The Art and Practice of Integration

In this retreat, we will experientially inhabit and exemplify the theme of integration through the vehicles of expressive arts, altar and sacred space creation, time in nature, context setting through Holotropic theory, slowing down and contemplation. We will also have time in community and for discussion.

“INTEGRATION” is a vital component of Holotropic Breathwork practice, as well as any other work in expanded states of consciousness. We are often reminded that preparation, session & integration are all necessary components of any complete transformational experience. Exploration with Holotropic states has impact on the totality of our being and our lives on physical, mental, emotional, environmental and spiritual levels. Giving attention to INTEGRATION offers the potential to enrich our life experience by allowing us to digest, embody and apply to our daily lives the insights and lessons learned while doing in-depth exploratory work. We will create a safe, supportive, sacred, contemplative, and playful container, that will invite spaciousness for absorbing, being with, and processing what occurs before, during and after Holotropic sessions. The week will be highly experiential and offers valuable tools to support the integration of your personal Holotropic practice. This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for facilitators and any seekers, and offers exciting, creative ways to support groups and individuals through the integration process. In addition, there will be four Holotropic Breathwork sessions, two as a ‘breather’ and two as a ‘sitter’, along with valuable time for group sharing.

No previous artistic or creative experience for this module, all are welcome!

Download info and forms

Feedback from previous participants of this event:

“I am so glad I did it as part of my training, as I feel I gained tremendously from it.  I understand the benefits of paying attention to integration in ways I would never have gotten otherwise.”

“I’ve not had a comfortable history with ‘creativity’ & ‘arts’. Mireya presented them as tools of integration in a very holotropic way, creating comfortable & safe set & settings, and gently guiding us through each practice. It was really beautiful and treated much like the breathwork itself, so that for me I could trust that it was all unfolding as I needed and I could appreciate the uniqueness & expression of each of us in the group. I left feeling I could do another week of exploring the practices even more deeply, and I realized how valuable the practice of integration could be rather than the theory of it.”

“In the past I might have said that integrative practices were kind of common sense and I could list any number of them. But something about the way Mireya taught the module really deepened my relationship to the work and opened me to new ways of integrating it.  Many others in the group shared that they also had been stretched in ways they did not anticipate and the very modalities they had been self-conscious about in the past, were about to become a mainstay in their practices of integration.  So…not only a furthering/integrating of their personal growth as the result of the module, but for those who go on to facilitate, it will translate to their participants as well.”

The Spiritual Quest, Attachment, and Addiction

New ways to look at psychology and spirituality are offering exciting possibilities in the recovery movement, both for individual seekers and for those who work in the treatment field. This module explores a whole continuum, from the idea of addiction as an extreme form of attachment, which affects everyone and which is crucial to spiritual seekers of all practices, to the more articulate forms of addiction: substance, process, relationship, and more. Through theory, discussion and experiential exercises, we’ll look at:

  • The disease paradigm of recovery;
  • The wellness paradigm and the transpersonal recovery centre;
  • Implications of perinatal and transpersonal dimensions for recovery;
  • The 12 steps as a world yoga;
  • Addiction as spiritual emergency;
  • Addiction as shamanic crisis;
  • Recovery as a mystery school;
  • Psychedelics and recovery;
  • Recovery and the feminine;
  • Addiction from the homeopathic perspective;
  • Recovery as death/rebirth;
  • Addiction and the global crisis, and more.

Participants will have the opportunity to experience Holotropic Breathwork, a powerful approach to self-exploration, transformation, and healing that combines breathing, evocative music, and release work to explore the deeper dimensions of the psyche. This workshop will be useful to both laypersons and professionals seeking a more authentic and fulfilling lifestyle.

This will be a very experiential workshop. Besides the breathwork itself, all of the teaching is geared to participants having a direct experience of their own journey. We will work with dance, artwork, film, and other integration practices to engage the holotropic principles in a very personal, embodied way.

Music and Transcendence

This module is an exciting and transformative journey through the world of music. Sound and rhythm have always been vital creative and spiritual tools for transformation. Music has even been called the language of the soul. This is a special opportunity to learn first-hand the music structure that defines Holotropic Breathwork in such a special way. In addition, we’ll also explore other exciting strategies that help make the Holotropic perspective an essential tool for everyday living. This module includes: 1) Holotropic music: its history, theory and practice, detailed discussion of the three part structure of a Holotropic Breathwork music set; with demonstrations of specific pieces for each section; 2) Holotropic group work: it’s history, theory and practice, discussion of common group experiences and challenging situations; 3) COEX systems: how we work with multi-level patterns; 4) demonstration of relaxation; 5) facilitator self -care; 6) Practical workshop information – venue, pricing, promotion, brochure, types of workshops.

The Power Within: The Practice of Holotropic Breathwork

In this module, Holotropic theory comes alive. It’s where we experience the essence of the practice first hand. We not only discuss the principles that support and inform the practice of Holotropic Breathwork. But we go beyond theory to show why Holotropic Breathwork is such a special method for personal exploration and healing. This is a unique opportunity to move to deeper levels of your own inner process and also to learn what’s behind the Holotropic approach to working with others. As you become acquainted with accompanying others on their journeys, you will also discover how to translate the Holotropic theory into a tool for enriching your everyday living experience. Topics include:

1) The power of the Inner Healer;
2) The Holotropic Breathwork lineage; the history of the healing potential of non-ordinary states;
3) The importance of facilitator presence;
4) An inside look into the framework of a Holotropic Breathwork session;
5) How to encourage and support the integration of the Holotropic experience; and
6) Holotropic bodywork, including: its history, theory and practice, – demonstration of bodywork, – hands-on work by participants, – discussion of specific challenging situations that facilitators encounter, – ongoing exploration of the way Holotropic Breathwork can change our everyday

During the module participants will have the opportunity to know the practical experience of Holotropic Breathwork. Sitara Blasco will lead 4 Holotropic Breathwork sessions; there will be also mandala drawing and integration time. Each person will have the experience of two sessions as “breather” and two as “sitter”.