Summary Whether you regularly enjoy the benefits of meditation and self-development programs or can't remember when you last took time off, this retreat on Brac Island at the Adriatic coast is a perfect place for you to unwind, restore your energy and take care of your mental wellbeing. Located on the beach in the midst of Mediterranean garden surrounded by pine forest the retreat is a peaceful and secluded place that ensures privacy and security. It is an ideal opportunity for self-observation and self-exploration, that is, a return to "oneself". Complete immersion into the island's environment creates the feeling of get away from your daily routine, work, and busy schedule. It relaxes you, energizes you, inspires you, completely renews you, encourages creativity and brings new ideas. The group experience helps you develop listening ability and intuition, receive support from the group members and has a positive impact on all relationships, productivity, and innovation. The work we are going to do will help you calm your mind from constant worry, planning and thinking and give everyone the opportunity to “be in the present moment and go with the flow”.
Programme Complete immersion into the island's environment creates the feeling of get away from your daily routine, work, and busy schedule. It relaxes you, energizes you, inspires you, completely renews you, encourages creativity, and brings new ideas. The group experience helps you develop listening ability and intuition, receive support from the group members and has a positive impact on all relationships, productivity, and innovation. The work that's going to be done will help you calm your mind from constant worry, planning and thinking, and give everyone the opportunity to “be in the present moment and go with the flow". Mina's mind wellness retreat combines philosophies which focus on living in a present moment, being mindful of your own needs, thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and reactions, accepting your emotions, getting to know your underlying beliefs, how they have developed through life, and connecting them to the present everyday experiences. The program will help you gain a new insight into your own specific difficulties, how they have developed, and help you to deal with problems in a healthy and constructive way. This group work will focus more generally on coping with everyday life difficulties, improving social skills, helping you deal with a range of issues such as stress, anxiety, shyness, loneliness, low self-esteem, and others. The central themes around which the work will focus on are:
Day 1 (Sunday): Ease your difficulties by strengthening psychological flexibility
Day 2 (Monday): Get to know and befriend your inner-critic day
Day 3 (Tuesday): Self-compassion and self-love day
Day 4 (Wednesday): Mindfulness day
Day 5 (Thursday): Gratitude and forgiveness day
The aim of this program is to positively affect your well-being by helping you achieve higher levels of life satisfaction and more optimism and vitality about life and better progress toward your personal goals. Group work of five hours per day through five days (Sunday to Thursday) will be held after breakfast, from 09:00 until 14:00 (alternatively 10:00 - 15:00). On the day of arrival, on Saturday, you will have a welcoming and introduction meeting from 20:00 - 21:30 at the terrace bar of the Hotel Amor in Velaris resort (ground floor next to reception). Friday will be free for possible trips around the island or to the city of Split. The seclusion and tranquility of the green Velaris resort, with the endless horizon of the sea, forest, mountain, and blue sky is an ideal spot to meet and connect with your own essence, gain new insights, and bring right decisions. As group setting represents a safe place, participants usually feel open to express their beliefs, thoughts, and emotions without fear of judgment or evaluation. Diversity is one of important benefits of group work. People have different personalities and backgrounds, and they look at situations in different ways. By seeing how other people tackle problems and make positive changes, you can discover a whole range of strategies for facing your own concerns. Sharing your own difficulties with others and listening to theirs also helps you put your own problems in perspective. Engaging in a group dynamic filled with meditation and relaxation exercises in a Mediterranean island surrounding can be a profoundly healing experience.
Location Island Brac, the largest island of the central Dalmatian group of islands, the third largest among the Adriatic islands. The highest peak of the island, Vidova Gora (Vitus' Mount) (778 m), is also the highest peak of all Croatian islands. Velaris Resort is situated in the peaceful bay called Vela Luka on the West side of Supetar on the Brac Island. Supetar is a real island town and the biggest Brač’s village. A real heart of the island located in its northern part. It is also an excellent starting point for exploring this beautiful, diverse and very interesting island. Supetar is also administrative, cultural, economic and touristic centre and has a very good ferryboat connection with Split. This is ferry connection is very suitable for afternoon trips to beautiful coastal city of Split (45 min ferry boat ride in one direction). Composed primarily of limestone and dolomite, the quarries of the island of Brac have been a source of stone for building decorative stonework for centuries. The old Romans have known its quality and used this very stone to build cities, amphitheaters, temples, palaces, and graves all over Dalmatia. Major quarries, where the famous Brac building stone is excavated, are located near Pucisca, Selca, Postira, Splitska and Donji Humac (this kind of building stone was used in the construction of the White House in Washington and the Palace of Diocletian in Split). A road network has been constructed throughout the island; ferry lines Split - Supetar, Makarska - Sumartin; ship lines with Supetar and Bol. Airport "Brac" (for smaller aircraft) is located above Bol. The town of Bol is situated on the south side of Brac Island. It can be reached by bus from Supetar, Velaris resort. The one-way bus ride takes about 45 min and is ideal for an afternoon trip. Once Bol was an area for wine growers, fishermen and seamen; today it is a spectacular tourist destination. Bol is a favorite destination for excursion boats and yachtsmen; there is a special berth for yachts in the harbor. Bol is an attractive tourist destination with a recognizable cultural identity and local specialties that delight visitors. Bol is known for its Zlatni rat beach (Golden horn) and it is unique in the world. Like a little tongue, it extends out nearly half a kilometer at a right angle to the sea. The tip is of this renowned beach is constantly changing shape due to the effect of the waves and currents. Measurement has shown that every year Zlatni rat gets longer. The total surface area of the beach is 19.900 m² while the wooded part is 8.600 m². The beach is two kilometers from the center of Bol Brač. The promenade to the beach is also paved, and you can also reach Zlatni rat by boat or a tourist train. Last year, the global travel site Big 7 Travel has released their official list of the ‘Top 50 Beaches in the World 2019’ with Zlatni rat beach on the island of Brač voted No.1. Small Murvica, with its vineyards and beautiful beaches, is an idyllic place for Bol tourists. It is famous for its monuments and remains, especially Dragons cave, a miniature church in a cave where carved reliefs and religious figures have been sculpted. The Blaca, at the foot of the steep cliffs surrounding the bay, impresses with a monumentally stunning setting in which hermits placed stylish furniture, a piano and a telescope, valuable paintings, a library and a collection of antique weapons and clocks. The monastery has existed for four centuries and today it is a unique cultural monument to the human work and endurance of those who lived an exemplary ecological, inspirational and contemporary life. The villages of Gornji Humac and Pražnica are in the upper part of the island. They have their own unique atmosphere, specialties, and interesting objects. Whilst staying in Bol a visit to Vidova Gora is a must, providing spectacular views of the island and summer days that enrich life.