Description
What if…
“and i said to my body. Softly. ‘I want to be your friend.’
It took a long breath. and replied ‘
I have been waiting my whole life for this.’”
Nayyirah Waheed
This 6 night retreat is designed as an opportunity to befriend all parts of ourselves including our shame and our bodies.
Shame is everywhere. Shame can occur when we feel judged by others or when we judge ourselves. It can happen when we do something wrong and when we’re entirely innocent of wrongdoing. Whenever we feel bad about ourselves, for whatever reason, there is a touch of shame.
Shame is our most difficult human emotion. Shame makes us go small, go silent or go away. Ironically, shame itself is not the problem. The problem is that there’s often no one home to work with shame.
Shame is also one of our deepest emotions. It invisibly shapes our personalities as we grow into adulthood and it prevents us from being fully ourselves with others. We are not born with shame but develop it through negative messaging from family, culture, community and social media. We can feel shame for feeling shame.
- What would happen if you were able to care for yourself when you felt shame, rather than being immobilized by fear, attacking yourself, or zoning out?
- How would your life be different if you could meet shame with compassion and stay connected, think in a balanced way, and make wise, healthy choices?
During this week long retreat we will explore how to change our relationship with shame and have a more compassionate relationship with our bodies, ourselves and others.
We will cover the following topics:
- how self-compassion is an antidote to shame and how to recognize shame when it appears in our lives
- the wish to be loved as the motivation behind shame
- the origins of shame, particularly disconnections in childhood and in our cultures that inevitably become internalized.
- self-criticism, especially the Inner Critic, and learn to substitute self-criticism with self-compassionate language— compassionate phrases and compassionate letter writing.
- bringing compassion to all parts of ourselves and body shame, along with self-forgiveness and body self-appreciation
- core values that help us keep on going in spite of the grip of shame
- yoga and meditation practices that will help us loosen the grip of shame and self-criticism and open to embodied self-compassion
Retreat Format
Day 1 Arrival Evening
(please plan to arrive by 5 pm at the latest)
settling, dinner, introductions, orientation to program
Days 2 through Day 6
Morning yoga with Andrea
Breakfast
Morning Session: Mindful Self-Compassion for Shame program
(teaching, experiential exercises, writing reflection, small/large group discussion)
Lunch
Afternoon Free Time (rest, excursions*, beach time, jungle time)
Dinner
Evening Yoga with Andrea
Day 6 Closing
Breakfast
Closing Session
More details, dates and pricing to follow soon. If you are interested in being placed on the waitlist to be notified of more details and when registration opens up please contact vickipawlowski@gmail.com
Who should attend?
This program is ideal for those of you who have background experience with mindfulness and self-compassion practices in your life. If you aren’t sure whether that includes you, please reach out to chat with vickipawlowski@gmail.com
The program Self-Compassion for Shame is based on the program developed by Dr. Chris Germer and his team of senior Mindful Self-Compassion Teachers. We are offering this retreat as a collaboration between Rise Yoga and Wellness and Compassion Inspired Health.
Tentative Location SattvaLand, Belize
Teachers
Victoria Pawlowski, Certified MSC Teacher
Andrea Porter, Certified Yoga Teacher
