So many times, in your healing journey, you get stuck in a state of awareness. You get caught up in trying to understand what caused the wound, why it happened, and all that. Even though it can be useful to come to this awareness and understanding, if you never attend to the wound, it cannot heal.
In order to heal the pain, you need to attend where the wound and hurt is, which is in the body.
It’s like a snake biting you, and you're trying to run after it to catch it, instead of attending to your wound.
Trying to catch that snake is not going to heal your wound, but attending to it will.
You get stuck in this mental state. You try to figure out what stung you, why it stung you, what was the purpose and the reason behind it, and how you didn't deserve it. That keeps you in the mind and all these questions keep you very busy. You think that if you become very aware and understand every single detail about it, that would help you heal.
After a while staying in the mind turns into a distraction, keeping you away from feeling the pain and the wound, and attending to what really hurts.
The pain and the wound is in the body.
In this retreat you cultivate a relationship with your body, move from the mind to the body, release the pain and the heaviness you’ve been carrying in your body, and move beyond awareness and move into your healing.
This 5-day retreat guides you to cultivate a deeper connection with yourself, physically, emotionally and mentally, aids you to gain a better understanding of your nervous system, your trauma responses and coping mechanisms, equips you in the ways to release the stuck stress energy from your body, and allows you to tap into your potential, on and off the mat, and removes what is blocking you to show up in the world more authentically and intentionally and to experience life with joy.
Surrounded only by nature, you come back to your own natural state.
How does anxiety and stress affect us in our daily lives?
Stress is a part of daily life, but if you don’t have the tools to regulate this stress and bring yourself out of the stressed state, you start living from this place thinking this is what living is. This turns into a chronic state, and you are living in it without even realising it. Without realising this is a state you are supposed to move out of as easily as you moved into it. This may result in you being hyper-vigilant, being in chronic pain or depression, may prevent you from having intimate relationships, and even cause you to stay in isolation.
Anxiety crowds your mind. It feels busy inside, and you feel occupied with many thoughts. That’s what anxiety does: It takes you away from what is in the moment, and prevents you from seeing what you already have in that moment, what is offered in the moment, and prevents you from making the most out of it.
Anxiety also prevents you from opening yourself up to something new or different, or to have more intimacy in your current relationships. It tells you that it wants to keep you safe, and you fall for that promise because you are not sure either. When you know how to provide that feeling of safety to yourself, then you don’t need anxiety to make these choices for you. You choose to open yourself to the experiences in the moment.
When you release the stress, space opens up, in your mind and body. You can think more clearly, see more clearly what is there in the now, and you can use what you have towards what you choose to do. You can access what is within and channel it towards your choice of direction, instead of trying to manage all your thoughts based on assumptions.
Every day you wake up to this view, to the sound of the wind moving the leaves, and the birds chirping. Medicine to your nervous system.
The importance of re-regulating the nervous system:
Our nervous system develops when we’re a child, and it still sees the world through that child’s lens and reacts to the world from that place.
The child in you shows itself through your nervous system and bodily reactions. Its memory goes far back then your conscious mind’s memory. It knows and reacts to things you don’t even remember.
In order to transform the way you experience life, you need to re-regulate your nervous system.
All the practices you do in this retreat guide you in connecting with your body and your nervous system, building a strong connection with your centre and self, equipping you with the tools to navigate and release stress, bringing you to Expansion and reminding you to find expansion in your being in daily life.
This retreat opens you to experience life with joy.
You will leave this retreat with the feeling of spaciousness, lightness and expansion. This retreat will not only help you to have a more honest, sincere, compassionate and loving relationship with yourself, but also to see your relationship with life and the world around you from a new perspective, to approach yourself and the universe from a safer place, thus realizing your own potential and living more authentically and intentionally.
The retreat guides you to that basic life feeling, which is EXPANSION.
You greet the day as the beauty of this place greets you with every breath.
In this retreat, you do all this through the practice of yoga, meditation, somatic experiencing and sound healing sessions with Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls.
Here is a brief information about the Somatic Approach and sound healing sessions with Alchemy Crystal Singing bowls.
What is the Somatic Approach?
The somatic approach is a natural approach to trauma and stress-related disorders. It operates off the idea that what happens to you in your life is stored not only in your mind but also in your body.
In the somatic approach, unlike many other therapy methods, the person's body and the projections of stress on the body are studied. Somatic approaches are used to engage the relationship between mind, body, and behavior. This approach aims to raise the individual's self-awareness, and to help release how a physical body holds on to stress, tension, and trauma.
Why do I want to share the Somatic approach with you?
When stress is experienced for a long time and the body goes out of its own rhythm or the traces of stress cannot be removed from the body, stress-related physical disorders begin to appear.
By gaining information about the somatic approach and practicing a number of different techniques throughout the retreat, you develop awareness about mind-body practices in order to cope with the stresses of your daily life and the accumulated stresses in the body.
The practices we do at the retreat will help you release the stored and stuck stress energy in your body, and it will also help your yoga practice to be done with more awareness and turn it into a healing practice that is more than physical.
