourished and refreshed.

Namaste

Glenda

At Temenos we're always happy to host Retreats and Workshops, for more details contact Margaret