Tripping
22 August 2022 2023-05-20 13:41Tripping
Tripping in Nature
Wilderness & Cottage
Let us take you away from the distractions of your everyday life. It is difficult to find new perspectives and healing in our typical routines and environments. We rarely challenge the way we do things. Together, we submerge in the power of nature, movement, music, breath, transformational medicines and community. Breathing In Nature hosts trips in both the rugged wilderness like Algonquin Park and Wemitigoj-Sibi (the French River) and in the comfort of a fully stocked cottage with indoor plumbing!
Whatever you are ready for, the goal of our trips is to give you a chance to discover your unique healing path. We guide small groups of 6 individuals and up to 3 couples per journey. We operate via the Gift Economy and offer sliding scale prices. Read on to see which adventure is right for you.
Steve & Nici... first off thank you for your gift of guidance. That was powerful. Felt like travelling through portals of myself
[Everything] magically combined to give me a such an amazing journey with waves of joy, and some much needed release of grief. I'm so grateful for the level of trust we all felt in you and each other, allowing us to let go and breathe together. A deep bow of thanks from me to you.
The Hero's Journey
Algonquin
~
Thursday to Sunday
Suggested cost: $888
This is a remote wilderness setting that will be physically and emotionally challenging. That is the point of a transformational journey. But you’ll be in safe hands; Steve and Nici are both experienced guides – may it be the actual wilderness or the wilderness of our own hearts, spirits and minds. The camping is fully supported: medicines, meals and snacks included. You only need your sleeping bag, sleeping pad, clothing and personal items. A packing list will be provided. There will be an option to do a guided medicine journey the week before the trip.
- August 10-13
- September 7-10
- October 19-22
Day 1: The Call to Action
You’ve felt the call to action, the call has been answered and we are venturing out into the boreal forest of the Algonquin Highlands together.
We gather at the Rain Lake trailhead and begin our journey. The first day hike will be an easy 12 km, with our first campsite at beautiful Brown Lake. On this first day we immerse ourselves back into nature, letting go of all the distractions of the city and our busy lives.
With every step our mind clears and our intentions for this journey form. Hear the myths and legends of the travellers that went before you. As we gather around the campfire that evening, Steve shares the first part of the story of the Half Child.
Day 2: The Burden
We all carry our unique burdens. These burdens that have weighed on your mind, body, heart, and spirit will speak loudly to you this day. Accordingly, day two will be a long and difficult hike (16 km), experiencing the weight of our burdens, and in this case the very real weight of our backpacks.
As exhaustion and fatigue take over towards the end of the track, perhaps memories, body pain, and unpleasant thoughts and feelings make themselves known. We support each other along the way and build the courage to heal.
We make camp at Pincher Lake, a beautiful large campsite where we can be with the insights of the day, enjoy a deliscious meal and rest up. Around our evening campfire, Steve continues the story of the Half Child.
Day 3: The Unburdening
On this shorter third day (10 km) we move with the guidance a transformational medicine (a powerful empathogen). This is a chance to dive deeper into what has come up during our burden hike, but this time without fears, judgments or hesitation. We transmute with the energy of the wild during this (mostly) silent hike. We might share difficult feelings and struggles and find opportunities to unburden.
Unburdening simply means releasing the trapped energies around our struggles, memories, relationships, traumas, pains, doubts, fears and emotions. The unburdening ceremony can look different every time and for each of us. Nici likes to unburden with the help of the cold water. Steve likes to use energies and light and darkness imagery to free his burdens. Other common ways are fire, the breath, using the rich soil of the earth, purging, speaking our truth or any other way that comes to you. There is no right or wrong. We keep an open mind and support each other in our creativity and individual needs in the moment.
We end this day with a sacred fire ceremony and the transformational story of the Three Dreams.
Day 4: The Return
We start our last morning together with sunrise breathwork and a closing ceremony.
We take on the short hike out and return to civilization. What comes after is up to you. As we return to civilization we can easily bury all of the insights and experiences made on this journey and immerse ourselves once again in the endless distractions provided. Or, we can continue on the never ending path of mindfulness, self-discovery and doing the work…the choice is yours.
One week after our journey we offer a group integration call to share how our path continues to unfold.
