Are you a creative person, within your spiritual path, swirling from the fast-paced busyness of 21st-century life? It’s time to PAUSE and be embraced by the awe and wonder of Ireland, body, and soul.
May 21-26, 2023
Imagine…
As the rising sun warms the early morning breeze, your shoulders relax and your heart opens wide. A long satisfying breath awakens every cell in your grateful body and soul with the knowing, ‘I am home’ shouts loud and clear.
Ahhhh…a long slow exhale of relief and a deep body-felt ‘YES’ bubbles up through your bones.
This ancient island holds deep magic. Mother earth’s heart rhythmically beats, loud and clear. The elemental rich landscape and a long creative passionate history flood every aspect of life, here on the Emerald Isle.
Welcome to Ireland!
The home of poets and saints. Magic and music. Earth spirits and elementals. Abundant creativity and natural expression come forth from every river, glen, holy well, ocean tide pool, and eddy. Even the roadsides are overflowing with flowers, herbs, bees, and butterflies!
Alchemy emerges as your inner presence meets nature’s beauty. Inside and outside merge as the bounty of life naturally awakens the union of body & soul.
“Being together with such a wonderful group of people, spending time dancing, exploring my creativity, playing together, and being in nature was a powerfully transformative experience that activated a new joy and freedom of expression in my life!”
– Dr. Julia Afridi
Why Ireland?
Because there is no other place on earth where you can:
- Embrace the wonder of the Elemental world in the rivers, forests, sky, stars, sand & sea.
- Hike the rocky coastline as the wind blows your mind’s cobwebs away
- Splash in the waves, feel the sand between your toes, and taste the salt on your lips.
- Dive into the deep mysteries of the sea, earth, and sky.
- Hear the songs of the whales, seals, gulls, and dolphins.
- Marvel at the magnificent night sky.
- Be warmed by the evening fire’s glow, and your newfound sisters’ and brothers’ hearts.
- Enjoy the best live local music and storytelling in the world.
- Savor the locally grown and lovingly prepared food and craft beer.
- Sleep peacefully at your home away from home on the wild west coast.
Yes, my heart and soul are saying yes!
Why Dunowen?
Your home in West Cork, on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Dunowen, a West Cork landmark on the Wild Atlantic Way is phantasmagorical. In this amazing mid-18th century manner house, rock stars and spiritual seekers have found inspiration and respite since the late 1960s. Today it’s as magical as ever, having been reborn as a retreat center about 8 years ago. The rambling old home has been lovingly restored to nourish and inspire all the magical muses who pass through her portal.
With great locally sourced, delicious meals that are lovingly prepared for you. Live music and storytelling accompany your journey. Each bedroom is luxuriously appointed. And there is plenty of landscape to roam free and find your place of solitude and peace among the rambling roses and secret grottos waiting for you. Dunowen is the perfect place to listen to your inner wisdom, be inspired, and be moved, body & soul.
What Dunowen and the surrounding seacoast have to offer:
Kela Hodgins is an expert chef that prepares every meal with love. Fresh, local farm-to-table vegetarian and/or fish lunches and dinners come straight from her garden, local farmers, or the sea. The Irish love sweets and Kela’s desserts are legendary. The care she brings to every meal is unique. And most dietary restrictions can be accommodated.
Beautiful sleeping quarters that are designed to nourish your body & soul. Each room is appointed with a big comfy bed, an amazing bathroom, beautiful views, and plenty of room to spread out.
The music room has experienced many years of wildly inspired evenings with the former owner, Noel Redding, and his friends. Musicians such as Cat Stevens, Jimmy Hendricks, Paul McCartney, and many others jammed in this very room. The comfortable couches, open space, and memorabilia is an inspiration.
The surrounding landscape is storybook-perfect. The serene 18th-century gardens, secluded beaches, the wild Atlantic Ocean, and the abundant starry night sky are a dream.
Enjoy evenings with Ireland’s finest up-and-coming musicians and storytellers.
Wandering through Clonakilty, only 20 minutes away, is a quintessential Irish village experience. Complete with traditional pubs, great coffee shops, and a sweet little Friday morning farmer’s market.
Activities
Awaken peacefully each morning:
- No alarms. Only your sweet inner rhythm saying, good morning.
- Gently, with guided embodied movement meditations awaken from within.
- Listen to your inner wisdom through writing and journaling.
- Peacefully explore the surrounding landscape.