What is a sound bath session with Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls?
The Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls are all made with quartz with a combination of gemstones, precious metals, minerals, and they are purely designed for healing and wellbeing, having a transformational effect on any presenting imbalances within the mind, emotions, physical body and biofield.
The Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls' tones and vibrations fill the space to create a deeply sensory experience. Their velvety, ethereal sounds are welcomed by the body, mind, and the spirit, allowing each moment to take us into a deeper peaceful state, which is our natural state. They are here to sing us back to alignment with our true nature.
The aim of sound healing is to align our brain waves with the theta state where healing can take place, and the result is a deep sense of wellbeing and calm.
Have your breakfast, lunch and dinner in the company of the sun, the trees and the magnificence of the mountains.
In this retreat you will:
- connect with your physical body through yoga asana practices,
- experience the connection between the mind, emotional and physcial body,
- gain more clarity about your inner world and how your nervous system governs your reactions,
- will learn about somatic experiencing, how the body stores the stress energy, and learn to implement some basic somatic practices into your daily life,
- learn how to recognize the stress and the trauma stored in the body, and learn to release them with the techniques you learn
-And the daily sound baths with Alchemy Crystal Singing bowls at the end of each day will support your intentional work of releasing the accumulated stress energy from your system as well.
At the end of each day you will be left feeling the natural life feeling: expansion, joy and creativity.
Allow the sound of the water accompany you and immerse yourself in the tranquility of nature as you rest between the sessions.
This retreat removes what is blocking you from seeing your own potential. It removes what is blocking you to have more meaningful relationships. It removes what is blocking you from being in the moment and openning yourself up to the experiences in the moment. It removes what is keeping you behind walls that keep you isolated with the false promise of safety. It redefines your relationship with yourself, with your body, with life and with others. It connects you to what is within, to your truth, and with the trust you build within yourself, your perception of yourself and the world around you changes.
Basically, this retreat unlocks your potential and allows you to experience the lightness in your being.
The schedule of the program is as follows:
28th of May, Wednesday
2pm Check in to the hotel
3:30 – 4:30 pm Opening Circle
4:30 - 5:30pm Sound bath with Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls
6:30pm Dinner
29th, 30th and 31st of May, Thur, Fri, Sat
7:00 – 10:00 am
· Walking meditation;
· Sharing the theme of the day
· Yoga asana practice
· Seated Guided Meditation
2:00 - 4:00 pm
· Introduction to Somatic Approach and Experiencing
· Mindfulness exercises
4:30 - 6:30 pm
· Yin yoga
· Sound bath with Alchemy Crystal Singing bowls
1st of June, Sunday
7:00 – 9:00 am Yoga practice and seated guided meditation
9:00 – 10:30 am Closing Circle
11:00 pm Check out from the hotel
As you can see it is a full on program and I am excited to facilitate this retreat at The Land, in Geyikbayırı.
The Land is located near Antalya, which is in the south of Turkey. It is nestled in a 7,000 m² pomegranate orchard surrounded by forests and nature on the slopes of the Geyikbayiri valley with a majestic view of the Geyik Sivrisi mountain, only 20 minutes from Antalya's city centre. The nature here quietly affects everyone, expands the breadth and imagination, and most importantly it allows you to relax safely by leaning on the mountains and facing the sea.
There is a self-cleaning pool that is filled by water running through the Land and surrounded by grass to lay and play on. There is also a fireplace and a sauna that is open to all guests. And you can receive a private massage session if you choose to do so. Geyikbayiri is also one of the world's top rock-climbing areas as well as the starting point of the famous Licyan Way trekking route.
The Land's restaurant is not just any restaurant. There are some who come here just for their kitchen. They make international fusion dishes which give you a different but satisfying experience every day.
Each guest has their own private bungalow, which are all well spaced apart, with their own terrace and outdoor couch, offering excellent privacy. Each of the rooms has its own private bathroom, indoor and outdoor sitting area and unique design, and all bungalows have a unique view of the mountains and the valley as well.
You can enjoy the crystal clear natural spring pools which are only walking distance away.
Here you can find the contact information of the Land, and the prices for this retreat:
Location: The Land The Land, Geyikbayırı, 3601 sokak no 13, 07070 Konyaaltı/Antalya
Web address: https://en.thelandgeyikbayiri.com
Date: 28th of May-1st of June 2025
Price (accommodation, the planned meals and the program):
One person accommodation in a double room 875£ (GBP) (you are sharing the room with another person)
Single person accommodation 945£ (GBP)
Included in the accommodation:
- The accommodation includes 4 night accommodation, 4 vegetarian open buffet breakfasts, and 4 dinners (If you have any food allergies, please inform me in advance).
- Lunch is not included in this price. For snacks and food and beverage alternatives during the day the cafe, where you can find many snacks and drinks, will be open. There is also a shared kitchen that you can use. The common area, which also includes a small cafe, has everything you may need to prepare a meal and sit and relax comfortably.
