Bali Men's Retreat
June 16-20, 2024
Retreating is an ancient human need. To step away from our normal day to day life and create time for rest, reflection and rejuvenation, is something that many men need now more than ever. We need it for ourselves, our relationships with our family and friends, our work, and our sense of being fucking alive!
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Taking time out is something that many women have been for years, men…. not so much. We often struggle to take care of ourselves in a way that puts our health and wellbeing first. Instead we often prioritise the image of a man as a partner, father, provider, and so much more. As men we need to get over any judgement or fear we have around looking after ourselves and realise that when we spend this time on self care it means that we are much more capable of taking care of those that we love around us. Taking care of ourselves means we are then much more able to serve others.
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The problem is that up until now the options for men have been severely limited. Usually the choices for men are either things like golfing, or surf trips (or boozy getaways), or they are at the other end of the spectrum - intense weekends of personal development - which can be lots of fun (or not), however, they often aren’t what we need or want in the longer term.
This retreat is designed to meet the specific needs of men. It is a retreat that combines rest, reflection and relaxation with friendship, adventure, and challenge. It offers a life-changing experience if you allow it to be, and will light your fire for life in ways that you will never expect. It is designed to get you feeling like you’ve haven’t done in years.
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It involves nurturing ourselves (don’t be scared of that word, it can feel incredibly good to let yourself be supported and nurtured) with delicious, locally sourced food, the beauty and surrounds of the Balinese jungle, combined with the practice of yoga, meditation, and receiving daily massages. Alongside that we will also challenge you with perhaps something new, such as a day of silence, or the gut wrenching climb of the sacred Batu Karu (a stunning 9 hour return hike. Achieving that will be something you’ll remember forever)
What you get
The retreat itself is all inclusive, which means that all meals are covered. Before the retreat we will pick-up from wherever you will be on the island and drop off at the end of the retreat to wherever in Bali you would like to go, Also included are 2 x massages, guided walks, yoga and meditation. There are other optional activities, like bike hire, which you can organise when you are there, that are not included, but are relatively inexpensive.
Every man will have their own room, with the resort containing 8 bungalows dispersed amongst jungle and rice paddies (beautiful!). 3 Standalone Bungalows are 1 bedroom and the other 5 are 2 x bedroom Bungalows.
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The venue for the retreat is tucked away in the Balinese jungle at one of Bali's top eco stay resorts. To see more of the retreat venue click here
Day 1
We encourage you to get here soon as you can after 2pm . There will be no set agenda, just an opportunity for everyone to meet, go for walks,swim in river , have dinner, and an welcome circle in the evening. This will allow for men to actually arrive into Bali and begin the process of slowing down.
Day 2
The next day will be a day of silence. We will start with yoga and an opening of the retreat before breakfast ,honouring the men for showing up and giving thanks for the space and place. Then the day is a day of personal reflection, solitude, and self-care. Each man will have a balinese massage as part of the day, and before dinner we will have a meditation. After dinner we'll come together for a circle to break the silence ,a beautiful way of mindfully coming out of silence.
Day 3
Begin again with yoga before breakfast. After breakfast we'll walk to the local water temple , the geographical centre of bali, then go through a water cleansing ritual. After lunchwill be more massages and can include bike rides through the rice paddies, bush walks to water holes, or any number of different activities, returning for a pre-dinner meditation. After dinner we'll have another circle, but this time more fun energy, get the drums out, tell stories etc. around the fire...
Day 4
A full day walk through the jungle to the top of Mount Batu Karu. It is bloody special climb of ritual significance to Bali, one that not many people get to do (it has to be booked especially and is restricted in numbers). It's challenging, but is a massively rewarding achievement . We plan to do this hikoi style ( Maori word that describes a way of walking and communicating where you stop along the way, throwing out questions to each other for reflection and self-discovery etc).... Come back for dinner and another evening circle.
There are other options of smaller walks in the region - doing a half day walk rather than a full day walk. A smaller walk would allow for more Hikoi style walking, whereas the mountain climb is about achieving a tough challenge. Perhaps different strokes for different folks?
Day 5
Final day .... Start with a gentle yoga, followed breakfast and then some work on vision/purpose , with a final ceremony to wrap it all up and depart around Noon
NOTE: We can advise you on a number of activities afterwards either solo or if a few of you wish to travel together
What we do on the retreat
Price
NZD$2450 (plus GST) all inclusive
(USD$1500)
5% of all bookings go to the Karangasem Giving Back (KGB) project. This is a grass roots community project supporting the most neglected area in Bali. We fund projects that they request for their community. It was inspired by my 3 year old daughter one Christmas when she realised the difference between how we were living in Bali versus how many of the local villages were. We wanted the spirit of Christmas to be one of giving so the next year - 2018 - KGB was formed.
Book by February 16, 2024, and get....
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NZD $200 Off
Spaces are limited to 10 men so book now to get you place on this one of a kind experience
T's and C's
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I ask for a $500 deposit to reserve your place as I keep the retreat limited to 10 men (plus two of us running the retreat). The deposit is non-refundable, unless we fill your spot, in which case you will be refunded in full. If you have to withdraw within 28 days of the retreat you will receive a 50% refund. If you need to cancel within 14 days you will be able to transfer your retreat fee to another retreat (minus the deposit), however, you will not be eligible for a refund.