Enjoy afternoon adventures:
- Explore coves, cliffs, and sandy beaches from the seaside on paddle boards.
- Hike the rocky cliffs.
- Merge with nature’s infinite support and wisdom
- Learn and explore tools that awaken your body awareness and movement expression to shift your focus from anxious negativity to inspiring joy.
In the evening after a wonderful day:
- Share in a delicious, locally sourced vegetarian or fish (your choice) dinner, lovingly prepared by our host Kela Hodgkins.
- Gather around the fire, happily savoring Kela’s yummy desserts while sharing the day’s insights and highlights.
- Each evening is rich and varied, flowing between laughter, joy, dancing, live music, storytelling, and deeply intimate communication.
- Or retire early to your luxurious bedroom for an evening of contented solitude.
- Embrace your visions and dreams in deep restorative sleep.
- Come home in your body and be held by the rich nourishing Irish landscape.
Our Schedule
This journey will ground your body, open your heart, and restore your relationship with life’s abundance in gentle and powerful ways, enriching your soul and everyone you touch for years to come.
Monday
Monday, arrive on Sunday evening, anytime after 5:00 pm Irish. Settle into your room. Explore the manor house and surrounding grounds. Get acquainted with your soul sisters and brothers. Gather bright and early on Monday morning for a delicious breakfast, prepared by our amazing host Kela Hodgins. Followed by, getting to work. Step one, clarify your intention. Step two, embody said intention. Step three, listen and look deeper. The day will continue with exploring Dunowen, in and through your body. Dinner at 6:00 pm and fireside chats begins at 8:00pm.
Tuesday
Tuesday begins gracefully. When you arise, enjoy the breakfast spread any time after 7:00 am. We will gather at 10:00 am for embodiment practice. If weather permits, we will explore the nearby cove, cliffs, and sea from the seaside in wet suits and on paddle boards, if you desire. If the wind is blustery and the weather formidable, we will dive into embodying our intentions through movement and writing practices. Rest and free time before dinner are at 6:00 pm each night. This evening is about authentic sharing and personal stories.
Wednesday
Wednesday morning begins with meditation at 10:00 am. If weather permits, with your journal and a packed lunch, we will head for the trail along the sea, to embody your vision with the support of nature’s wisdom. We will return home for a delicious dinner, followed by authentic movement, and deep sharing in small groups of two, in the music room.
Thursday
Thursday, the schedule is similar. Embodied meditation at 10:00. If weather permits, we will go further afield and explore the landscape with deep inner listening in small groups in silence. In the evening, two extraordinary local artists will join us for dinner. Followed by laughter, music, dancing, and in the music room –what could be better?
Friday
Friday morning our schedule begins earlier –embodied meditation at 9:00 am and check out at 10:00. We will drive into Clonakilty for breakfast and a morning in town. At around noon, we will visit the Dromberg Stone Circle, and complete our week together in this ancient place, ensuring that our future visions are deep within the sacred stones and planted in the sacred earth. We complete our time together with gratitude and appreciation for one another, for work well done, and for the generosity of this Island. Knowing, that you embody your intended new direction and will share your wisdom with family, clients, and friends back home. The circle of transformation will ripple out for years to come.
This journey will ground your body, open your heart, and restore your relationship with life’s abundance in gentle and powerful ways, enriching your soul and everyone you touch for years to come.
“I feel true and solid. As if every cell in my body is saying, ‘Welcome home!’ Instead of fearfully chasing comfort and safety, I’ve touched down to my true ground of well-being. I’m nourishing and reconnecting with all the repressed parts of myself. I am facing what comes up – be it stage fright, anger at my husband, or immobilizing fear of anything. With expertise and love, I’m learning to hold and give those fears space to transform. What can be more creative than transforming my inner demons and monsters? At last, I am creatively expressing all the formerly suppressed energetic parts!”
– Helene Stangl-Killinger
This journey is right for you if…
- As an artist, healer, teacher, visionary, or peacemaker you know the world needs your open-hearted inspiration, now more than ever.
- You know beyond any doubt that connecting with the richness of nature is the key to restoring your over-stimulated nervous system in these challenging times.
- You naturally avoid unconscious mediocrity and conformity.
- You crave the space and time to awaken your inner wisdom and wonder.
- You love a good adventure, exchanging ideas, and embodying new possibilities, especially with like-minded souls.