The Hero's Journey
Wemitigoj-Sibi
(French River)
~
Thursday to Sunday
Suggested cost: $888
This is a remote wilderness setting that will be physically and emotionally challenging. That is the point of a transformational journey. But you’ll be in safe hands; Steve and Nici are both experienced guides – may it be the actual wilderness or the wilderness of our own hearts, spirits and minds. The camping is fully supported: medicines, meals and snacks included. You only need your sleeping bag, sleeping pad, clothing and personal items. A recommended packing list will be provided and no canoeing experience is required. There will be an option to do a guided medicine journey the week before the trip.
- June 1-4
- July 28-30
Day 1: The Call to Action
You’ve felt the call to action, the call has been answered and we are venturing out into the waters of the Wemitigoj-Sibi (French River).
We gather at the Pine Cove in Wolseley Bay and begin our journey. The first day paddle to our Basecamp will be a short 2-3 hours. On this first day we immerse ourselves back into nature, letting go of all the distractions of the city and our busy lives.
With every draw of our paddle our mind clears and our intentions for this journey form. Hear the myths and legends of the travellers that went before you. As we gather around the campfire that evening, Steve shares the first part of the story of the Half Child.
Day 2: The Burden
We all carry our unique burdens. These burdens that have weighed on your mind, body, heart, and spirit will speak loudly to us this day. Accordingly, day two will be a long and fun, but difficult day.
We begin with a moderate paddle to the Rainy Rapids where you will learn the intricacies of navigating the exciting waters. Learn not to fight, but to make small corrections to move with the flow. Just like life.
After our day of white water fun we portage and head back upriver, feeling the burdens that we drag behind us that anchor us in the past. As exhaustion and fatigue take over towards the end of the paddle, the burdens, memories and unpleasant thoughts and feelings might make themselves known. We support each other along the way and build the courage to heal.
At Basecamp we gather for a well deserved feast Around our evening campfire, Steve continues the powerful story of the Half Child.
Day 3: The Unburdening
On this day of rest we sit with the guidance of our transformational medicine (a powerful empathogen). This is a chance to dive deeper into what has come up during our previous days struggle, but this time without fear, judgment or hesitations. We transmute with the energy of the wild, spent time alone, gather in community or share around the fire.
Unburdening simply means releasing the trapped energies around our struggles, memories, relationships, traumas, pains, doubts, fears and emotions. The unburdening ceremony can look different every time and for each of us. Nici likes to unburden with the help of the cold water. Steve likes to use energies and light and darkness imagery to free his burdens. Other common ways are fire, the breath, music and rhythm, using the rich soil of the earth, purging, speaking our truth or any other way that comes to you. There is no right or wrong. We keep an open mind and support each other in our creativity and individual needs in the moment.
We end this day with a sacred fire ceremony and the transformational story of the Three Dreams.
Day 4: The Return
We start our last morning together with sunrise breathwork and a closing ceremony.
We pack up camp, take on the short paddle out and return to civilization. What comes after that is up to you. As we return to civilization we can easily bury all of the insights and experiences made on this journey and immerse ourselves once again in the endless distractions provided. Or, we can continue on the never ending path of mindfulness, self-discovery and doing the work…the choice is yours.
One week after our journey we offer a group integration call to share how our path continues to unfold.
The Work
For Couples
~
Friday to Sunday
Suggested cost: $1500/couple
- February 10-12 Sold out!
- March 31-April 2 Sold out!
- May 5-7 Sold out!
- November 17-19
It’s not all bugs, mud and blisters with Breathing In Nature. When it’s time to get down to the serious business of connecting with our lover, we like to cuddle in front of the fireplace with all the comforts of modern living. We will be immersing ourselves in nature, out of our old routines by some of the most beautiful waters in Ontario. We will nourish our bodies with excellent food. Being comfortable, cozy and relaxed will set the stage for the work of the weekend.
We created this 3 day, all-inclusive journey for couples to serve as a safe haven for exploration, education and reconnecting on a deep, intimate level with your partner.
We meet on Friday for an opening ceremony around the fire, make our introductions and share our stories. We use breath, touch and eye contact to connect with our partner. We learn about the love keys, love don’ts and how to embrace conflict. You can say Friday is all about learning.
Saturday is about putting that knowledge into action as we journey together on a transformational medicine to open up hearts, to get into the body, to illuminate and remove psychic blocks and to constructively explore our conflicts. In this changed state we give ourselves permission to be vulnerable and trustingly reveal our true selves. You can choose to spent this time alone, with your partner or in the community space.
On Sunday we will share and help integrate each of our experiences over a delicious brunch. This weekend will give you a framework to connect and build intimacy, trust and connection, plus lots of resources to continue the work as individuals and lovers.
