SOMA

RESURRECTION RETREAT FOR UKRAINIAN VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers' motivation is a base for defenders' support


Volunteers and activists are the lifeblood of the Ukrainian nation.

In 2014, thanks to them, Ukraine survived as a state, and nowadays they are a huge driving force that helps Ukraine to survive. They are the ones who make decisions faster than the sluggish bureaucratic state machine -

and ultimately tilt the balance of power in Ukraine's favor.


Now they are burning out and need our help


At such a crazy pace, people burn out - and if we turn to the question of helping volunteers and activists, we are likely to find a void in that place. Large foundations help the categories they understand - orphans, women, victims of violence, the elderly - but no one thinks to take care of those on whom both the front and the rear are held.

What can we do?

Resurrection retreats for Ukrainian volunteers and activists

A crisis experience as a trauma springboard


We organize recovery programs for those who are at the core of the beating heart of Ukraine - volunteers and activists.


We know from our own experience that a crisis experience directed in the right direction can become an existential springboard rather than a trauma.


We want to support the pulsation of the core of Ukrainian society,

to make it healthy and strong, to teach it to recover, to fill up and to help others to do so.

Features
Main things to know
  • Costs

    800$ for retreat for one person:

    • $ 500/10 days retreat
    • $ 200-300 for the road from Ukraine and back
    We can accommodate up to 40 people
    12 - 120 people can resurrect each month with your help
  • Program
    • Psychotherapy
    • Art therapy
    • Work therapy
    • Voice therapy
    • Massage and bodywork
    • Yoga and qi gong
    • Osteopathy
  • Place
    • Mountain resort
    • 1,5 hours from the sea
    • Single, twin, quad rooms
    • Up to 40 people
    • Fresh air, clean water, good road
    • Totally quiet
  • Food
    Contemporary Georgian, Ukrainian, Asian and European food
    Vegan, vegetarian, raw options, desserts and barbecue
    Good coffee
    Wine and tea bar
  • Team
    Psychologists, embodiment teachers, osteopats, massage therapists, voice practice facilitators
  • Services
    • Laundry
    • Sauna
    • Cafe
    • Soundsystem
    • Projector
    • Internet

Embodiment

- Somatics and Feldenkrais
- Massage and osteopathy
- Yoga and Qi Gong
- Vipassana meditation
- Breathwork
- Bodywork
- Contact Improvisation
- Wim Hof Method

Psychotherapy

- Group therapy
- Art therapy
- Voice therapy
- Design Thinking and Dragon Dreaming

Inspiration

- Group connections
- Self-regulation practices
- Tools to help others
- Values of self-sufficiency
- Workshops
- Ukrainian Polyphony
- Performance and theatre
~
Love is born in the family.
Thinking is born in microgroups of large-scale change.
Will is born in collaborative action groups.
Faith is born in communities of transcendent practice.
Empathy is born in communities of emotional practice.
~

Embodiment practice

The body is our home. No matter what happens, as long as we are alive, the body remains the basis of our existence.

We use a variety of modern body practices to bring people back to the basics and give them a footing. Therapeutic practices include bodywork, massage and osteopathy, and self-management practices include the Feldenkrais method, contact improvisation, qigong and yoga.

Body support is the basis for all rehabilitation.
The skill of being consciously present in the body is the mainstay of any activity.

Psychotherapy

Therapy can help us look at our issues from a different perspective.

When you’re in the traumatizing situation, it can be difficult to see any solutions. Talking with a therapist can help provide distance between you and your issue so that you can see new ways to approach it that you never would have come to on your own. A therapist can offer an alternative way to look at your situation and provide you with methods and advice to help you.

The goal of therapy is to help you get to the root of your issues while also teaching you skills that you can utilize in your day-to-day.

Meditation

Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health. You can also use it to relax and cope with stress by refocusing your attention on something calming. Meditation can help you learn to stay centered and keep inner peace.

Meditation also gives access to a transcendental perception of the world, which, in turn, allows you to see more clearly and shape the future, influencing events in direct relation to them.

Togetherness

We are social creatures.

One of the typical consequences of trauma is disconnection from contact. We fear that we will not be accepted as wounded, or that we will inadvertently hurt others. Practices of togetherness-such as tea ceremony, contact improvisation, cooking together, or uncomplicated teamwork bring us back to the reality of the group, make us feel part of the whole, and are healing for our souls.

