WILD GRACE
A Heroine’s Journey
Do you as a woman ever feel that you have been put in a box? Maybe you are the nice one, or the sexy one, or the intelligent one? As you have grown more into a narrow image of who you are – do you feel that parts of you have been shut down or left unexpressed, unattainable. Wild Grace is a women’s retreat to reclaim these lost parts of yourself so that you can live in a fuller sense of wholeness, power and responsibility.
The Dalai Lama famously said “The world will be saved by the western woman” – whether or not we can save the whole world – we are certainly in a unique position in history where we have freedom and resources to cultivate our feminine aspects, use our voice and inspire others. We can’t stay in our boxes, and we must help each other rise.
This means we need to fully honour the masculine in ourselves and in society, and at the same time tap into our feminine nature – and deep capacity we have to love, to listen, to birth, to create, to play, to channel wisdom, to bring sensitivity, to live through our intuition, to transform and be connected to nature.
To do this, we must also understand our shadow and the patterns we may have fallen into, from victimhood to insecurity to manipulation to passive aggression.
This is our heroine’s journey. We will explore and embody many different aspects of the feminine experience allowing them to fully come alive in us.
For this retreat, it will be an intimate small group. Powerful things happen when us women come together, leaving behind for just a week the stresses and routines of our daily lives. A lot can shift in just seven days and you can bring that back to your relationships, and your business or workplace.
About the week:
Each day will be themed on a different aspect of the feminine – and the element and deity associated with it. We will start each day with meditation, the mythological story of the deity, mudra, mantra and a deep yoga asana class which will take us deep into the myth.
After lunch we will have time to “workshop” the qualities of the theme of the day, including the ‘shadow’ elements. And then after dinner we will take part in a ritual where we are able to fully celebrate and embody this feminine energy.
Meet within the Goddesses Lakshmi, Sawaswati, Durga, Kali and Green Tara as we will awaken their potent qualities inside of ourselves through this experience. With mythology, mantra, mudra, yoga, dance, energy healing, creative workshops and ritual we will discover our connection to each of these goddesses and the Shakti that they represent in us and in the world.
We will move through any blocks holding us back from our power and awaken our divine feminine in the form of beauty, wisdom, courage, fierceness and compassion. This retreat will give you a grounded understanding and forever expand your connection to these Goddesses, as well as your relationship with your own feminine power and it’s balance with your inner masculine.
In the tantra worldview, the masculine (shiva) is consciousness and the feminine (shakti) is energy. Each of us whether male or female has both so this understanding isn’t about the difference between men and women. Likewise, this system is different to the system of Yin and Yang which comes from Taoism, where the Yin (feminine) is the listening, soft aspect and the Yang (masculine) is the active, logical aspect.
We will start and end the week with this understanding of this divine union of Shiva and Shakti – so the Shiva energy will be present and holding us through our process throughout the week.
We use the Hindu goddesses as a map, but you don’t have to believe in Hinduism or in yourself as a goddess to take part. It’s a language that helps us to uncover different aspects. These are deities that are often referred to in modern yoga. To understand more about this you can listen to Amisha interviewing Sally Kempton on The Future Is Beautiful podcast, here.
“What really is a ‘deity’? The word deva in Sanskrit (or the feminine form, devī) comes from a Sanskrit root √div, meaning both ‘shine’ and ‘play’. So deities are the shining playful ones. They are icons of our own essence-nature in its many aspects. The deities are real as patterned forms of consciousness that exist both within you (as an aspect of your essence-nature) and as patterns of energy-flow in the wider universe (of which you are, of course, a microcosm). Therefore deities are not reducible to either ‘gods’ (divine persons) or to ‘archetypes’ (aspects of our psyche), though in a sense they partake of the qualities of both.” Hareesh Wallis
This is about understanding the heroine’s journey and what it means to be a woman at this time – from menstrual cycles to activism to fire to water, to finding our softness, to finding our voice. We will explore and embody many different aspects of the feminine experience. These practices will open up connections to our female ancestors and future generations.
