Return to Heart. More details on our upcoming retreat.
- Feb 9
- 3 min read
Over the past 5 years, since Covid-19, our world has continued to shake and change at a rapid pace. We are more disconnected than ever before, as we strive to navigate uncertainty and recalibrate our identities and purpose.
Yet amidst the uncertainty, there are mutterings, sparks, ripples, a bubbling up, a call - to return to something deeper, to nature, to community, to ourselves.
Return to Heart is a unique retreat hosted by Dani Van De Velde (Spirited Living) and Chantal Travers (Writual), where, through nature, ritual, creative expression and energy practices, we will return to the sacred inner space of the heart and give voice to what is waiting for alignment and expression into our lives.
Immersed in nature, at the juncture of Java’s two sacred rivers, at Eloprogo ArtHouse, we will dive deep into the heart.
Our retreat begins on the first evening of Saturday 9th May, with a welcome dinner and opening circle, where we will connect and set our intentions for the next few days.
Over the next 4 days, through both ritual and writual, we will dive deeply into the heart, with each day dedicated to exploring and nurturing one of the five heart qualities: Trust, Openness, Love, Gratitude, and Gongjing (reverence, awe and wonder). Practices will engage the elements of Earth, Fire, Water and Air as wayfinders to deeper truth.
The daily flow is rich with dawn energy practices, meditation, expressive practices and elemental rituals. There will be daily sharing circles after dinner, and there is also plenty of downtime in our schedule for rest and self-retreat, so you can continue exploring the day's theme through your own practices or with others.
The formal retreat concludes Wednesday 13th May, with a dawn meditation at the spectacular Borobudur Temple. We will arrange airport transfers from Borobudur for those leaving us on the 13th May.
Alternatively, we invite you to join us for an optional 2 nights pampering extension at the beautiful D’Omah Hotel.
Price: $1888 SGD
Early Bird Special: $1700 SGD if you book by March 3rd.
Includes all accommodation, transfers, meals and excursions for the 4D/4N at Eloporogro. Excludes flights and insurance and additional 2 nights at D’Omah Hotel.
Group size capped at ten guests.
For a full retreat program details and optional pampering extension please email info@daniellevandevelde.com or chantal@writual.com.au
About Your Hosts
Dani Van de Velde is a passionate advocate for living a spiritually aligned life in the modern world. She is a meditation teacher, Reiki Master, psychic medium, and author of Spirited. She is the founder of Spirited Living and Spirited Business online communities, a broadcaster on News for the Soul Radio, and host of The Modern Crone podcast.
Her broader studies include advanced mediumship training at Arthur Findlay College in the UK, extensive Jungian and alchemical studies through the Centre for Applied Jungian Studies, long-term initiations in Indigenous wisdom traditions, and more than 20 years of Satyananda and Hatha Yoga practice. Dani also holds degrees in Commerce and Arts, grounding her spiritual work in strong analytical, financial, and communication skills.
At the heart of Dani’s work is a commitment to empowering self-trust, inner authority, and embodied wisdom, offering spirituality that is alive, practical, and deeply human.
Chantal Travers is a writer, facilitator and the founder of Writual.
Writual combines energy practices with creative expression so participants can let it all flow. She is a qualified Qi Gong Yuan Gong Teacher (Ren Xue), certified Shared Reading Facilitator, and recently completed a certificate in Expressive Writing Therapies. She is also completing an MA in Creative Writing and Literature.
Chantal is the author of A Singapore Christmas Delight Children’s Picture Book, and her poetry and prose have been published in several literary journals. She is also currently writing a novel, the idea for which was selected as one of ten from 97 applicants for the Faber Academy year-long novel writing programme.
Chantal believes deeply that everyone has the capacity to create when given the right conditions of emotional safety, inspiration and belonging. Through Writual, Chantal helps others tap into the words, wisdom, ideas, and stories held within the body that are waiting for the right moment to emerge.
Originally from London, UK, Chantal has lived in Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore. She founded and ran two award-winning retail businesses and prior to that, had an 18-year career in marketing. Now living in Sydney with her husband and son, Chantal uses Writual to foster community and help others find a restorative connection to themselves and the world around them.
