Vessels of Wisdom
With Dr. Swan Dao, Nicolas Brañas Michaelsen and Shoshana Nava
December 29, 2025 - January 2, 2026
End and begin the year with a powerful personal reset.
Over these days together, you’ll be guided through gentle yet transformative practices that reconnect you with your inner wisdom. Expect moments of release and renewal, supported by expert guides and the healing power of community. This retreat is both restoration and orientation: recharging your energy and clarifying your next steps. It is a precious time to pause, to take stock, and realign your course – to see clearly where you are, what is asking to be released, and where life is calling you to go.
We open a space where insights are allowed to emerge, and realizations are felt deeply in the body. Drawing inspiration from life design principles, you’ll be invited not only to reflect but also to prototype new possibilities – testing fresh perspectives, sketching life paths, and aligning your inner compass with outer action.
We’ll move between playfulness and depth, solitude and connection, stillness and celebration. The retreat culminates in a collective celebration honoring the wisdom we carry within and welcoming the possibilities of what is to come.This is your invitation to let go of the old, open to the new, and step into the year with vision, vitality, and a renewed sense of belonging.
- Recharge your energy and emotional vitality
- Clarify your purpose and next steps for the year ahead
- Release what no longer serves you and open to new possibilities
- Deepen your sense of belonging through shared ritual and community
- Celebrate life with depth, joy, and creativity
Schedule:
7–7.45 AM: Morning Practice
8:00–8:45 AM: Breakfast
9:00 AM–11:45 AM: Morning Session
12:00–1:00 PM: Lunch
1:00–2:30 PM: Rest & Introspection
2:30–3:00 PM: Group Reflection
3.15–5:45 PM: Afternoon Session
6:00–7:00 PM: Dinner
7:00–8:00 PM: Personal Time
8:00–9:00 PM: Evening Activity or Free Time
About the Leaders
Dr. Swan Dao
Dr. Swan Dao is the founder of the Institute of Devotional Arts (https://devotionalarts.org), a pioneering organization that designs transformative learning experiences through the expressive arts. Swan studied and taught philosophy, theology, psychology, and theatre in Oxford, Melbourne, Paris, and Chicago, and earned a PhD from the University of Cambridge focused processes of self-transformation. Blending social […]
Learn more about Dr. Swan DaoNicolas Brañas Michaelsen
Nicolas is a facilitator, coach, and shamanic practitioner devoted to helping people come into right-relationship with themselves, others, and life. His work weaves modern developmental psychology with ancient ritual practice, inviting participants into a deeper coherence between soul and action. After two decades as an entrepreneur and impact investor, Nicolas turned toward the inner […]
Learn more about Nicolas Brañas MichaelsenShoshana Nava
A woman of many multitudes, Shoshana is a mother, space holder, grief tender, and keeper of womb wisdom traditions. Her work is rooted in creating sacred spaces where people can reclaim and remember the wisdom that already lives within them. Shoshana spent many years studying with elders across Scotland, New Mexico, India, Oaxaca, and Guatemala, […]
Learn more about Shoshana NavaCategory : Events & Retreats