Although the feminine is part of all of us, man or woman, this is only for those who identify as women to come together in sisterhood and experience the collaborative supportive side of women being together.
If you need some woman to woman time and want to explore different aspects of yourself in a fun and loving way – come!
Don’t be put off by what have become buzz words of the modern priestess and new age world – ritual, sisterhood, moon, etc – but please know that this will be a grounded, rich and deep week – full of laughter and probably some tears, rest and realisations. It’s a week of personal development, transformation and action.
Where Wild Grace came from:
“Four years ago, I was standing out in the cold night in the British countryside under the November full moon. I was howling as I was embarking on a great transition. Putting my belongings in storage, leaving a very comfortable nest and taking a chance on a less stable but fuller lifestyle that I felt in my heart was where I needed to go – India. As I howled at the moon, the words Wild Grace came to me and I immediately pictured this gathering. I saw the women gathered and the different elements from the rituals to the mantras to the sisterhood. I saw the women discovering an aspect of freedom in themselves and qualities and gifts that they hadn’t yet unwrapped in themselves. It was so beautiful and it felt so strong. And yet every time I started to plan it, something didn’t feel right. I had to go on a deeper adventure to be able to hold this space. As my intention was that we would fully embody these five aspects of our feminine energy throughout the week. Two years ago I taught a three hour version in Bali at Yoga Barn which was my favourite workshop I have ever done. Then I taught a short version in Goa at a beautiful women’s healing festival. The long version is an all woman week designed to take us out of any boxes we have been put in, put each other in or put ourselves in and discover different and perhaps unknown aspects of our feminine energy through mythology, yoga, mantra, dance, ritual and creativity. I can’t wait to share this very special adventure with you.” Amisha Ghadiali
“Thank you for holding this beautiful space for us. Your presence is a true inspiration! One of the most intense workshops I have attended. I feel even stronger in my power as a woman. And I was able to let go of some old programming that holds me back from connecting with my divine feminine. I feel this is only the start of a deeper journey.” Alisa, participant of Wild Grace three hour workshop at The Yoga Barn, Bali.
The Details:
25th November to 2nd December as we wane towards the new moon.
No experience necessary, all are welcome.
Our Home:
This retreat will take place in a special place that is very dear to Amisha’s heart. We will stay in these special gardens tucked away in the rice paddies, where our shala is down by the river and each day we will be amongst the butterflies and the flowers. The energy of this place will support us in connecting us to our creativity and our life force.
This space is a sanctuary of beauty, located on a completely magic piece of land. Surrounded by lush jungle, open rice-fields and winding walks with views of the mountains you are welcomed into a genuine sense of Bali. The houses stand out as a design fusion of Scandinavian simplicity and Balinese antique intricacy. The experience is an immersion into the wild mystery of the Island of the Gods.
You will have your own bedroom in one of the six beautifully designed, yet perfectly wild houses. We will be looked after by the kindest team, and we will eat delicious, local and nutritious food.
Amisha has been spending time in Bali over the past four years, and in these gardens in particular. She is delighted to be sharing this special home and the Balinese culture with you. The energy of the island, and the Hindu culture make this a wonderful place to awaken the goddesses.
What’s Included:
This retreat is £1850 including luxury jungle villa accommodation, all tuition, workshop materials, plant based delicious meals & snacks, visit from a high priestess, and a trip to the water temple and a social project (and some surprises!). The Deposit is £400 and payment plans are available to pay in instalments at no extra cost. For those that book before August 24th, there is an early bird offer which brings the total to £1650.
This price doesn’t include flights to Bali and airport transfers.
All the bedrooms are beautiful and each unique. If you are coming with a friend you may be able to share a two or three bedroom house with them. There are also one bedroom spaces, as well as individual rooms in the bigger villas. After you have booked, we will let you choose from the available rooms! We have six stunning houses to chose from.
