RETRIITIT



ESSENCE DROPS RETREAT 15.3. - 19.3.
Welcome to 5 days transformative retreat about embodied awakening and the three ‘bindus’ or Essence Drops that constitute the totality of our embodied experience.
When we abide in direct experience there is amazing fullness to the reality of our senses. We are in touch with the mysterious aliveness that animates everything and expresses as everything. We connect with others and the world around us with fresh eyes and openness. Instead of interpreting our experience through the mind we taste the astonishing immediacy of That Which Is.
However, if we want to access this mode for more than just occasional glimpses, it is useful to have practice that supports this direct immediacy. Nondual shaiva tantra is a path of awakening that recognises aliveness as a doorway to the infinite presence-awareness that is our true nature. Cultivating natural rest in the still silent ground of being, together with absolute intimacy with all our experiences, is what makes this approach so potent.
This retreat focuses on the practices of tantrik yoga that assist in building a strong energy body that can digest any experience. We will dive into the three ‘bindus’ or Essence Drops that constitute the totality of our embodied experience. The practices taught are also useful in emotional digestion, a term referring to the integration of unresolved experiences such as trauma.
We will explore the key concepts essential to total intimacy with all experience. These include somatic awareness as pure sensation, genuine love and curiosity for the experience, and a capacity to drop the narratives associated with feelings so that we can experience all emotion in a raw, unfiltered manner.
No previous background in nondual shaiva tantra is required. Meditations are simple yet profound. Practice is weaved together with the exploration of undivided being that we call Awakening. Deliciously empowering embodiment practices - restorative yoga and ecstatic dance - are included in the program.
The program consists of:
* meditative contemplation (tattva bhavana)
* embodied yoga and somatic movement sessions
* deep and nourishing teachings and practices
* authentic sharing
* celebration and ecstatic dance
* rest and regeneration
There will be hours of silence to allow the powerful and integrative meditation practices to sink deeper, as well as hours for socializing and getting to know our ‘kula’; our fellow practitioners. We are nurtured by each other's intrinsic wisdom, delicious vegetarian food and daily sauna.
Welcome to this retreat to remember, explore and welcome the totality of who you are.
*****************
"Supreme is your completely pure nondual form: One, yet existing in many guises, pervading the universe that is flowing forth (within you), yet entirely free from change—it is known as the integral nature of Consciousness."
Kālikā-stotra verse 2, trans. by Christopher Wallis
*****************
TIME:
The retreat begins Wednesday 15.3.2023 and participants can arrive from 16:00 onwards. The official program begins at 18:00.
The retreat ends Sunday 19.3.2023 after lunch and clean up. We are ready to drive home latest 18.00.
PRICE AND REGISTRATION:
**Earlybird** price (until 7.2.2023) 540€/450€ (full time students and unemployed). After this 640€/550€.
The price includes the retreat program for 5 days, accommodation, three meals per day and sauna every night (payment plans available for those with low income)
VENUE:
We will stay in a beautiful retreat centre in the quiet countryside of southern Finland. An old village school building situated in the middle of fields and forests will offer generous space to practice and rest. The venue provides an atmosphere of calm and simplicity with beautiful surroundings that invite for walks and contemplation. There are different options for accommodation that will be chosen during the registration. For more detail
ls, please visit: http://lammiretreat.com/home/
FOOD:
We will have three meals per day including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our catering is taken care of by an amazing culinary crafter. She will cook us delicious vegetarian and gluten free food during the whole retreat. Water boilers, coffee and tea will be supplied all day. There will be an evening snack also available after the program ends every evening.
FACILITATORS:
Viivi Jokela
Viivi Jokela shares about the universal wisdom of recognizing the nature of Reality and the deeper truth of what we are. Her background is in the lineage of nondual shaiva tantra (Kashmir shaivism), which she first encountered academically (MA), and later on experimentally as direct experience. She is especially inspired by the aesthetic aspect of the tantrik path: the innate capacity of consciousness to experience wonder and beauty in all sense experience. Grounded on the awareness cultivation of the Direct Way, she integrates somatics, music, and ecstatic dance to explore this natural mode of being called Awakening. Her main teacher is Christopher Hareesh Wallis. Other teachers that she has studied with are Adyashanti (nondual zen), Paul Muller Ortega (shaiva tantra), Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (bön dzogchen), and Rupert Spira (Kashmir shaivism & advaita).
Gloria Salo

Jooga - ja meditaatioretriitti
" Arvostettava, ihailtava, syvällisen ammattimainen joogaopettaja, joka tuo ammattimaista sielukkuutta ja syvyyttä kaikkeen ohjaukseensa. Herkkyyden ja voiman kiehtova kombinaatio. <3 Kiitos."
