Embodied Wakefulness Retreat: Cultivating the Wisdom of the Body through Somatic Intelligence
Embodied Wakefulness Retreat: Cultivating the Wisdom of the Body through Somatic Intelligence
Oikia Karapanou, Οικία Καραπάνου, Aegina, Greece
Up to 20 in group
Jun 6 - 9, 2026
Retreat Highlights
- In the work of supporting others, it's essential to come home to ourselves. This retreat invites you to slow down, reconnect with your own embodied presence, and deepen your inner resources.
- Through contemplative and somatic practices, you'll awaken to a fuller, more integrated sense of being—becoming not only more grounded and alive, but more naturally available to others.
- As we cultivate embodied wakefulness, we become the instrument through which presence, compassion, and clarity can move. This is not about fixing ourselves, but about discovering the wisdom that already lives in the body and learning to trust it.
- What We Will Explore
- Mindfulness Meditation
- Meditation is the fundamental discipline of returning to ground zero—the timeless present. It offers a tangible sense of simply being, where we release our agendas, credentials, and ambitions. In this space of non-doing, we begin to discover the profundity of our being—just being, at one with being itself. Ultimately, meditation is a labor of love. Our steady attentiveness toward ourselves becomes an act of self-love.
- Elemental Embodiment
- Our most primal aspect is that we are made of the elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. Primal being is not about who we are, which is more psychological, but what we are, which is more physical and elemental. The elements are psychophysical—they are the constituents of every physical, sensual, mental, and spiritual phenomenon.
- Five Energetic Qualities
- The Five Wisdoms are a model of human dynamics: personal styles of perceiving and interacting with your world. They give you a map of your inner world of thoughts and emotions as well as your ways of behaving and relating to others. Ultimately, they are teachings about bringing out the best of who you are and seeing the world with new eyes.
- Nervous System Regulation
- We will explore intuitive, body-based ways to regulate the nervous system and increase vagal tone—supporting resilience, safety, and greater capacity for connection.
- To complement this experiential retreat, you are invited to read Unfolding the Mystery of Your Life on the Five Wisdoms Path (Chapters 1, 8, 11, and 12).
About this Retreat
Your Guides
Irini Rockwell is the founder of the Five Wisdoms Institute and a pioneering teacher in the field of human development. Drawing on her roots as a dancer and her training in Contemplative Psychotherapy, Irini brings decades of experience translating the profound teachings of Vajrayana Buddhism into accessible, embodied tools for transformation.
For over 40 years, she has taught internationally, guiding professionals, seekers, and leaders through trainings, retreats, and mentorship. Her books—The Five Wisdom Energies, Natural Brilliance, and Unfolding the Mystery of Your Life—have inspired thousands to explore their inner life with greater depth and clarity. A longtime student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, Irini offers a rare integration of ancient wisdom and modern insight.
Details of this retreat
In the work of supporting others, it's essential to come home to ourselves. This retreat invites you to slow down, reconnect with your own embodied presence, and deepen your inner resources.
Through contemplative and somatic practices, you'll awaken to a fuller, more integrated sense of being—becoming not only more grounded and alive, but more naturally available to others.
As we cultivate embodied wakefulness, we become the instrument through which presence, compassion, and clarity can move. This is not about fixing ourselves, but about discovering the wisdom that already lives in the body and learning to trust it.
What We Will Explore
Mindfulness Meditation
Meditation is the fundamental discipline of returning to ground zero—the timeless present. It offers a tangible sense of simply being, where we release our agendas, credentials, and ambitions. In this space of non-doing, we begin to discover the profundity of our being—just being, at one with being itself. Ultimately, meditation is a labor of love. Our steady attentiveness toward ourselves becomes an act of self-love.
Elemental Embodiment
Our most primal aspect is that we are made of the elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. Primal being is not about who we are, which is more psychological, but what we are, which is more physical and elemental. The elements are psychophysical—they are the constituents of every physical, sensual, mental, and spiritual phenomenon.
Five Energetic Qualities
The Five Wisdoms are a model of human dynamics: personal styles of perceiving and interacting with your world. They give you a map of your inner world of thoughts and emotions as well as your ways of behaving and relating to others. Ultimately, they are teachings about bringing out the best of who you are and seeing the world with new eyes.
Nervous System Regulation
We will explore intuitive, body-based ways to regulate the nervous system and increase vagal tone—supporting resilience, safety, and greater capacity for connection.
To complement this experiential retreat, you are invited to read Unfolding the Mystery of Your Life on the Five Wisdoms Path (Chapters 1, 8, 11, and 12).
