From late
spring 2010, when our renovations are
finished, we'll be able to offer very
spacious and comfortable guest accommodation
for up to two couples or individuals (more
about this on our
house website).
Come simply for a holiday, for sure,
or you might choose to incorporate one of
the following:
Slow
Retreats
For anyone who wants to take some time out
and discover for themselves how to live more
Slowly, we'll be offering Slow Retreats,
periods of three or four days during which
we'll explore our own relationships with
time, and practice the art of slowing down.
Good (Slow!) food and wine, simple
meditation practices, Slow Walks and play
will form the core of these retreats, along
with plenty of time for reflection and space
simply to be in Grillou's bucolic
surroundings.This is a retreat to lift the
spirit and (re)discover life's slow and
simple pleasures, not one for existential
angst or self-flagellation ... but beware,
it might just change your life!
Space to breathe days and residentials Unstructured, retreat-type days and
weekends for space, personal stock-taking
and healing, for those facing major change,
struggling to find a way out of a difficult
period or simply in need of time out for
reflection. Therapeutic accompaniment is
available if you want it, as are tools for
creative writing, awareness practice,
bodywork and meditation ... or you can just
take time away from home in our lovely
surroundings to find a clear space in
yourself - a kind of twenty-first century
vision quest, if you like. Together we'll
work out what you need.
More details will be available early next
year. Bookings will open only when
everything's done and dusted, and we've
slept in all the beds and showered in all
the showers!
more ...
From 2011,
we hope to be able to organise the
occasional workshop and other event, either
here at Grillou or at other centres nearby.
To give you a sense of what might be on
offer, here are some of the workshops we've
run before, in a previous life:
How to
really listen ...
We all want to be heard - and to know
that we're being heard. When we really
listen to others, we validate
their need to be seen, understood, and
acknowledged as a person; their need to
be, and to know that they are.
And in the process of listening to another
the listener is affirmed too. A profound yet
practical workshop for anyone who wants to
be a better listener, and transform their
own life in the process.
What the
body knows When you're unhappy, confused or stuck
do you try to think or analyse your way out
of it, but never quite
succeed in finding out what's really going
on? Do you want to get to know your self better,
from the inside out? In this workshop we'll
explore ways of sensing our way into what
our bodies already know - into the vague,
still unformed feelings that are right at
the far edge of our awareness - and of
connecting the 'felt sense' that we find
there with words, images or symbols.
The felt sense in the creative process
Do you yearn to create but don't know how to
begin? What do you do as a writer, poet or
artist when you're stuck and the creative
process is just not flowing? We'll explore
ways of getting beyond the conscious mind,
beyond the anxiety of the blank page or
canvas, beyond our fears about not being
good enough ... and contacting the part of
ourselves that already knows what needs to
happen next: the felt sense.
This is
it!
Thinking, planning, worrying, earning,
dealing with families and the day-to-day
nuts and bolts of living ... it's not always
easy to be truly present - to be here, now.
But
like it or not, here we are: in this body,
in this place, in this moment ... and this
is it! A gentle small group event in which
we'll explore the perfection of NOW.
Meditation, awareness, walks, good food,
laughter and silence.
You
don't have to sit on the floor ...
An
alternative look at meditation, especially
for us restless Westerners who struggle with
the idea of 'just sitting'. We'll explore
methods both ancient and modern in our quest
to quiet our restless monkey minds.
The
still point
Chanting and dancing have been used for
centuries as ways of touching the Divine.
Through simple songs
from various spiritual traditions and steps
danced in a circle we'll experience the joy
of body prayer and the deep stillness that
can, paradoxically, arise in the midst of
movement. You don't need a partner, or to be
able to sing or dance!
Women's
circle
A gathering of women, to share stories,
ritual, song, dance and laughter ...
whatever wants to happen. Oh yes, and good
food, hopefully a full moon, and a fire!
succeed in finding out what's really going
on? Do you want to get to know your self better,
from the inside out? In this workshop we'll
explore ways of sensing our way into what
our bodies already know - into the vague,
still unformed feelings that are right at
the far edge of our awareness - and of
connecting the 'felt sense' that we find
there with words, images or symbols.
from various spiritual traditions and steps
danced in a circle we'll experience the joy
of body prayer and the deep stillness that
can, paradoxically, arise in the midst of
movement. You don't need a partner, or to be
able to sing or dance!