" Kiitos Gloria jokaisesta viisaasta katseesta, syvällisyydestä, rauhasta ja voimasta. Joogahetkistä sekä ohjaamistasi työpajoista. Olet turvallinen ja läsnäoleva ohjaaja, joka on erityisen tärkeää sukeltuaakseen, antautuakseen ja heittäytyäkseen." - Laura, toimintaterapeutti
" Sinulta sain tällä retriitillä niin paljon, että se on vaikea pukea sanoiksi. Vaikka ensisijaisesti olet ikuinen oppija, niin sinulla on uskomaton opettamisen taito mitä olen harvoin kohdannut. Arvostan sitä miten pystyt antamaan joka kerta jokaiselle jotakin riippumatta siitä kuinka kauan he ovat meditaatiota tai joogaa harjoittaneet. Kiitos siitä. Sain uskomattomasti uutta inspiraatiota omaan harjoitukseeni ja motivaatiota syventyä sekä jatkaa harjoittamista. Olisin kiitollinen jos pääsisin oppimaan kanssasi lisää. Sulla on uskomaton huumorintaju!!!"
Nondual Tantra & Awakening
" Gloria ja Viivi täydentävät upeasti toisiaan luoden retriitille tunnelman, jossa on hyvä olla ja jossa jokainen voi löytää oman paikkansa. Ohjaajien pitkä kokemus perinteen harjoittamisesta, sen syvä kunnioittaminen ja kyky kuvata sanoin selittämätöntä tuovat vakaan pohjan myös omalle harjoittamiselle. Retriitit ovat olleet hyvin transformatiivisia kokemuksia ja voin suositella lämpimästi, sillä varoituksella, että todennäköisesti haluat tulla vielä uudestaankin. "
Valon ja varjon tanssi - pääsiäisretriitti:
" Käytännönjärjestelyt retriitillä olivat sujuvat ja selkeät. Todella lämminhenkinen, salliva ja avarakatseinen retriitti. Sait luotua turvallisen ja kannustavan ilmapiirin. Koen, että olit aito oma itsesi etkä "peittynyt" ohjaajaroolin taakse. Kiitos siitä! <3 Paljon voimaantumista, oivalluksia, mahdollisuus myös kääntyä sisäänpäin jos tunsi tarvetta. Ihana kokonaisuus <3 ihana seremonia <3
Tantrik Live Ambient Ceremony
"Huomenta Gloria
Kiitos aivan ihanasta seremoniasta eilen. Siellä oli sellainen olo, että mulle aidosti halutaan hyvää. Viisaus ja maadottuneisuus ohjauksessa, ja rohkeus myös. Siinä oli tosi hyvä ottaa sekä ihania että haastavampia tunteita vastaan. Jälkiolo on ollut selkiytynyt ja kehossa niin hyvä olla.
Ja ihana musiikki tuntui kuuntelevalta, läsnäolevalta ja kaikin tavoin seremoniaa tukevalta! Laulu niin puhtaalta, oih."
Sacred Feminine Retreat - jooga, tantra ja tanssiretriitti naisille
Ihana naiseus retriitti on ollut tajunnanräjäyttävä, hyvin poikkeuksellinen kokemus ! Aivan upea matka naiseuteen. Kiitos koko tiimi, olette timanttisia <3 Erityiskiitos Glorialle, olet huippu fasilitoija, niin inspiroiva ja kaunis, sisältä ja ulkoa! KIITOS KIITOS KIITOS "
Kiitos rakas Gloria tilan luomisesta ja kanavoinnista. Tavassasi pitää tilaa on jotain niin kaunista, puhdasta ja maagista. Kiitos rohkeudesta ja ihmisyydestä. Kiitos kivusta ja sen jakamisesta. Kiitos etät kanavoit viisautta, herkkyyttä ja autenttisuutta. Retriitin aikataulu oli lempeä ja pidin kokonaisuuden rytmistä ja rakenteesta. Kiitos, että voidaan jakaa elämän tanssia!
Luminous Presence Retreat, Levi, Lapland - nondual tantra
"Sanat tuntuvat edelleen ontoilta ja merkityksettömiltä tätä kirjoittaessa sillä kokemus on paljon väkevämpi mitä sanoin pystyy kuvaamaan.
Kiitollisuus täyttää mielen ja omituinen möykky kiipeää kurkunpäähän kun palaan koettuun ja jaettuun tai mitä sitten tapahtuikaan lentokoneen laskeuduttua Helsinki-Vantaalle.