Through contemplative and somatic practices, you'll awaken to a fuller, more integrated sense of being—becoming not only more grounded and alive, but more naturally available to others.
As we cultivate embodied wakefulness, we become the instrument through which presence, compassion, and clarity can move. This is not about fixing ourselves, but about discovering the wisdom that already lives in the body and learning to trust it.
What We Will Explore
Mindfulness Meditation
Meditation is the fundamental discipline of returning to ground zero—the timeless present. It offers a tangible sense of simply being, where we release our agendas, credentials, and ambitions. In this space of non-doing, we begin to discover the profundity of our being—just being, at one with being itself. Ultimately, meditation is a labor of love. Our steady attentiveness toward ourselves becomes an act of self-love.
Elemental Embodiment
Our most primal aspect is that we are made of the elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. Primal being is not about who we are, which is more psychological, but what we are, which is more physical and elemental. The elements are psychophysical—they are the constituents of every physical, sensual, mental, and spiritual phenomenon.
Five Energetic Qualities
The Five Wisdoms are a model of human dynamics: personal styles of perceiving and interacting with your world. They give you a map of your inner world of thoughts and emotions as well as your ways of behaving and relating to others. Ultimately, they are teachings about bringing out the best of who you are and seeing the world with new eyes.
Nervous System Regulation
We will explore intuitive, body-based ways to regulate the nervous system and increase vagal tone—supporting resilience, safety, and greater capacity for connection.
To complement this experiential retreat, you are invited to read Unfolding the Mystery of Your Life on the Five Wisdoms Path (Chapters 1, 8, 11, and 12).
Schedule
Retreat Schedule
Saturday June 6
2-5 pm Arrival, settling in
5:00 Talk 1 Welcome and Introduction
7:00 Dinner
Sunday June 7
8:00 am Breakfast
9:00 Mindfulness Meditation with Earth, Sky, Human
9:30 Talk 2 Five Energetic Qualities
10:30 White Buddha Energy Exploration
11:15 Break
11:30 Blue Vajra Energy Exploration
12:30 pm Invoking the Five Wisdoms
1:00 Lunch
2:00 Open
4:00 Mindfulness and Awareness Meditation
4:30 Yellow Ratna Energy Exploration
5:30 Break
5:45 Red Padma Energy Exploration
6:45 Open
7:00 Dinner
8:00 Games or Open
Monday, June 8
8:00 am Breakfast
9:00 Mindfulness and Awareness Meditation
9:30 Talk 3 Nervous System Regulation
10:00 Nervous System Regulation Practices and Discussion
11:00 Break
11:15 Green Karma Energy Exploration
12:15 Invoking the Five Wisdoms
12:30 pm Open
1:00 Lunch
2:00 Open
4:00 Mindfulness and Awareness Meditation
4:30 Your Mix of Colors
5:30 Discussion
6:00 Open
7:00 Dinner
8:00 Games or Open
Tuesday, June 9
8:00 am Breakfast
9:00 Departure
Saturday June 6
2-5 pm Arrival, settling in
5:00 Talk 1 Welcome and Introduction
7:00 Dinner
Sunday June 7
8:00 am Breakfast
9:00 Mindfulness Meditation with Earth, Sky, Human
9:30 Talk 2 Five Energetic Qualities
10:30 White Buddha Energy Exploration
11:15 Break
11:30 Blue Vajra Energy Exploration
12:30 pm Invoking the Five Wisdoms
1:00 Lunch
2:00 Open
4:00 Mindfulness and Awareness Meditation
4:30 Yellow Ratna Energy Exploration
5:30 Break
5:45 Red Padma Energy Exploration
6:45 Open
7:00 Dinner
8:00 Games or Open
Monday, June 8
8:00 am Breakfast
9:00 Mindfulness and Awareness Meditation
9:30 Talk 3 Nervous System Regulation
10:00 Nervous System Regulation Practices and Discussion
11:00 Break
11:15 Green Karma Energy Exploration
12:15 Invoking the Five Wisdoms
12:30 pm Open
1:00 Lunch
2:00 Open
4:00 Mindfulness and Awareness Meditation
4:30 Your Mix of Colors
5:30 Discussion
6:00 Open
7:00 Dinner
8:00 Games or Open
Tuesday, June 9
8:00 am Breakfast
9:00 Departure
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Getting Here
Irini Rockwell, Oikia Karapanou, Οικία Καραπάνου, Aegina, Greece
Directions
International travel to Oikia Karapanou
Fly to Athens.
