We are thrilled to invite you to a day retreat like no other, where the ancient wisdom of sacred water meets modern practices of intention setting, inner exploration, and soulful connection.
💧Join us on Saturday, September 17th, from 11 AM - 6:30 PM, for a healing journey to deeply connect to your divine essence, Mother Earth and the element of water. 💧
Here's a glimpse of what you will experience on this enchanting day:
Soulful Shamanic Water Journey
Sacred Intention Setting Ritual & Nature Wreath Offering
Mindful Paddle Boarding Adventure: Surrender to the process as we navigate the waters on Paddle Boards, fostering a profound connection with the element of water.
Forest Bathing: Learn a new and unforgettable method of experiencing the many health benefits of mindfully, and slowly, walking through a forest. Allow yourself to be guided into a environment you may have been in before, but in a new way. Engage your senses and allow them to bring you into the present moment.
Refreshing Swim and Socializing: After the closing of the ceremony, you will have an opportunity to immerse yourself in the embrace of a deep, spring-fed, glacier-made kettle lake. Let the rejuvenating waters cleanse your spirit as you connect with fellow participants, fostering a sense of community and shared experience.
Gourmet Vegan Lunch: To nurture your body and honour the connection between our well-being and the Earth, we have prepared a delectable gourmet vegan lunch. Indulge in nourishing cuisine that harmonizes with your intentions for the day, providing sustenance for body and soul alike.
Schedule:
11 - 11:30 AM Opening Ceremony
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM Paddle boarding
1:30 - 2:30 PM Gourmet Vegan Lunch
2:30 - 4:30 PM Labyrinth Ceremony
4:30 - 5:00 PM Closing Ceremony
5:00 - 6:30 PM Swimming and Socializing
ALOHA SACRED WATER CEREMONY
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Imagine navigating through life with calmness and in flow, without pushing and rushing, enjoying and embracing every moment. Imagine living in balance with the elements, fully surrendered to your divine path, with a deep knowing that you're exactly where you're supposed to be.
Water element teaches us how to move through life with grace, ease and courage. It can inspire us to not become rigid with fear or cling to what’s familiar, as Water teaches us to flow onward without looking back. It also connects us to something bigger than ourselves: our divine essence.
The essence of Aloha encapsulates the very embodiment of love, peace, compassion, a shared understanding of respect, and the art of living in harmonious coexistence with the land, water, and people. When translated from Hawaiian to English, it signifies the manifestation of the divine breath.
Roughly 60% of our physical bodies are made up of water, making it a critical part of our health and wellbeing. Water serves as a conduit to deep wisdom, emotions, love, gratitude, our connection to the divine, and the unceasing flow of energy that envelops us.
This element possesses extraordinary therapeutic and medicinal qualities - for thousands of years, it has been used in sacred ways to help cure dis-ease, reset the body, and alleviate inner turmoil. The mere sound of water itself can be both soothing and restorative, seamlessly linking us to the nurturing embrace of Mother Earth!
FOREST BATHING
2 - 5 PM
Come and immerse yourself in nature, in the woods, and in nature’s healing sounds. Experience the immune boosting and stress reducing benefits of the forest. Reintroduce yourself to your tree neighbours. Engage your senses and allow them to bring you into the present moment. Explore the heart of a 350-acre nature sanctuary, on top of the Oak Ridges Moraine, just an hour from downtown Toronto.
Forest Bathing, or Shinrin-yoku, is about immersing all of your senses in nature. Developed and extensively studied in Japan in the 1980s, it’s a form of eco-therapy that David Suzuki says is “rooted in knowledge many cultures have long embraced: that spending time in nature is good for human health. Science backs it up…Nature heals, now in more ways than one!”
Growing in popularity around the world, forest bathing is an evidence-based method of experiencing the many health benefits of mindfully, and slowly, walking through a forest. We bathe in the smells, sights, textures, tastes and sounds of the forest. Talking is kept to a minimum but participants are invited to share their observations in different locations. Just to be clear, we will not be disrobing and "bathing" in the forest!
Allow yourself to be guided into a environment you may have been in before, but in a new way. The facilitator is not the therapist - the forest is.
We will explore an old-growth forest on the edge of one of the Oak Ridges Moraine’s most unique features - a deep, kettle lake, part of a provincially and ecologically significant wetland complex. As stewards of this unique parcel of land for the past 73 years, my family has committed to protecting this land in perpetuity from development by planting over a million trees and by granting conservation easements to the Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust.
