A BEYOND CALM RETREAT
Six days in Ishigaki to work with the patterns meditation alone doesn’t always reach— and explore what opens beyond them.
Two minute application. No commitment. We'll talk before either of us decides.
APRIL 26 - MAY 1, 2027
SIX DAYS, FIVE NIGHTS
LE LOTUS BLEU, ISHIGAKI
TWO MINUTES FROM THE BEACH
TEN PEOPLE
BY APPLICATION ONLY
WHO THIS IS FOR
You may already know a lot about yourself.
You’ve read the books, listened to the podcasts, meditated, gone to therapy, or spent time on retreat. You know why you people-please, shut down, overthink, or pull away.
And still, when life gets close enough, the same reactions return.
Insight matters. But insight alone doesn’t always create transformation.
tired of understanding their patterns without truly changing them
disconnected from their body, emotions, or intuition
caught in the same relationship dynamics
exhausted by constantly working on themselves
ready to meet what is underneath, but without forcing or overwhelming themselves
Here, we put away our phones, slow down, and meet those patterns directly through somatic practice, attachment work, meditation, movement, and honest connection.
And we let the sea, the jungle, and the spacious rhythm of island life become part of the healing.
Six days of meeting yourself more directly
less controlled by the patterns that usually take over
more able to stay with difficult emotions without becoming overwhelmed
more connected to your body, needs, and boundaries
more open and honest in your relationships
more grounded, alive, and connected to the natural world
THE ARC OF THE WEEK
This isn't a menu of sessions. The week has a direction: body first, then the patterns, then their roots, then the heart, then the question of who's underneath all of it. Six days is enough time to get somewhere. It's also short enough that you'll actually come.
DAY ONE · APRIL 26
Settle into the space, have dinner with the group, and join our opening ceremony.
DAY TWO
Meditation and movement to get out of the head and into felt sense. Then we start noticing the loops — the ones you brought with you — running in real time.
DAY THREE
Loving-kindness practice, chair work and eye contact - bringing kindness to ourselves and each other.
DAY FOUR
Attachment work. Practices for meeting the younger material underneath the loops, drawing on attachment theory and parts work.
DAY FIVE
Inquiry, impermanence, nondual practice. Having worked with the patterns all week, we turn and look at what's aware of them. This is the "beyond" in Beyond Calm.
DAY SIX · MAY 1
Closing circle and breakfast, then home.
The daily rhythm: yoga and a sit in the morning, the main practice block before lunch, an island afternoon, then circles and sound in the evening. Depth needs slack — the schedule has built-in space in it for integration.
WHAT WE PRACTICE
Guided sits morning and evening, moving from settling practices early in the week toward impermanence and who-am-I inquiry by the end. Beginner-friendly, deep enough for old hands.
Structured practices for the patterns underneath the patterns: how you learned to connect, protect, and hide. Drawn from attachment theory and parts work, adapted for a retreat container.
Eye gazing, paired listening, authentic relating. Being seen is half the work, and it's the half you can't do alone on a cushion.
Morning hatha yoga with Ryoko, somatic practice, Machiko's sound baths, and the sea. The patterns live in the body, so that's where we go looking for them.
The week draws on Buddhist mindfulness and nondual inquiry, attachment theory, Gendlin's Focusing and unconditional positive regard, and movement and sound practice.
Conversation with a past retreat participant
If you're in an acute crisis, brand new to any kind of inner work, or looking for a beach holiday with some yoga attached — this isn't the right room, and I'd rather say so now than on day two. This is deep work and it is not therapy. If you're currently working through heavy material with a professional, the application call is exactly where we talk about whether this is the right time.
We'll talk for 15 minutes before either of us decides.
THE ISLAND
Ishigaki sits on one of the largest blue coral reefs in the world. You don't do five days of this kind of work without somewhere to put it down. So we go outside.
A guided trip out to the blue coral. Float, swim, or stay on the boat — all of it counts.
A walk into the interior. Slow, green, and the closest thing to a moving meditation on the schedule.
A boat over to Taketomi island for the day. Sand, water, and nowhere to be.
Freediving is available on Ishigaki with a local instructor, mornings only, limited to a small group. If you want to do it, please arrive a day early or stay a day later and we'll connect you — it isn't part of the retreat schedule.
YOUR GUIDE
I've practiced meditation daily for over a decade and have been guiding retreats since 2021. I wrote Beyond Calm: Why Meditation Is Not Enough — and How to Heal the Patterns That Shape Your Inner World. This retreat is inspired by the practices from the book.
Before any of it, I ran a venture-backed startup here in Tokyo until burnout took it apart, and me with it. Ten years of practice hadn't touched what was underneath. That's the whole reason this retreat exists, and the reason I don't teach calm as the destination.
MEET THE TEAM
I guide the meditation and inquiry. Ryoko leads morning yoga. Machiko closes the days with sound.
