10 day teacher’s gathering and 10 day festival June 2021
Kythira Island, Western Greece
Namaste!
Thank you so much for taking a step forward towards the Zenith tribe!
So, we are taking this journey together, the first ever Zenith Sanctuaries teacher’s gathering in Europe.
Excited is the only word I can muster to describe how I feel about fulfilling this long awaited vision, more than 3 years in the making!
A little history on the Zenith vision so far….
For the last 3 years, I’ve been working on creating an international community of spiritual teachers and healers along with the constructions of Sanctuary spaces in different countries wearing an intention to bring more global awareness and also increase the availability of healing arts across the world.
So, I’ve attended and equally taught in many retreat circles over the years, some short, some long, all sorts to tickle the heart and mind, heal, but I’ve always been fortunate enough to have the money to do it, somewhat privileged throughout this life.
Through my travels, it came to me that not everyone can afford to do all these soul searching and heart awakening courses; as a matter of fact not very many on this planet actually do or ever will!
One of the many principles of the Zenith Sanctuaries concept is to provide centres that offer volunteer for accommodation programs where anyone with any budget can attend all sorts of trainings and teachings.
Another is to offer free scholarships and employment opportunities such as yoga teacher positions to community locals that cannot, and will often never have an opportunity to afford such qualifications in their lifetime!!! (In today’s world, a staggering average of only 1 in 30 yoga teachers in third world countries are locals!!!)
Another is to manage the recirculation of sanctuary profits to keep building sanctuaries across the world and continue the process of contribution where most needed.
Also, each sanctuary is to work with surrounding communities by offering free, volunteer-based skill training for locals and aid in local charity causes.
The list goes on and one of my personal favourite projects is the festival gatherings where we all meet for this growing cause and brainstorm into more service and perpetuate the growth of our international tribe and this project as we each leave the gatherings with our hearts a little fuller by contributing ourselves as living examples of a possible and unified prosperity on this planet.
I need volunteers to help me create this vision, I need minds and visions, ideas and inspiration, I need teachers who are willing to get involved with a “pay back heart” mentality for the blessings they have already received.
All our planned events in the future are construction fundraisers and will be offering paid positions (because we all have bills to pay) but not all with some events requiring teachers to simply turn up just because they can and because they have a heart of contribution for improving other’s lives.
I feel that I need to make it clear that this vision is so much bigger than just me or any one other person but rather a quest for creating a communal atmosphere that is not based on hierarchy but a joint structure where everyone can find their position of individual strength as their true contribution into the manifestation of this vision.
So, this is how I see this next event in Greece unfolding and I would like to ask you with advanced gratitude to share any ideas or feedback that may be crossing your thoughts after reading this, I need your help in creating this event.
The purpose of this gathering : (6th – 16th June)
- Bring awareness to the Zenith Sanctuaries principle and projects across the world
- Raise funds for Zenith international Sanctuaries construction projects
- First Zenith European tribe gathering,
- Brainstorming on networking and collaboration programs for Zenith European and international circle
- Brainstorming into the creation of multiple yearly festivals on sanctuary site across the world
- Consolidate a community of facilitators and students across Europe and the world
- A space for facilitators to learn and share from each other
- Market each other’s work across platforms
- Make new friends and connections
- Offer a 10 day retreat festival within the European market with multiple contributing facilitators
- Find new Zenith Sanctuaries ambassadors
- Contribute in a project that promotes spiritual advancement and healing for humanity
- Have loads of fun and recharge together
The logistics behind the 10 day teacher gathering :
Accommodation :
I have picked a villa on the northern part of the island for us to gather with a budget of 30 euro per person per night for the 10 days (based on 5 teachers attending)
Twin share is what will most likely be on offer.
Costs for the belly pleasures :
As a family I think it is safe to assume that we will be concocting delicious meals at home, with an abundance of fresh product local markets and shops available in every village.
Just so we are clear from the start, a cooking and cleaning schedule will be discussed in our first day meeting.
To make things easy, we are asking each facilitator to contribute 200 Euro towards food shopping at the start of the gathering and we will keep all receipts and work it all out as we go along, and should there be any change left over it will be divided, or if we run out we will recontribute as needed although 20 Euros per day should suffice to cook up an abundance of palate pleasing meals for the 10 days
Restaurant bills will be extra cost to each facilitator
Transport :
Nathan, our member on Kythira, is affiliated with a car rental company close by and we shall commandeer two 5 seat cars for the full 10 days.
Cost of car hire : 220 Euro per car for the entire month
Activities for the days :
We propose that we begin each morning with blissful yoga practices or other practices, led by a different teacher each of the 10 days, and followed by delicious meditations.
Breakfast to follow, (sneak in a quick morning swim or shower before-hand???) and then morning brainstorming and networking sessions until lunch (so around 3 hrs or so), taking us to 13-00.
Siesta is a must in Greece so after lunch is a couple of hours of relaxation, exploration or yoga nidra =-)
Around 16-00 we get back into another 2 or so hours of “work”, either at the house or a picked out spot on the island, and then around 18-00 we find ourselves free to roam the scrumptious nature of our Greek island home and I probably head towards late afternoon splashes and sun gazing; will you join me?
Evening Greek cooking aromas will begin to get our stomach juices going so 19-30/20-00 we head out to dinner.
Soooooo, for the logistics of the 10 day teacher’s gathering, the cost of attending (because we do all have a budget) will hover around (per person for 10 days)
personal extras, of course, are not included.
Accommodation : 300 Euros
Food : 200 Euros
Transport : 50 Euros
Total : 550 Euros
We do ask that a deposit of 300 Euro be paid prior to the gathering so as to secure a spot and also pay for the accommodation and car rental in advance.