Take the metro or the bus to the port of Piraeus.
Go to gate E8, situated on the left of the square that is in the middle of the central harbor.
Boats to Aegina go often. You will have the choice between a ferry, that will take 1:15 hour, and a hydrofoil, that will take 40 min. You might prefer the ferry, to slow down and tune into the sea, the island views, and the seagulls.
Once in Aegina take a 5 minute taxi to Oikia Karapanou. You can ask to go by the sea road which is more beautiful and hardly more costly.
If you are driving, there are directions once you get to Aegina.
For boat information: www.openseas.gr
Fly to Athens.
Take the metro or the bus to the port of Piraeus.
Go to gate E8, situated on the left of the square that is in the middle of the central harbor.
Boats to Aegina go often. You will have the choice between a ferry, that will take 1:15 hour, and a hydrofoil, that will take 40 min. You might prefer the ferry, to slow down and tune into the sea, the island views, and the seagulls.
Once in Aegina take a 5 minute taxi to Oikia Karapanou. You can ask to go by the sea road which is more beautiful and hardly more costly.
If you are driving, there are directions once you get to Aegina.
For boat information: www.openseas.gr
Accommodation
Accommodation at Oikia Oikia is a simple and beautiful retreat home, just a few minutes’ walk from the sea. The atmosphere is communal, quiet, and supportive — designed for deep practice and shared presence. Most rooms are shared (mostly double occupancy), and bathrooms are shared as well. This is a retreat-style accommodation — simple, warm, and communal rather than luxury hotel. Option A — Staying at Oikia (on-site) • Shared bedrooms and shared bathrooms (simple communal retreat setting) • Full board included (breakfast, lunch, dinner) • Cost: Early Bird $400, Full price $490 Option B — Staying off-site (nearby studios/hotels) If you prefer more privacy, you are welcome to stay in a nearby studio or hotel. We recommend Stefanie Studios, link, located just a short walk from Oikia. Participants arrange and pay for off-site accommodation directly with the hotel. If staying off-site, you will still join all retreat meals and sessions at Oikia, paying participation + meals fees. • Retreat Cost $400 paid at registration • Total Oikia fee paid on arrival: 139€, (Participation: 21€ and Meals package: 118€ total) Meals All meals are prepared with care and are primarily vegetarian. (One day may include fish or chicken as an option.) Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are shared together as part of the retreat rhythm. If you have food allergies or dietary needs, please inform Irini in advance: irini@five-wisdoms.org
Program Price
Early Bird
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
On the island of Aegina, only an hour by boat from Athens, Oikia Karapanou is a beautiful mansion from the 19th century, surrounded by a huge garden close to the sea. It has been restored to provide an atmosphere of peace and inspiration, an oasis on the soul's journeys. Oikia hosts and organises workshops, retreats, trainings, art residencies and all kinds of events aiming at a happier, more conscious life on Earth.
Meals
Menu Types
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
Primarily vegetarian. (One day may include fish or chicken as an option.)
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are shared together as part of the retreat rhythm.
What's Included
- Accommodation at Oikia
- Oikia is a simple and beautiful retreat home, just a few minutes’ walk from the sea.
- The atmosphere is communal, quiet, and supportive — designed for deep practice and shared presence.
- Most rooms are shared (mostly double occupancy), and bathrooms are shared as well.
- This is a retreat-style accommodation — simple, warm, and communal rather than luxury hotel.
- Option A — Staying at Oikia (on-site)
- • Shared bedrooms and shared bathrooms (simple communal retreat setting)
- • Full board included (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- • Cost: Early Bird $400, Full price $490
- Option B — Staying off-site (nearby studios/hotels)
- If you prefer more privacy, you are welcome to stay in a nearby studio or hotel.
- We recommend Stefanie Studios, link, located just a short walk from Oikia.
- Participants arrange and pay for off-site accommodation directly with the hotel.
- If staying off-site, you will still join all retreat meals and sessions at Oikia, paying participation + meals fees.
- • Retreat Cost $400 paid at registration
- • Total Oikia fee paid on arrival: 139€, (Participation: 21€ and Meals package: 118€ total)
- Meals
- All meals are prepared with care and are primarily vegetarian. (One day may include fish or chicken as an option.)
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are shared together as part of the retreat rhythm.
- If you have food allergies or dietary needs, please inform Irini in advance: irini@five-wisdoms.org
What's Not Included
- Airfare and ferry paid seperately.
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