Retreats Online - POCI-Retreats, Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Retreats Online POCI -RETREATS, Tuscany A Place of Silence
Radda in Chianti Email: retreats@locpoci.com
	Poci, an old Tuscan farm, producing Chianti wine and olive oil, is located between Florence and Siena, 7 km from the villages of Radda and Castellina in Chianti. The farm is a door to the beauty of nature with its soothing and inspiring effects. With 80 hectares (200 acres) of land and wide views, Poci spreads over a hillside all the way to a romantic riverbed. The simple atmosphere of restored old stone houses embedded in nature invites you to relax, to open the senses and to calm the mind.
Aside from Pocis agricultural aspects it is a home for many guests and participants of numerous group activities. In the upper part of Poci are the main houses. An 80 m seminar room with its wooden floor and simple beauty is mainly used for groups working with the breath, body movements and creative expression. A 60 m meeting place has a hexagonal roof covered by wisterias and invites for talks about consciousness and for group meditations. An open air 200 m spacious dance place with an earthen floor is used for ethnic-expressive dance and other movement workshops. About 900 meters away from the upper houses, at the very end of a woodland road, in an untouched valley filled with the magic of changing light, you will find the 800 years old Mulino Vechio, serving as Pocis house of silence.
The restored Mill House lies peacefully next to a running brook which forms natural pools for swimming. This unique secluded setting with its inherent tranquillity has served as an ideal place for silent retreats over the past 20 years. The wordless surrender to perception and to the peaceful nature is in itself healing and nourishing. Our most inner being comes into resonance with the wonders of life.
The Silent Retreats last between 7 and 14 days and include 4 daily meditations and one slow motion day per week. Individual breath treatments are offered that support the sensitivity of the body and the awareness of the free flow of subtle energies. The group of up to 16 participants meets for talks before and after the phase of silence. The retreats dont follow specific religious or ideological traditions but are based on a free approach in which the participants follow, within the given structure, their own inner rhythm and callings. In retreats called Silence and Talks the silent periods will be interrupted every second day for intense explorations into consciousness through group dialogues, dealing with the issues of perception, body-awareness and identity formation.
	Greeting you as you arrive to Poci are many flower beds which are surrounding the houses and which are taken care of with great dedication. In a state of awakened sensitivity the beauty and intensity of the flowers are a constant reminder directing our attention to the momentary pulse of life, opening the path to recover, heal and grow. In addition, our well-being is supported by an organic vegetable garden that supplies fresh food for all guests.
Poci-Retreats, Tuscany is run by its founders Dieter Mittelsten Scheid, M.D. and Batya Schwartz, M.S.W., two therapists with specialization in leading silent retreats and offering group and individual breath work. Accommodation and Fees: Poci can accommodate up to 25 people in cosy single and double rooms. For all retreats, participants pay between 45 and 70 Euros per day, including room and board, depending on their economic situation and personal evaluation. For detailed information about future silent retreats please contact us per email, communicating your specific interests and background. POCI-Retreats, Tuscany New book on silent retreats by Dieter Mittelsten Scheid in German: "Stille in einer lauten Welt, im Schweigen sich selbst erfahren" Koesel Verlag 2007 The English translation will be published in 2009.