- You can either share a room with someone, then you choose the one person accommodation in a double room, OR
- Those who want to stay in a room by yourself, on your own, you choose the single person accommodation.
Their famous pomegranate juice is a must. They make it with the pomegranates they grow on their own land.
OTHER DETAILS TO CONSIDER:
- Transportation is not included in the price. The easiest way to get here would be to fly directly to Antalya Airport. A transfer vehicle will be arranged from the airport to the retreat site.
- The retreat site will have yoga mats to purchase, and if you like, you can bring your own yoga mat.
- This retreat will be limited to 10 people.
- For registration and more information, you can contact me at healandrise@soundofseda.com.
- Unless there is an emergency, only half of the payment will be refunded in case of cancellation on or after the 1st of March. In case of cancellation on or after the 1st of April, the payment will not be refunded.
I am always excited to hold this space for others and I feel blessed to witness the transformation that happens at this retreat. So, I would like to share some of the testimonials that reflect these transformations with you. I am sharing only a few testimonials here. You can read all the other wonderful feedback and heartfelt shares of the participants under the testimonials section, and see how life changing this retreat is for everyone who joins.
The nights are just as beautiful and even more mystical. You can do stargazing and maybe even catch a few comets in the quietness and stillness this remote sanctuary provides for you.
As Bell Hooks once said “Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.”
I hope to have the opportunity to hold space for you at this retreat, to share and do yoga together, raise our inner awareness and heal in communion.
With Love,
Seda
The ever moving water helps cleanse your energy, and the cold plunge helps reset the nervous system.
Testimonials
“I experienced my first ever retreat with Seda recently. Being able to define or describe this experience is nearly impossible with the use of words. I embarked on a journey of looking within and self healing around two years ago, but Seda has sparked something inside of me that I was not aware even existed. Her immense knowledge of the human body and behaviour is unlike anything I have ever encountered before. She has ignited a tremendous desire inside of me to be more compassionate with myself. Habits that I believed would be impossible to let go of have started to dissipate from my life. She has helped me to start overcoming the fear of physical and emotional pain, and has allowed me to realise just how fascinatingly capable the human body is. Coming to these realisations has not been easy – understanding how pain and trauma have been controlling my life is certainly a painful truth. However, Seda has allowed me to see that it is through the acknowledgment and acceptance of the real truth that brings one closer to peace. I used to believe that life should be about pleasure, but now I see that nothing is more valuable than inner peace. Seda glows with stillness, vibrates love, and emanates warmth; and I feel so grateful to have crossed paths with her in this life.”
— Nurperi
“Expansion retreat was the third retreat I had with Seda. It was really enjoyable and demanding at the same time. In this retreat, we focused on reading the signals of our bodies, given that we don't take the time to focus on our bodies in our busy daily lives, how these signals turn into chronic symptoms when we don't pay attention to them for a long period of time, and how we can solve these issues from the root cause. We gained knowledge that will enable us to understand ourselves and others better. I sincerely believe that if what we learned here was taught to every child at school age, the world would be a much better place. Seda's internalized and engaging narrative and the group she brought together made this experience extra special. The location of this retreat, on the outskirts of Sivri Dağ National Park, completely intertwined with nature, also helped us to reinforce what we learned at the retreat and supported the nervous system. Thank you so much again Seda, every moment I spend with you is very special, educational, and inquisitive. I am glad you have dedicated yourself to human wellbeing. Thank you for this beautiful inner journey!”
— Beril
“As someone who is used to hearing and resting her body only when its voice gets too loud or feels too uncomfortable, this retreat was like learning a new language for me. In the first days, we were all trying to explain how we felt in our bodies. The words that came out did not go beyond good-bad, energetic-tired. It is very strange that a person cannot follow what is happening in their own body and cannot put it into words.
These five days led me first to learn my own body’s language and then to listen to its voice that is constantly communicating with me. With somatic practices, meditation and yoga, I learned how to return to the moment, put aside memorization and selectively establish a relationship with what is happening at that moment. I returned home with practices, awareness and endless energy that will help me a lot in my daily life.
Another sentence I remember from this retreat was something Seda said: Events that break our hearts and hurt us give us the opportunity to return to ourselves and strengthen our center. Thank you very much, Seda, for guiding us and always leading me and others to new awareness.”
— Begüm
“I had a wonderfully insightful yoga retreat with Seda, where I was taken on a journey through layers of old resistance and programs blocking my abundance and potential. I was able to walk away incredibly motivated to work towards my life’s aspirations, with many more tools in my belt.
Seda is very approachable and is a natural guide. I highly recommend Seda if you are looking to unlock your potential and have clarity on your journey.”
— Sylvia
“This retreat helped me face myself and my relationship with life, and took me on an inner journey. The physical yoga practices, the guided meditations, the somatic therapy practices, the conversations in between, the nature, and most importantly Seda’s elevated and unending giving energy held a light to my inner workings. This experience has become a turning point in my adult life, and I am truly grateful for it."
— Aylin