This is a course rather than a retreat/yoga holiday. We will have a long deep practice each morning (including meditation, asana, myth, mudra and mantra), an afternoon workshop or trip and an evening Ritual.
The Replenish Effect:
It is important that our retreats bring benefit and expansion to all who are involved. We don’t just want you to fly in, taxi straight to the retreat centre and then leave the country. We make our retreats meaningful in the local community by building partnerships, supporting independently run businesses and doing all the little things that make a big difference, like helping you offset the carbon for your travel.
About Amisha:
“I came to Amisha’s retreat to learn more about the practice of YOGA. She taught me how to open up more and be in the moment. I loved how she created a space for the whole group to feel at home and safe. She really made me fall in love with Yoga. I will take her knowledge with me for the rest of my life. She is warm, wise and lovely.” Aemilia, Film Producer
“Amisha is a gifted yoga teacher that shows her knowledge of both the spiritual and the physical side of yoga, and teaches both brilliantly. This retreat was life changing and I still hear her voice singing mantras in my head!” Paul, Entrepreneur
“Amisha is a breath of fresh air!! She is kind, gentle, loving and full of light energy. Taking her mantra workshop at Bali Spirit Fest genuinely changed my practice and I thank her everyday for how she has helped me grow!” Ally, Entrepreneur
Amisha Ghadiali, is an award-winning social entrepreneur whose career has included demanding roles in the political, sustainability and tech start-up worlds. She combines this experience of managing a high pressure lifestyle with her deep knowledge of sustainable living, mindfulness and yoga.
With a love of yoga and meditation that has spanned over a decade, her own “burn out” whilst “trying to save the world” led her into training as a yoga and meditation teacher, which in turn opened a giant rabbit hole deeper into the mystical realms. In addition to over 1000 hours of teacher training in Yoga & Meditation, she has trained as a priestess, reiki master and intuitive energy healer. She brings all this depth and her fascination with the relationship of our inner and outer worlds, to her work.
Amisha has used these practices in her own life to work with trauma including recovering from being run over by a pick-up truck. She has lived that typical stressful city life, and found that bringing a soulful healthy approach to her every day made things much more rewarding and balanced. She set up the leadership programme – Presence Mentoring to assist you in creating space to show up for yourself each day and to facilitate the formation of lifelong habits that will support and nurture your inner and outer connections.
Her teachers include Sianna Sherman and Sally Kempton, as well as annual trips to her motherland of India, learning from Swamis and Sadhus. Amisha is of Indian origin, with a Hindu mother and a Jain father. She has grown up influenced by both these traditions and their practices and rituals.
Amisha is a writer and speaker on all aspects of conscious and green living. Her words have appeared in publications including The Huffington Post, Rebelle Society & Ecouterre. She edited the collaborative book, The Future Is Beautiful – A Collection from Think Act Vote, coining the term Creative Activism and bringing together ideas and artwork from over two hundred contributors to inspire a brighter future. Amisha has spoken or facilitated workshops at events and festivals around the world such as TEDx Oxbridge, Sunday Papers Live & Burning Man.
Amisha hosts The Future Is Beautiful Podcast which explores the weave between politics, spirituality, sustainability and creativity, so we can come out of our silos – and bring more of who we are to our lives. These inspiring conversations also look into the darkness and difficulties of modern life and challenging the status quo, providing comfort and a grounded optimism. Previous guests have included Charles Eisenstein, Samantha Roddick, Satish Kumar, Sally Kempton and Bruce Parry.
More About Wild Grace:
Watch Amisha sharing about Wild Grace (please note this will take place in Bali not in Devon!)
How to Book:
In order to secure your place, email interest to takeamoment(at)amisha.co.uk either pay your deposit or make the full payment. This is an intimate retreat and there has been a lot of interest, especially as Amisha hasn’t offered a live retreat in over two years, so please do make your booking if you want to guarantee your place.
***This has been postponed due to the pandemic, new dates are 25th November to December 2nd 2021. Please book if interested and then we can assess together in the Autumn if it’s viable depending on the state of play with international travel***
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