Paluu takaisin kehä kolmen kupeeseen ei sujunut kivuttomasti vaan kontrasti oli niin jyrkkä, että keho ei pysynyt enää mielen tahdissa, vaan vaati pysähtymään väkisin. Pysähdys toki tarjonnut merkittävästi aikaa sanojen etsiskelylle ja muulle sulattelulle, mutta ilahduttaavaa oli havaita, ettei tätä kalutakkaan niin nopeasti loppuun vaan makusteltavaa riittää varmasti ohi loppiaisen.
Summa summarum; Ristiriitainen tunne, tuntuu siltä kuin olisi loikannut pimeältä kielekkeeltä näkemättä pohjaa ja tämä ei nyt vaivaa. Mikä on todellista ja mikä vain kytevästä nuotiosta nousevaa savua? Vapautunut tunne siitä, että uskalsin ottaa ensimmäiset askeleet teidän jäljessä tiellä vaikka en tunnekaan matkaa."
Juhannuksen jooga- ja meditaatioretriitti
"Hei Gloria!
Kiitos. Retriitti oli mielestäni taianomainen. Koin toteutuksessa hyvää tasapainoa vapaa-ajan ja suunnitellun ohjelman välillä. Itseäni erityisesti viehätti yhteiset piirit ja jakaminen. Tämä oli ensimmäinen retriitti missä olen ollut. Ennakko odotuksia ei juurikaan ollut. Opin paljon uutta ja koen löytäneeni täysin uuden maailman.
Koen, että tämä retriitti oli niitä hetkiä jotka jakaa elämää ennen ja jälkeen ajanjaksoihin. Koen, että tulen myöhemmin katsomaan taaksepäin ja näen, että tästä lähti jotakin liikkeelle ja samaan aikaan tiedän sen jo nyt olevan jatkumoa sille mikä on lähtenyt liikkeelle joogastudioon ensimmäistä kertaa astumisen myötä.
Kiitos siis vielä kerran. <3 "



BOUNDLESS AWARENESS - EASTER IMMERSION - NONDUAL TANTRA & AWAKENING
Welcome to 3 days of immersion in the teachings and practices of nondual tantra and awakening. This immersion is designed for those who want to deepen their practice, and feel the intuitive pull to explore the so called nondual view on reality.
Many people experience momentary glimpses of undivided being in which their identity shifts from a constricted sense of separation to the underlying unity and boundless nature of existence. These openings are often part of a larger movement of awakening in which one’s true nature is recognized and perception is liberated from confusion, lack and fragmentation.
The experiential fascination with nondual teachings is an indicator that this movement of awakening has started to unfold within. It is almost as if a subterranean seed cracks open and a delicate root emerges, reaching towards the surface of the earth with irresistible vivacity and potential.
If you feel like you are on the verge of taking the next step on your awakening journey, this immersion offers various tools and perspective to navigate the process, as well as space for authentic sharing with fellow practitioners. We will explore practices that support the ever-new flavour of direct immediacy and intimacy with Reality. We will discuss what awakening is and what are the potential pitfalls and cul-de-sac’s on the path of realizing your intrinsic freedom and fullness.
We will practice awareness and energy cultivation revealed by the streaming beauty of the rich tantrik tradition such as Pratyabhijñā-hrdaya (the Recognition Sutras) and Vijnana Bhairava Tantra. The focus is on experiential insight, relaxation and open-minded exploration. The more you embrace the astonishing possibility that everything described in the scriptures is available for direct knowing, the more you attend to your own inherently awake nature.
Within the flow there will be space for embodied and regenerative yoga practice and intuitive movement.
No previous background in nondual shaiva tantra is required.
This immersion includes:
Exploration of your innate awakeness
Awareness cultivation & contemplation
Energy body practices
Foundations of tantrik nondual view
Interrelated inquiry practice (DYAD)
Embodied yoga and movement
Restorative practices
Authentic sharing
As facilitators we draw from our background in various forms of yoga, tantra, meditation, inquiry, integrative therapy, dance, movement, somatics, trauma-informed therapy and nonviolent communication (NVC).
'In our view (of nondual shaiva tantra) the highest power of consciousness is svātantrya: the power of one's innate freedom and autonomy. May this power bless our lives to bloom in boundlessness, gratitude and awe.'
TIME:
Friday - Sunday 7.4. - 9.4.
Fri: 18.00- 20.00
Sat: 10.00 - 17.00
Sun: 10.00 - 16.00
There will be a one hour lunch break on Saturday and Sunday
VENUE: Joogakoulu Shanti
CONTRIBUTION:
Early bird until 1st of March €299€
Regular: 369€
LIVE AMBIENT CEREMONY:
On Sat 8.4. There will be also nondual Live Ambient Cacao Cremony and Ecstatic Dance event faclitated by Viivi and Gloria and Elysian Trees. More information coming soon.
