Dear All
I use to write a personal newsletter 2-3 times a year about our lives and our work in which Doby and I found -and are still finding- many ways to complement each other. Sharing our space with the beautiful people who come to us as a world family from all walks of life. In the over 10 years of meeting guests, we since long had a desire to bring some of those wonderful people into our programs. Below you can find our new co-productions with gifted people who we met through our work.
This present newsletter is different from usual in the sense that this time we are in a situation where we feel the need to ask for urgent support.
Exactly a year ago we found ourselves a new nest in this beautiful Catalan area of mountains, river, rugged coastline and ages-old sites, an area so magical that everybody who met this place, directly dreams of coming back soon to see more.
We know how to build our retreats, we know our style, our strength, and we know we found the place where we want to stay for decades. At the moment we are in the process of building 2 additional rooms with bathrooms, ending up with space for 4-6 guests in total (now only 2-3). And we are NEARLY there, thanks to emergency financing of the new-build with a temporary loan that needs paying back immediately.
BUT after two years of missing income due to the pandemic, the extra year for moving and renovating has stretched us too far. We ran out of money and that started a cycle of everything going slower with the result we don’t earn enough for the next step. We want to ask for your help, because…we are convinced our work is unique; Not many mental care institutions can offer direct support without long waiting lists, without stigma and with a natural holiday feel. And not many yoga retreat-centers offer the combination with a trained psychologist and a great chef. We are good at it and we feel a calling to help others shine light on their lives.
You can help us in 2 ways:
*1) BOOK A RETREAT UP FRONT for the coming year. You can also think of supporting a family member with a retreat. If you make your reservation within this year, pay for your reservation in full, then we will offer you a 10% discount on the current prices. And ofcourse then we guarantee you a place any month of 2023 wíth or without fixed dates.
If 30 people do this, we will be able to pay off the building project and head forward. The timeline is: we will have 2 more beautiful river rooms finished by the end of this year! December is open for handy people to help us fix some remaining loose ends.
From mid january onward we will have 2-3 retreats per month in our house.
* 2) A GIFT: If you can help our company re-gain more stability and flexibility, we can fully resume our mission to help people in need. You may want to support our objective to help people recover, create vision and re-energize so they can bring their energy out where needed. You may find it reasonable to support us and other small companies who suffer the long after-effects of loss due to the pandemic.
*Or a combination of the above. Brainstorm with us! Just contact us….
Perhaps you can help as a Business, with SPONSORING time or funds. (your name on our kitchen wall🙂)
*and always I am available for psychological guidance online; Please drop me a line if you feel I might be of service. I have 25 years experience.*We also have B&B options between retreats
When we are rolling again, we have our well-known retreats with personal guidance, yoga, meditation, massages, magical nature, healthy food or juice detox and counseling, 2 PER MONTH, EVERY MONTH…..ALL YEAR ROUND….. And we will rent the neighboring house once a month for really cool new collaborative projects blending with our program and Doby’s famous food. We are only 2 houses in the midst of nature, so if we use them both it feels like one property with a beautiful garden, a river and a pool.
Co-Creations! WHAT WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN? (an answer is nice to orientate us on)
*There will be a play-write (theatre writing) retreat in English, with Jane Bodie, a well-known English theater writer. This will be an intensive creative program with personal guidance. Converting life experience into theatre.(prob May plus Oct)
*There will be a Healing massage retreat, our program but with more massages touching into physical and emotional transformation. Our friend Bhakti will be sharing her long experience with massage, personal guidance and tantric practice. (prob.April plus Nov)
*There will be a retreat with Tarot master Marcel Zwart in Dutch or English. I would describe him as a wise guide. This week focuses on strengthening your intuition and inner direction. (July?)
*There will be a 10 day retreat Recovery and longevity with nutritional wisdom, focused on physical and mental health, with Doby and doctor Natasja Lijssens. Intended for people with burnout and overstimulation, high sensitivity, chronic pain, menopause, energy loss. And to do this preventively is even better! (prob. March)
*There will be a weaving retreat with an American artist who weaves with natural materials, branches, plants, etc. Doby and I learned basket weaving 17 years ago, people thought it was funny that we did that, it is wonderfully meditative work. Focus on meditation in art. (prob sept)
*And we are still planning to do a ceramic yoga retreat in our old house in Mallorca with Tristan Favre, the buyer and a good ceramist. (june?)
This is a bit more background for those who like reading more: As often the blow only comes when the most explicit hardship is over, this year is harder for us than during the lockdowns. In our previous reports, many people admired our creativity and courageous new emigration from Mallorca to the mainland. But so many things we could not foresee (luckily maybe). It was tough, long and too boring to speak about (our animals were stressed, we had covid, exhaustion, builder issues, money issues, bureaucracy issues) so you didn't hear us….
We invested in a supersonic biological wastewater system. Because we live next to a river, it had to be top quality with several 12 meter long filtration hoses under our garden. (fun fact; 16000 euros invisibly underground here so please come and sit on it!) It involved a terrible mud chaos and everything going wrong, but as sunshine after rain the vegetable garden has unexpectedly quickly become beautiful after being completely flattened. We have never harvested so many cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers and hot peppers! ….Spicy paprika relish and real sun-dried tomatoes on local olive oil in the making!
In May June July we gave several small retreats without planning them ahead, wonderful! The rhythm and the exchange with beautiful people helped us find ourselves again, this is what we do, what we have to do.
Then August and September were too hot and dry like in many places, a looong summer. We loved it that friends could drive or take the train to be with us. And now we are in the last building phase. We gave up on trying to clean (cat paws with cement on my desk), but will do it soon before you come!
Love to you all
And to the omnipresent beauty in nature, which is what saves us, let's take care.
We wish you all a beautiful month of festivities.
RECIPE by Aleidoby for Spicy paprika relish, delicious as a side dish or with sauces:
A multitude of the following proportions, in small pieces: 1 hot pepper, 1 large onion, 1 garlic clove, 3-4 green/red/red-green, straight/curved paprikas, fry in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until everything is just tender, then 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or white wine, 2 tablespoons sugar or agave syrup, and bring to a boil.(already tasty without further herbs, 1 teaspoon of fresh green herbs or, for example, coriander and ginger powder can be added, just taste) Spoon the relish into sterilized jars with soda and boiling water. Let them cool upside down. Shelf life for about 1 year.