Mindfulness Guide
Yoga Teacher
Sound Healer
FROM PAST RETREATS
Igor - Retreat Participant
For a long time I thought this kind of work was something I'd make room for once everything else was handled. It never was. The crisis arrived before the space did.
You don't need to be burnt out, stuck, or at a breaking point to come. You may simply feel that this is something you want to make room for, before something makes room for it.
THE STAY
A restored villa in the quiet beach town of Shiraho — ten minutes from Ishigaki airport, two minutes from the water. Five tatami bedrooms, each with a private bathroom and shower.
Rooms are shared with one roommate, same sex, matched with care from the applications. There's plenty of house, and plenty of island, for being alone when you want it.
A limited number of private rooms are available at an additional cost. Mention it when you apply and we'll sort it out directly.
The waters off Shiraho are home to one of the largest blue coral reefs in the world. You can walk to it.
MEALS
Tamarind is a local favorite in Ishigaki — Okinawan flavors with global influences, seasonal island ingredients, plant-forward but not precious about it. Meat and vegetarian options at every sitting. Tell us about allergies and dietary needs in the application and we'll work it out with them ahead of time.
Fresh fruit salad
Greek yogurt with honey, almond butter & granola
Scrambled eggs
Beniimo (purple sweet potato) & cream cheese salad
Carrot & orange "shikuwasa" rapée
Salmon onigiri and fried egg
Okinawan jerk chicken
Spice curry plate with turmeric rice & seasonal veggie sides
Kale & parmesan salmon salad
HOW JOINING WORKS
Fill out the short form. Mostly questions about where you are in your practice and what you're hoping to work with. Applying doesn't commit you to anything.
A 15-minute call. Not a sales call — it's where we both figure out whether this group, this week, is right for you right now.
If it's a fit, you'll get an invitation with payment instructions. Your $500 deposit confirms your place and locks your price.
Why the application: With just ten people sharing a villa for six days, the group itself becomes an important part of the experience. I speak with everyone beforehand so we can get a sense of whether the retreat feels like the right fit for you, and whether the timing feels right.
It isn’t about being advanced or having lots of experience. It’s simply about creating a group that feels safe, supportive, and well matched.
Applying doesn't commit you to anything.
PRICING
DEPOSIT BY OCTOBER 1, 2026
Your $500 deposit locks this rate. Apply early enough to get through the conversation and secure your place before the date.
DEPOSITS AFTER OCTOBER 1
Same retreat, same rooms, same food. The only thing the date changes is the price.
Reserving your place: a $500 deposit holds your spot and locks in your price. The balance is due by February 25, 2027. You can pay it in full or split it — tell us what works when you're accepted.
Early-bird: pay your deposit by October 1, 2026 to get the $2,800 rate. Deposits after that date are charged the regular price.
Refunds: Your $500 deposit is nonrefundable, as it secures your place and helps us commit to the villa, food, and team.
Any amount paid beyond the deposit is fully refundable until April 1, 2027. After April 1, all payments are nonrefundable, but you may transfer your place to someone else, subject to approval.
If we cancel the retreat: You’ll receive a full refund of everything you’ve paid, including the deposit.
Five nights at Le Lotus Bleu, shared tatami room
Three meals a day by Tamarind Shokudou
All sessions, practices, and materials
Snorkeling trip, jungle trek, and island day
Transport on the island
Airport pickup and drop off
Flights to and from Ishigaki
Freediving, if you add it before or after the week
QUESTIONS
No. There's quiet time every day, but conversation, pair practice, and group circles are half the point. If you want ten days of noble silence, a Vipassana center will serve you better — and I'll tell you so on the call.
No. The practices draw on frameworks that therapy also uses, but this is a retreat, not treatment, and I'm a meditation teacher, not a therapist. If you're in active treatment, bring it up in the application and we'll work out together whether the timing is right.
You don't need to be advanced. You do need some familiarity with sitting practice, and a real willingness to look at your own patterns with other people in the room. If you've never meditated at all, start with the book or the audio course and come next time.
No. Ryoko tailors the morning sessions to whoever shows up, and there's no requirement to be flexible, athletic, or any particular shape.
As soon as your spot is confirmed. The retreat overlaps Golden Week, when flights inside Japan get expensive and sell out early. Your final payment is due two months out, so nothing's left hanging when you book.
Same-sex rooms, one roommate, matched from the applications. Every room has its own bathroom and shower. Want a private room? Say so when you apply — there are a couple available at an additional cost.
Yes. There's a question about it in the application, and we talk to Tamarind ahead of time.
Your $500 deposit is fully refundable through April 1, 2027. The balance is refundable until February 25, 2027, which is also the date it's due. After that I can't refund it — the villa, the food, and the team are already committed — but you can transfer your place to someone else. If I cancel the retreat, you get everything back in full.
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