(Please note that we do understand that many of us hold zoom meetings at different times so this plan is tentative and in our first meeting we shall try and work a way around a schedule that is pliable for everyone)
So what’s in it for each facilitator joining the gathering and festival?
- Shared experience of retreat/festival building
- Revenue, even share on net profits of festival after costs and Zenith 15%
- International tribe member/community or Zenith ambassador
- Future festival employment opportunities
- Networking
- Professional videos of workshops for marketing purposes
- Global joint marketing scheme
- New connections and friendships
- Contribution to healing
- Contributor to Zenith Sanctuaries evolution
- Begin a market circle for tribe members
- Fun, beach, pool, nature
- New friendships
- New knowledge and experiences
Topics to be brainstormed are :
- Introduction to the Zenith Sanctuaries project
- Future Zenith festivals, gatherings and retreats
- Fundraising ideas
- Roles as ambassadors
- Volunteering programs
- Social media exposure
- Retreat planning
- Networking platforms of community
- Community building
- Charity programs
- Local cause support of each sanctuary locations
- Animal rescue programs
- Discussion group Zoom meetings
- The logistics of the festival
- Festival roles and expectations
The festival :
Soooo, 10 days of workshops, daily activities and oodles of fun!
Our vision on the daily structure :
6-00 is where it all begins, a whole tribe of yogis emerging from a night’s rest, complete silence a must, as each settles onto their mats to find a glass of lemon water or apple cider vinegar waiting for them to begin the day.
20 minutes of Pranayama enters us into the daily practice, followed by a 60-minute love infused gentle yoga flow and concluded with a 15 minute heart opening meditation.
8-00 Breakfast (buffet style) is served, on the platform overlooking the shimmering waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the gentle awakening of nature.
Beautiful and nutritious organic local fruits and muesli, nutty milks to satisfy any vegetarian or vegan at heart, vegetables that still contain the scent of the earthy soil it was picked from.
This is where silence breaks and an hour is allocated to personal time or maybe a dip in the sea?
From 11-00 to 13-00 a choice of three different workshops is available at three different locations close by.
13-30 to 14-30 lunch is served at a chosen venue (buffet style) with yet again a choice of deliciously organic dishes to suit the hungry pallet of the spirit seeker.
!5-00 calls for all yoga-nidra fanatics to join the realm of body presence and gratitude for life and the food offered.
16-00 to 18-00 is the second half of our workshop program, once again a choice of three different workshops to take place in as many locations.
Some may choose to go and dip whilst worshipping Poseidon after a workshop and some may choose to seek respite into their own space until we meet again at 19-30 for sun gazing and group meditation in homage to each other, our selves and life, followed by dinner.
How do we draw this vision to manifestation?
Each facilitator advertises this event via their social media platforms and perhaps regular followers, using the Zenith marketing page and aims for a target of 5 attendees (or more?)
Each facilitator becomes a Zenith member or “ambassador” and shares all marketing pages for Zenith ambassador introduction posts and other facilitators involved, on their own platforms
Each facilitator to put a Zenith website festival booking link on their social media bios
Communication
Weekly Zoom tribe meeting to keep us all updated on progress and also any new ideas or changes.
- The roles of facilitators : (to be further discussed and fine tuned at Teacher’s gathering beforehand)
Each facilitator is allocated a roster of attendance and responsibilities including workshop running and the day’s activity time slots and may be asked to occasionally taxi attendees around between events or activities
We all work as a team, a family and a tribe so we are allocating two days at the teacher’s gathering to fine tune the structure and allocated responsibilities for each facilitator so in the meantime, please gather all your questions and ideas for the Zoom meetings coming up
- Accommodations during the festival :
We feel that facilitators should be available to the attendees at any time during the 14 days so we will be staying at the same resort, together as a big family, although we may be in another wing just so we can indulge in a little space from our daily roles.
- The activities and workshop locations :
I am headed to Kythira at the beginning of may so as to carefully put together a list of possible venues and spots for us to enjoy teaching, communing and receiving with the festival program.
Gorgeous waterfalls, Castles, cliff faces, nature hikes, forests, gorges, an almost endless choice of beaches and hidden bays just to name the obvious is what we are working on choosing as destinations for workshops and gatherings during the 14 days….We shall not disappoint! We are also looking into organising a boat trip across to a venue across the bay in the Peloponnese region of Greece
Will be organised in May by me
The festival passes :
Package no 1 : 1 day passes are priced at USD 133 (EURO 110)
Package no 2 : 5 day passes are priced at USD 630 (EURO 520)
Package no 3 : 10 day passes are priced at USD 1150 (EURO 950)
Package no 4 : 1 day Family pass – 2 adults @ USD 240 (EURO 200) + each child between 12-16 years extra USD 240 (EURO 60)
Package no 5 : 5 day Family pass – 2 adults @ USD 1150 ( EURO 950) + each child between 12-16 years extra USD 300 (EURO 250)
Package no 6 : 10 day Family pass – 2 adults @ USD 2120 ( EURO 1750) + each child between 12-16 years extra USD 485 (EURO 400)
Children under 12 enter for free, breakfast is not included
Student passes are @ USD 110/510/910 (EURO 90 /420/750) for 1/5/10 day passes,
We are currently designing an app for this festival and upcoming events
As a part of this vision, I would love to eventually see our community grow into a space that provides a home away from home to every Zenith tribe member across the world, a space to land for a while and be a part of the local programs in a family environment.
I would also love to create global heart coherence meditations that grow in numbers and therefore frequency in the future.
I thank you so deeply for the time you’ve already offered to read this and am ready to answer any further questions you may have in our upcoming Zoom meeting.
My heart, my love goes out to each of you and hope to meet you either in Greece or in Costa Rica later this year!!!
Gratitude and Love
Xavier
Whattsapp : +61448813280