We will gather at Swan's Nest Holistic Wellness and Nature Retreat, in King Township, only an hour from downtown Toronto. It is located on Rufus' family farm, and the address will be provided to all those who purchase tickets, either through Eventzilla or by e-transfer*. Subsidized tickets are available for those who cannot at this time purchase a regular priced ticket.
Please note: Cell phone use during the workshop is not permitted.
Recommended Clothing:
Bring warm clothing, similar to what you would wear if you were going on a hike on the same day. Please avoid!! cotton clothing as it stays cold once wet. There are a number of shorty wetsuits available, sizes and numbers are limited so don’t delay requesting one. There will be some basic SUP instruction, you are however welcome to stand, kneel or sit on the board. Bring dry warm clothing to change into after the paddle.
For forest bathing, we recommend layers of comfortable clothing, good walking shoes or hiking boots, and a raincoat just in case.
PLEASE NOTE: There is no lifeguard on duty. The lake is very deep, and unsupervised. Please swim with others and use a life jacket if you are not a strong swimmer. Children and minors must be supervised at all times. Life jackets are available upon request.
A gourmet vegan lunch will be served, consisting of a cauliflower & vegetable coconut curry and rice, with a mixed salad with balsamic vinaigrette. It will be prepared by Rufus’ wife Dinora Garcia, a vegan chef who trained at Organic Live Food Bar and runs her own catering company, Gourmet Mexican Food to Go, with her sister Judith.
You will leave with a soulful resonance that encompasses:
- ? Serenity, stillness & inner peace
- ? A heightened sense of presence
- ? Unwavering trust and surrender to the universe's guidance
- ? Harmonious alignment with the flow & Divine rhythm of life
- ? A profound sense of balance
- ? A harmonious connection with your innermost being, a renewed sense of purpose, and an expanded perspective that aligns with the deepest desires of your soul.
*** Please Bring: A journal and pen, a water bottle, a bathing suit and towel, good walking shoes or hiking boots, and layers of extra clothing and rain gear just in case.
There will be some basic SUP instruction, you are however welcome to stand, kneel or sit on the board. Bring dry warm clothing to change into after the paddle.
A clean and cool portapotty is available onsite, and well as hand sanitizer. Fresh, mineral-rich well water is also available to refill your water bottles.
*** Spaces are limited for this magical day retreat, so we encourage you to secure your spot as soon as possible! ***
Address and Driving Instructions are provided upon payment via Eventzilla or e-transfer*. E-transfers can be sent to rufusglassco@gmail.com without a fee.
If funds are an issue, let us know, and we can work something out.
* NOTE: PLEASE BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE E-TRANSFER MESSAGE, OR IT'S POSSIBLE I WON'T BE ABLE TO EMAIL YOU THE ADDRESS OR DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS.
Warren King’s Bio:
Growing up in Durban, South Africa, Warren developed a deep love of nature, especially water, from a very young age. Desiring a way to connect more deeply to the water element, he created Makai Paddle Surf to help people experience more balance, presence and flow in their life, while improving their physical health. With a background in Shamanism, Reiki and Sacred Sexuality, Warren’s teachings mainly focus on mindful connection to nature, grounding and connection to your body, authentic and conscious relating, vulnerability and openness, releasing shame and embodying self-love, and living life in the moment and in flow. Warren has a way of calmly grounding you and bringing you into the present moment. His presence and healing hands provide comfort and nurturing, giving you a feeling of being held and supported. As a martial arts coach for 25+ years and a paddle boarding instructor for over 11 years, Warren has always had a passion for teaching and guiding students, which is a key part of his dharmic path. He is also a certified Paddle Boarding Coach with Paddle Canada and The World Paddle Association, and has his PaddleFit Pro Coaching and Indo Boarding Instructor Certification.
Rufus Glassco's Bio:
Rufus Glassco is a trilingual facilitator who works with sound and nature to help people of all ages to connect, learn and heal. His company, Sound Benefits, specializes in experiential learning and healing through Drum Circles, with a focus on health and wellness, as well as Sound Healing, Community Singing, Forest Bathing and Shamanic Coaching. He helps both individuals and groups to relax, and come into greater resonance and harmony.
He earned a BA in Anthropology from McGill University, and a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Ryerson University. He is also an Advanced HealthRHYTHMS facilitator and a HealthRHYTHMS Adolescent Protocol facilitator, and has studied the art of drum circle facilitation, and how to heal with drums, with some of the best known pioneers in the industry. He is also fluent in English, French and Spanish.
He passionately believes that everyone has rhythm, and that we all long for, and benefit from, real connection with others, and with mother nature.
