Testimonials
Loving Words from clients and retreat participants
Words from some of our previous participants
It’s been two months since I finished the retreat … the experience that changed my life, my way of moving and feeling.
The retreat consisted of 90 days of yoga, meditation (without stopping for 90 days), psychotherapy and complementary support therapies. For 90 days, I faced the darkest side of myself, my loneliness, grief, anguish and insecurities. Working through my emotions, traumas, past, patterns, limiting thoughts, that inner voice that does not let you move forward or be calm, fears and above all my own love.
Each week was different; memories that had blocked as a way of protection and a survival mode appeared. I realized that I had spent the least 20 years of my life in that survival mode, acting on autopilot, my central nervous system in constant stress, which was affecting other systems of my body.
With the daily practice of Kundalini yoga, we worked each system separately: the heart, metabolism, digestive, lungs, kidneys, central nervous and rebirthing. With each one we tried different and intense practices.
The most important thing was to be contained during the process, doing deep work from the practice of Kundalini yoga, we meditated and then had sessions with the psychologist or Alma (Kundalini teacher) to be able to deal with what happened to us during the practice. Everything happened there, between practice and meditation, where the unconscious began to unfold, such as my old belief systems, memories of childhood that were buried, family systems, etc.
I like to describe it as a pot that has something stuck in it and with the right tool you can remove it, but it is not easy and requires effort until it is achieved.
The practice of rebirthing was really when I died and I was born again; all my patterns and way of acting were taken down to zero… it was like being like a newborn … but what a beautiful moment. This is where I started to rebuild the new Vale, with a new foundation that was totally unknown but at the same time familiar because Vale had come home, to her own house. I felt it come to an end!!! After years of feeling there is no place, in solitude, running around without knowing where to be, insecure, with the uncertainty what will happen next.
I do not like to describe it or call it ‘healing’, because, this is an ENDLESS process, and something always comes out over the years … but this retreat taught me to manage those moments, change the way I see them, love myself deeply and forgive everything that has already happened. To understand that I AM NOT MY STORY … I AM WHAT I HAVE BUILT for myself.
I am very proud of me, of having dared to face me, give me the time and trust. I left my comfort zone and went to the depths to observe it, identify it, forgive it and let it go.
I gained freedom, security, trust in myself, respect for myself, set limits, valued me. I forgot moments and forgave them – let them go and I no longer identify them as something of mine. I learned to receive restraint, love, affection and help.
I found family and love without looking for it and without expecting anything in return.
Today I remember that Vale with a lot of love, I embrace her, and I dismiss her because today she is another, she has unconditional self-love.
Today I feel a change in my skin, freedom, security and I’m ready to move forward with my own reality and life, knowing that I am the only one who can build it, I always decide from self-love.
I feel ready to continue helping the world, grateful to be able to deliver and share this with all of you and accompany others on their paths of wellbeing.
I am very grateful for my guides, friends and teachers, without whom this would not have been possible. Thank you for believing in me, guiding me, giving me security, unconditional love, patience and guiding me at all times.
They are part of my life, of my new history and life. Thanks Alma and Jean-Claude.
The lotus photo describes how I feel now, in bloom, new, full of life, colour and love.
I could never adequately put into words just how magical The Place truly is, but I know there is nowhere else I could ever hope to find the love, support, understanding and respect I received in Bali. When I arrived at The Place for a 90-day retreat, I had no idea why I was there or what to expect. I gathered my very last bits of courage and hope to get there, after spending years completely disconnected from myself on a cocktail of psychotropic medications.
I waited several months to write this because even after I left, I couldn’t fully grasp how The Place would impact my life. I suppose if I had to sum up what I learned, it would be to love myself, and within that, who ‘myself’ truly is.
We worked tirelessly in yoga, therapy, and our free time to observe and release years and years of fear and turn it into strength, resilience and above all, love. Our days and weeks were varied, sometimes spent journaling and staring into space, and sometimes filled with activities such as surfing, horse-riding or volunteering, but the progress never stopped.
Every day was a new challenge, but also a new victory and by the end of the retreat I was no longer apathetic or afraid of my past, present or future, and I couldn’t wait to ‘rejoin’ the world.
I don’t take any medications, I feel physically healthier than ever, and above all, I have perspective and a new-found ‘sparkle’ (as my friends and family have put it.) Several months later and I know that no matter the challenges that arise, whether they be in or out of my control, I’ll always feel safe and loved because I’ll always have myself.
I have The Place and the extraordinary therapists and staff that work there to thank and will be forever grateful. (Especially to Mr. Johnson, who spoiled us every day with the most delicious food!).
We came to The Place looking for connection and a new beginning and we found so much more. Before we even arrived, we had a call with Jean-Claude and it started the connection to what we wanted to achieve and to ensure we were ready from the moment we arrived to work on our desired outcome for the couples retreat.
From the moment the doors opened we felt welcomed and at home. The program was designed for us and we felt we had a lot of options to make the experience what we wanted. We cannot talk highly enough about all the team at The Place, the yoga was exceptional, and all the healers and treatments were beyond our expectations.
As a couple we came away reunited, connected and confident in our path together. We would recommend this to couples looking for a dedicated time together to discover each other and to work on their own path as individuals within the relationship. We have recommended this retreat to friends already and we will be back!
This was one of the best things I have done for myself in a long time. I thought I needed a holiday because I felt so tired, so stuck and so un-motivated that I really needed a retreat at The Place.
Words don’t really to justice to how much you can in 8 days and most importantly how much you can change.
The combination of Kundalini yoga (which I had never done before) and psychotherapy is very powerful. Be prepared to experience a wash of different emotions as all your senses are tapped into. And, when you do feel them, stick with the process as you know its really working. More importantly, you know you are doing the work on yourself to be a better version of you.
What I loved about being here is that the therapists are working with you to achieve your goals. I was mind-blown by the healing massages, acupuncture and water massage which compliment the talking therapy and yoga beautifully.
What I also loved is that you are given the time to reflect on the process and because all the staff are so attentive it means that your whole focus can be on you.
It is a truly beautiful and completely unique experience, one that words cannot match. You need to feel it to believe how amazing it is. I came with a lot of baggage but I leave 100 times lighter and ready to go back to the real world outside of this wonderful safe cocoon, knowing that I take with me new tools and new insight into myself to achieve my next steps.
Thank you with all my heart.