Retreats & Workshops
"I'm still trying to find words sufficient to describe the retreat' For Love'. A fundamental shift has taken place in me and I have a greater sense of well being. I am holding my body differently, with less tension in multiple areas. People I have known for a while have said I look different since returning. I feel more relaxed, my nervous system calmer, even in the face of everyday life stressors.
Joanna fosters deep trust and safety in the groups she facilitates. This ability of hers is essential in laying a foundation for vulnerable work. I would absolutely recommend a retreat or workshop with her if you are eager to dive deep into yourself with the warm support of good company." R.A-M, London
Love Most Natural - fully residential retreat at Bala Brook. Dates for 2024 are Wednesday 17th to Tuesday 23rd April
Please email me to express interest - joannawatters@gmail.com
October 21st and 22nd 2023 Ease of Being, with Brad Richecoeur Caddaford Barns Studio, near Buckfastleigh.
£120 early bird by September 30th, otherwise £150. Timings 10am-5pm.
You can book a place here.
See below for more information or email Penny if you have any questions.
In this workshop we offer time to bathe in the vast ocean of being, deeply re-sourcing ourselves in our essential nature whilst also remembering the unique wave that we each are.
Resting in the sense of being ‘already connected’ we will explore the freedom and ease possible in relating with ourself, each other and the world.
Through a mixture of sitting, movement, spoken enquiry and heart dialogue, we can recognise the ways that we have learnt to adapt and resist being here as we actually are, noticing how this keeps us isolated and feeling separate from our source nature, our authentic sense of self and our meetings with others.
We will find out what’s it actually like, beyond our ideas, beliefs and concerns, to stay close with ourselves whilst meeting another, and how it is to contribute our individuality into the collective field.
This is a radical and deceptively simple exploration: the effects are immediate and yet they can’t be held on to. And it is not about self-improvement.
This workshop is open to people who have worked with either Brad or Joanna before, as well as a good introduction to this work for newcomers.
November 17th to 20th - Trauma and Spirituality, with John Wilks
In this 3 day retreat, participants will be supported on a journey to explore the motivations, expectations and assumptions around spiritual practice, whatever form that practice takes.
We will consider how our lives and connections, including our interest in spirituality, might be influenced by our personal histories - which can colour how we see ourselves, the world and our place in it. For example, early trauma (such as prenatal or perinatal trauma), might be experienced in current time more as a ‘felt sense’ rather than any specific memory of an event. This might result in thoughts and feelings that we don’t belong here, that somehow we are ‘bad’ or that the world is a hostile place. These kind of identifications and conclusions influence our approach to spirituality often in a very unconscious way, in the sense that we may be wanting to find a safe space in ourselves, a connection with something ‘other’ or a place where we can rest and escape from the world.
Being clear about what our needs, expectations and assumptions are in relation to spirituality can be a liberating experience and enable a deeper connection to spirit, ourselves and others.
We will also explore and connect with how our nervous systems respond to triggers in everyday life. This can help us understand how our nervous systems can often respond to old survival instincts which might not be that helpful in present time. An understanding of our autonomic nervous system can also help to take the self-blame out of how we respond (for example the feeling that we should be able to cope with a situation, or feelings of shame about an irrational response). It also allows us to experience more compassion towards others when they display these kinds of behaviours. When we realise that our nervous systems are highly tuned to ensure our survival in any situation we can create a bit of distance between our reactions and our true self, enabling them to have less of a ‘hold’ on us and so allowing us to witness them rather than identifying with them.
This retreat will provide a confidential, safe and supportive environment to enable us to explore these vulnerable and often unexplored areas of our psyche. The retreat will consist of a mixture of somatic and reflective practice and will be respectful of individual beliefs and personal history.
For more details, or to book a place, follow this link:
www.therapy-training.com/courses#/spirituality-and-trauma-retreat/
Online Groups & Workshops
Guest House Thursdays - the first Thursday of each month, 7- 8pm NB - NO GUEST HOUSE IN SEPTEMBER - STARTING AGAIN OCTOBER 5th 2023.
Free to attend. You need to sign up through the Embodied Health Learning website: https://ehealthliving.org/classes
If this link isn't showing the Guest House Thursdays, then you can use the Contact Form to register. ehealthliving.org/contact/
These monthly live classes offer an hour in the good company of others to welcome our experience in the present moment, and reconnect with what is most precious : our source nature, our essence. I will guide a meditation and then offer a simple enquiry into “this being human” to be shared in breakout spaces, with some time to reflect together afterwards.
No particular previous experience necessary. Come with a curious heart and an open mind.
The Guest House – by Rumi (Adapted, by me, from the translation by Coleman Barks)
This being human is a guest house.
Every moment a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some arising condition comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and attend to each and every one
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, bless each guest with your presence and curiosity.
They are all part of the same Unfolding Mystery.
The bouncers and the hungry ghosts,
meet them at the door with compassion,
and invite them in.
Appreciate whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from the same silent Source
beyond understanding.
There is no obligation to come to every session - drop in when it suits you, but ideally come punctually (as we usually start with a meditation). One regular attendee kindly wrote this, and is happy for me to share it as a testimonial:
"I just wanted to thank you again for these wonderful opportunities in the Guest House.
Recently i said yes to 2 very scary (for me) things, that even 6 months ago I would have run a mile from. Even though I would have wanted to do them, because they help something I believe in, it would have felt too exposed.
Yet, I said yes, and have done the scariest one already, and survived! And I think the Guest House has been a generous part of that change in me.
It's not that I'm braver, it's just that I care less about the backlash of thoughts and feelings that are inevitable afterwards (oh, cringe, cringe, I made a complete berk of myself). Something like knowing those feelings are going to come, and being OK with it. Knowing that I will not be consumed by them, but I now know they will be a small part of my day, mixed up with so many other feelings and sensations that will be the majority. Not quite at the stage of welcoming them with laughter yet, maybe with a wry grin, but that's great progress!
And also hearing other people's insecurities and self-doubt has helped me to see possible unforeseeable consequences that could be for the good - say someone saw me and thought 'wow, she didn't do that very well, but she's clearly wetting her pants with fear, and she's doing it anyway - maybe I could find a way to do that thing that I'm scared of doing...?'
I'm so appreciative of your offering the Guest House, I just wanted you to know that they are rippling out into the world in so many ways you will never know!"
Strength and Sensitivity - an ongoing closed group enquiring into including both ends of any polarity (now closed until April 2024)
We tend to split reality into "either this or that"
(Left or Right, Strong or Sensitive, Bad or Good, etc)
In this ongoing group we will explore holding both ends of any polarity at the same time, not either/or but both.
When we do this, it has a radical impact on our lives, inviting compassion and flexibility.
We will explore this through movement, meditation and enquiry.
Please email me for dates and more information if you're interested.
Welcome Reality - a fortnightly group based in Totnes on Tuesdays 2-4pm - FULL - please email me if you'd like to be on a waiting list
AUTUMN DATES 2023: September 19th to to November 28th (6 fortnights)
Being Here for This - non residential in-person weekend workshops for people under 40. Co-facilitated with Brad Richecoeur in Devon.
We don't have any further dates yet, but do email me if you are interested.
FOR FAMILIES with pre-school children
Nurture in Nature group at Nutwells, Buckland in the Moor, alternate Fridays 9:30 - 11:30. For more information please text Sarah 07949334003