Togetherness is making us stronger again

Art and Voice

Extreme experiences are often so intense that they cannot be expressed verbally or on paper. In this case, art can come to the aid of bodily practices and psychotherapy.

Visual art, singing, playing musical instruments, dance or theatrical performance can be ways of expressing the inexpressible, allowing the experience to come out and be transformed into more tangible forms, freeing the person from the burden of the unspoken.

Art has a healing power.

Where?

Gomarduli Dao Space - mountain retreat in Georgia,
60 km from Batumi and Black sea coast.

We have 12,8 hectares of land, stunning views, good road and water.

5 living houses, 20 rooms, each room has a bathroom and a balcony,
each house has a fireplace, big windows everywhere.
Main building with a restaurant, terrace, yoga space and chillout mezzonine.

Where to live

- 4 wooden cottages, each has 2 double and 2 quad rooms
- All rooms are located on the second floor of the cottage

Each room has a balcony, a wardrobe, a private bathroom with towels and toiletries.
Ground floor has a fireplace and panorama windows.

Restaurant, meditation & yoga halls are located close to the cottages.

Where to live

- 4 wooden cottages, each has 2 double and 2 quad rooms
- All rooms are located on the second floor of the cottage

Each room has a balcony, a wardrobe, a private bathroom with towels and toiletries.
Ground floor has a fireplace and panorama windows.

Restaurant, meditation & yoga halls are located close to the cottages.

What to eat

Creative look on contemporary Ukrainian, Georgian and European cuisine. Vegetarian and vegan options.

As for the drinks, we are suggesting fresh coffee, herbal teas, fresh juices and best Georgian vine from 19 to 22.

What to eat

Creative look on contemporary Ukrainian, Georgian and European cuisine. Vegetarian and vegan options.

As for the drinks, we are suggesting fresh coffee, herbal teas, fresh juices and best Georgian vine from 19 to 22.

Why?

We want to continue to do what we are already doing:
reinventing the practices of embodiment and awareness in a science-based way.
Since 2020 we have held more then 50 retreat programs and hosted over 1k people.

We want to share with people from Ukraine and the world the simple techniques of presence
and to spread the idea of embodiment as the basis of ecological existence
in a world where wars are unthinkable.

We want to become a refuge and a source of inspiration for hundreds and thousands of Ukrainians, laying the foundations of a new culture of being and making our contribution to the formation of the subjectivity of modern Ukraine in the world.

We aim to create a new retreat model
and grow to a worldwide chain of retreats after the war ends.

Buy a retreat for Ukrainian Volunteer

Help courageous people to get the inspiration and energy back
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You agree to our Terms and Conditions

Who?

Yevhen Vovk
Founder
Hi, my name is Yevhen Vovk, born in Kyiv, living in Georgia. I was living peaceful life, doing tea ceremonies and organising meditation and dance retreats. In 2020 I realized a dream - I opened a retreat center in the mountains and started organizing embodiment programs. During the pandemic our place hosted hundreds of people, giving them shelter, hope and energy to live.

In 2014-15, I was already at war in Ukraine, working in crisis management for Amnesty International. At that time I spent 15-20 days a month on and behind the front lines, often under rocket fire and several times in captivity. During that period, I was in dire need of something that would make me feel alive. It was then that embodiment practices came into my life, allowing me to integrate the war experience and make it a resource for growth and development in my life.

Unfortunately now the war has entered a full-scale phase, forcing most of us to defend our home with weapons in hand. The Russian plan for a swift takeover of Ukraine has failed - and at the same time it is already clear that it will take time for Ukraine to win outright.

A prolonged war is exhausting and embittering, robbing us of hope and humanity. This is why I believe it is important to create a place where Ukrainians can restore peace. A place that will be safe. A place where Ukrainians will not feel like guests. A place that will welcome hundreds and thousands - and become a symbol of a future peaceful life for millions.mbers of our team and helped them to show their unique talents in the work process. He laid the foundations of the company.

Donate

UA:

Privatbank 5363 5420 1550 0524
IBAN: UA643052990000026206740779302
SWIFT/BIC: PBANUA2X

GEO:

IBAN: GE77BG0000000101471997
BIC/SWIFT: BAGAGE 22
Yevhen Vovk

BE:

IBAN: BE44 9671 9551 1445
BIC: TRWIBEB1XXX
Donors willing to support the project on a regular basis in amounts of $5,000 or more, please contact us by mail or Telegram.

[email protected]
+380502878610

Thank you!

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