- You know beyond a question of a doubt that it’s time to stop hiding and playing small.
- You are ready to embody and live your dreams.
When you arrive home, after these magical days together, you will embody the skills to:
Create the space and centeredness in your everyday life that assures grounded stability when all about you is in chaos.
Drive-in rush hour traffic without feeling the need to yell at all the horrible drivers around you. Or even just the ability to let that anger and frustration be.
Feel less anxious and stressed when you give a talk, walk on stage, or just present your project in a Zoom meeting.
Make dinner for your family with love and appreciation instead of as one more thankless chore to check off your daily, never-ending list.
Would that inspire you to join us in Ireland? The opportunity to change the focus of your gaze from one of constant negativity and anxiety to one of hopefulness, joy, and a satisfying sense of deep inner peace.
I am not offering dramatic life changes with the angels and faeries (although sometimes that does happen –after all, we are in Ireland). I am offering you the opportunity to use your body wisdom and movement expression to effectively handle the chaos and ever-changing circumstances in life that frequently overwhelm us with fear and anxiety.
This retreat is all about opening your heart and experiencing life’s everyday wonders in magical Ireland.
Here’s one more thing:
Before you even step foot on the plane we’ll start connecting online, in our meditation & movement zoom gatherings. We’ll meet before the retreat to ensure you get the absolute most from this amazing experience. We will comfortably get to know, like, and trust one another, as we prepare for the journey ahead.
What’s Included
- 5 nights and 6 days at the beautiful Duneowen House.
- 5 locally sourced delicious homemade vegetarian or seafood (your choice) breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts.
- Wetsuits, paddleboards, and water sports instruction.
- An evening of live Irish music and storytelling.
- Daily movement and guided embodied meditations.
- Plenty of contemplative time to rest, muse, journal, daydream and explore.
What’s Not Included
Items that you may wish to purchase or bring with you…
- Additional snacks, beer, wine, or Irish whiskey
- Journal and art supplies
- Rain gear (umbrellas, goulashes, raincoats)
- Cold weather clothes (wool sweaters and socks)
- Transportation to Dunowen House is NOT included (although; clear directions from Dublin and Cork City airports will be provided on registration)
- Clonakilty is only 20 minutes away, running into town for additional supplies that will make your stay more comfortable is easy
Your Host
Questions? Contact Melissa today!
Melissa Matson
My life’s work is embodiment. The path that heals, informs, and transforms consciousness, in and through the body.
The year is 1987, we are on tour. A modern dance company, performing throughout Europe. One night, while warming up, I decided to experiment. Perfectly still, I travel into the bones of my body, one by one. Startled out of this trance by my entrance music, I pop up and fly on stage. And kept flying. Moving in slow motion. With the other dancers, and simultaneously in the rafters high above the theater looking down. Fantastically, I consciously direct every little gesture and nuanced movement. Inter-connected with my fellow dancers, and the audience — breath by breath and heart to heart, we are One.
The applause comes with a boom! and I am back in my body. Bowing to the audience. Dazzled and full of Wonder.
My life shifted that night, as a dancer, artist, and as consciously evolving being… the search was on.
I have studied contact improvisation, the Alexander Technique, meditation, body-centered psychotherapy, somatics, and shamanism all in an attempt to make sense of that one extraordinary evening.
35 years, many performances and teaching hours later I am sure of one thing, we are all one and the body is the transformational path home.
As a movement artist, educator, somatic psychotherapist, and Embodied Living visionary. I am delighted to be sharing my life’s work with you!
“I need to learn to feel safe, at home, and feel connected. And as Melissa is the most open-hearted person I’ve ever known; I know I need to learn this from her.”
–Ingrid Mueller
Registration
Your Investment
* Full tuition is $2,250
* A $500 deposit will secure your spot
* Payment plans are available by special request. Simply place your deposit of $500 to hold your spot and we will be happy to custom design a plan for you.
Health Regulations
As of March 15, 2022, Ireland lifted all COVID restrictions. We will be following their guidelines, should anything change.
Cancellation Policy
This retreat is a sacred journey that calls for a deep commitment. Your purchase after November 1, 2022, is non-refundable. However, should you need to cancel before October 31, 2022, you will receive a full refund minus a $500 administrative fee.
Please note that we reserve the right to reschedule the retreat due to unforeseen circumstances (pandemics, climate disasters, planetary ascension).