TEACHERS: Viivi Jokela & Gloria Salo
Viivi Jokela:
Viivi Jokela facilitates space to immerse in nondual awareness and recognition. She shares about the universal wisdom of awakening to the nature of Reality and the deeper truth of what we are. Her background is in the lineage of nondual shaiva tantra (Kashmir shaivism), which she first encountered academically (MA), and later on experimentally as direct experience.
She is especially inspired by the aesthetic aspect of the tantrik path: a way of moving in the world in which there is an ineffable relaxation into pure sensation, free from artificial division or conceptual overlay. Abiding in the sense experience in this unfiltered manner, one attunes with self aware wonder. A sweet sense of yielding and expansiveness takes place. Life reveals itself as one unified flow.
Grounded on the meditative contemplation practices of the direct way, she integrates somatics, intuitive movement, music, and embodied yoga to explore this so called natural mode of being.
Her main teacher is Christopher Hareesh Wallis whom she met in 2014 after a profound awakening impulse took place. Other teachers that she has studied with are Adyashanti (nondual zen), Paul Muller Ortega (shaiva tantra), Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (bön dzogchen), and lately Rupert Spira (Kashmir shaivism & advaita).
Gloria Salo:



UNITY OF BEING - nondual tntra & embodiment
Welcome to 5 days deep dive into Awakening, inspired by the practices and view of nondual shaiva tantra.
The theme of our May retreat is the union of Shiva and Shakti, which depicts the nature of Reality in Kaula lineage of shaiva tantra. We will explore ways to repose in the still quiet center, which enables a grounded depth while immersed in embodied experience. This type of awake awareness eyes open and in fluid interaction with the world is the tantrik way of attuning with inherent unity of all Being.
We will dive into the experience of all emotion, thought and sensation as one singular field of vibration, dancing in intimate fusion with the radiant vast sky of awareness. There is no temporal process wherein two become one because from the beginning there has never been any separation. Each flash of direct experience is a consummate spontaneous union.
“Possessing the central Power, replete with the flood of all the feeling-states existing within; beautiful with the universal joy arising from essence-nature when it is stimulated by innate desire; beautiful with the nectar of complete creative emission; vibrating eternally — that is the union of Shiva and Shakti. It’s called Love.”
~ Mālinīślokavārttika ("Versified Commentary on the Mālinītantra"), Abhinavagupta
(transl. Christopher Hareesh Wallis & Ben Williams)
We decided to open this retreat to all who are interested - no previous background in shaiva tantra is required. The practice oriented retreat that we initially planned for May is postponed to future when we have more participants for it.
Ultimately, your heart’s desire arises from that which you yearn for and is made out of that which you yearn for - That which you already are and always have been.
ABOUT OUR APPROACH:
This retreat is a synthesis of the modalities of nondual tantra that we found most powerful on our own journeys when it comes to actualizing the goal of the path known as bodhi (awakeness).
The lineage of shaiva tantra is the main source of liberating insight and inspiration for this retreat that we have both been studying and practicing in depth. Christopher Hareesh Wallis is a teacher of ours from this tradition whose work on the original texts has made these teachings accessible for a vast amount of people in our time. As facilitators we draw from our background in various forms of yoga, tantra, meditation, inquiry, nondual therapy, dance, movement, somatics, trauma-informed therapy and nonviolent communication (NVC).
TIME:
The retreat begins Wednesday 10.5.2023 and participants can arrive from 16:00 onwards. The official program begins at 18:00.
The retreat ends Sunday 14.5.2023 after lunch and clean up. We are ready to drive home latest 18.00.
PRICE AND REGISTRATION:
**Earlybird** price (until 15.4. 2023) 550€/460€ (full time students and unemployed). After this 650€/560€.
The price includes the retreat program for 5 days, accommodation, four meals per day and sauna every night (payment plans available for those with low income).
VENUE:
We will stay in a beautiful retreat centre in the quiet countryside of southern Finland. An old village school building situated in the middle of fields and forests will offer generous space to practice and rest. The venue provides an atmosphere of calm and simplicity with beautiful surroundings that invite for walks and contemplation. There are different options for accommodation that will be chosen during the registration. For more detail
ls, please visit: http://lammiretreat.com/home/
FOOD:
We will have three meals per day including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our catering is taken care of by an amazing culinary crafter. She will cook us delicious vegetarian and gluten free food during the whole retreat. Water boilers, coffee and tea will be supplied all day. There will be an evening snack also available after the program ends every evening.
TRAVELLING TO THE VENUE:
By car:
Map link to the center: https://goo.gl/maps/HBMSY8b8JhR2.
By train/bus:
Check www.vr.fi and www.matkahuolto.fi for the most recent info. With a train you first have to go to Hämeenlinna or Lahti and then with the bus to “Lammi (Hämeenlinna)”. Busses go to Lammi from all major cities via Hämeenlinna or Lahti.
Ridesharing (Google Doc):
In the registration email we will send you a link to a doc where people can share car rides and to synchronise their arrival in Lammi with public transport for a shared taxi (10km) from the venue.
You are warmly welcome!
Gloria & Viivi
Please check the discussion area for the introduction of the teachers, and other information!
FACILITATORS:
Viivi Jokela
Viivi Jokela shares about the universal wisdom of recognizing the nature of Reality and the deeper truth of what we are. Her background is in the lineage of nondual shaiva tantra (Kashmir shaivism), which she first encountered academically (MA), and later on experimentally as direct experience. She is especially inspired by the aesthetic aspect of the tantrik path: the innate capacity of consciousness to savor wonder and beauty in all life experience. Grounded on the awareness cultivation of the Direct Way, she integrates somatics, music, and ecstatic dance to explore this natural mode of being called Awakening. Her main teacher is Christopher Hareesh Wallis. Other teachers that she has studied with are Adyashanti (nondual zen), Paul Muller Ortega (shaiva tantra), Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (bön dzogchen), and Rupert Spira (Kashmir shaivism & advaita).
Gloria Salo
gloriasalo.fi/about




EMBODIED WHOLENESS MIDSUMMER RETREAT
Welcome to the Embodied Wholeness Retreat! Join us for a deep dive into the magic of the human experience, and the healing power of integrating all our different parts into an integral whole!
We are all on a journey to wholeness. Wholeness is the experience of embracing and welcoming all of who we are in our own awareness. This means being loving and present to parts of ourselves that hold pain or shame so these energies can be integrated into the whole. Embodied Wholeness is the experiential process of connecting to our deepest values, to express them and live them in our choices.
This retreat will be dedicated to self-connection that supports authentic and meaningful ways of living and relating. Our authenticity is an expression of our freedom: being and acting from who we honestly are. It takes courage and awareness to express and live our core values in relationships, work and daily life. We will practice yoga, tantric practices and emotional integration methods to cultivate deep connection, wholeness and well-being on all levels.
At the retreat we will experience:
Nonviolent Communication practices
Living Compassion
Shadow work
Power of ritual
Circle work
Yoga & Meditation
Breath-work
Interrelated meditative practices
Delicious vegetarian food
Sauna & nature
Ecstatic Dance
VENUE:
We will stay in a beautiful retreat centre in the quiet countryside of southern Finland. An old village school building situated in the middle of fields and forests will offer generous space to practice and rest. The venue provides an atmosphere of calm and simplicity with beautiful surroundings that invite for walks and contemplation. There are different options for accommodation that will be chosen during the registration. For more detai
ls, please visit: http://lammiretreat.com/home/
FOOD:
We will have three meals per day including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our catering is taken care of by an amazing culinary crafter. She will cook us delicious vegetarian and gluten free food during the whole retreat. Water boilers,coffee and tea will be supplied all day.
TIME:
The retreat begins Wednesday 21.6.2023 and participants can arrive from 16:00 onwards. The official program begins at 18:00.
The retreat ends Sunday 25.6.2023 after lunch and clean up.
PRICE AND REGISTRATION:
**Earlybird** price (until 15.4.2023) 560€/460€ (full time students and unemployed). After this 660€/560€. The price includes the retreat program for 5 days, accommodation, four meals per day and sauna every night (payment plans available for those with low income).
You are warmly welcome!
Gloria & Mironel
FACILITATORS:
Mironel de Wilde
Mironel is a certified trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC) and an RYT200 certified yoga teacher. He has studied and practiced various forms of spiritual and personal growth since he was a teenager in the 1990’s and committed to yoga as a spiritual path in 2001. He began teaching yoga in 2004 and has trained and taught across Europe, Asia and North America. His first contact with Nonviolent Communication (NVC) in 2014 changed his life perspective. He has been living and sharing NVC since then and continues to study in depth with some of the most experienced and innovative NVC trainers in the world.
Mironel strives to live in full authenticity, compassion and empowerment.
He is now based in Nepal working to train trainers for NVC in schools, mediation and counselling. He comes to Europe for special occasions such as this offering!
He is also a film-maker and you can see more of his offerings, articles and films at mironeldewilde.com.
Gloria Salo
gloriasalo.fi/about