in the Celtic Mists of Ireland
Join Qoya founder Rochelle Schieck and Geraldine Lavelle in Ireland to celebrate the abundance of the Goddess Aine, Goddess of the Summer, and the Faery. Celebrate the summer solstice and learn about Celtic traditions as you enjoy daily movement, ritual, and community connection in a peaceful, inspiring, and sacred land.
Dear Pilgrim,
Before I took my first trip of intentional travel, I read a book called The Art of Pilgrimage. What I received from that book was the difference between being a tourist and being a pilgrim. Travel has always been a way for me to notice my willingness to explore my inner world as I explore the outer world as a sacred journey.
After leading almost 100 retreats over the last 14 years, another thing I have grown to deeply appreciate is the opportunity to gather in a circle during important ceremonial days. I am ecstatic to imagine all of us gathering around a fire on the summer solstice in Ireland. When I close my eyes, I can feel the ancestral traditions of the past informing this present moment and in this present moment seeding the potential for the future.
I’m deeply grateful to Geraldine for her generosity to invite and host us in her home and in her heart, which carries a great love for the land.
I invite you to notice if this trip aligns for you at this time. And if it does, know that we would be deeply honored to host you.
With love,
Rochelle Schieck
ABOUT ROCHELLE SCHIECK
Rochelle Schieck is the founder of Qoya. Since its inception in 2009, she has trained hundreds of Qoya teachers, taught thousands of Qoya movement classes, and led dozens of retreats in the most sacred places on earth with one intention in mind: to remember, and to help others do the same.
Qoya is designed to feel how the body and movement are a portal to remember our essence, to feel our perspective shift from going through the motions to savoring life as sacred. Qoya does this through classes, workshops, rituals, retreats/pilgrimages, teacher trainings, free videos online, a blog, and Rochelle’s book, Qoya: A Compass for Navigating an Embodied Life that is Wise, Wild and Free in hopes that all that feel the call to remember can be supported on their journey. There are no levels to Qoya, and it is a movement that people of any age or ability level can do. It has been featured in outlets like New York Magazine, Oprah.com, The Telegraph, and Psychology Today.
“May the nourishment of the earth be yours, may the clarity of light be yours, may the fluency of the ocean be yours, may the protection of the ancestors be yours.”
Dear Qoya Sister,
I am inspired to share this beautiful part of Ireland with you by the land, the sea, the sun, the skies, the ancestors, the holy mountain. It feels like there is a destiny for me in the sharing of this beauty all around me, which I do not fully understand but am willing to embrace with an open heart.
It has taken many journeys into my heart and my life to come to this place of being asked by Spirit to share the Power of the Landscape.
My experience of this landscape to heal, soothe, restore, and replenish the human is powerful beyond words. Being connected opens up portals in me for gratitude, joy, playfulness, oneness, peacefulness, well-being and of course, love. Many many times “place” has healed and guided me through transitions in my life. Powerful yet gentle in its ways.
Imagine sitting in a sheltered spot, feeling the elements on your skin or at the kitchen window protected from the elements, the eye travels over the landscape watching the changes in weather, the rain, the sun, the rainbows, the way the colours change on the mountains, the way the clouds move, the way the white horses dance across the sea, all soothing the mind and the soul. Nothing stays the same, change is happening all the time, and here we get to witness this minute by minute, sometimes second by second.
The sacred mountain of Croagh Patrick (Cruachan Aigli) overshadows this part of the world, looking down over Clew Bay. A place of pilgrimage for many peoples going back in time to the ancient people of Ireland. Prayers, lifted up in an asking or a gratitude.
The Celts called on the land and the gods to provide for them and to protect them in all sorts of ways: food, beauty, comfort, shelter, health. They respected and celebrated what was given to them in abundance with gratitude, expectation, joy, and playfulness.
So I invite you with “A Cead Mile Failte” (a hundred thousand welcomes) to come to County Mayo to celebrate the Summer Solstice, to give thanks , to celebrate the abundant gifts we have received from the sun goddess Aine, to pray for what you desire to harvest, to be soothed and invigorated by the sea, to feel the ancient landscape under your feet, to honour the ancestors that have come before us, to explore the monuments that they left behind, and to play as the Faery do.
Love,
Geraldine
For the last 14 years, Qoya has invited women to connect with themselves through movement and have an embodied experience of their essence as wise, wild and free. Qoya retreats build on this movement practice, adding rituals, community connection activities, and the pilgrimage to Ireland. This pilgrimage has been years in the making, and we’re called to dance here because of the sacred history of the land and people. Many members of the Qoya community return to our retreats year after year as an investment in themselves and in their feeling of connection and belonging. Whether you’ve been doing our videos online, are a Qoya teacher, attended a retreat, read the Qoya book, or feel inspired by a friend’s Qoya journey, if you feel the call, we invite you to experience this pilgrimage with a rich community of fellow travelers.
+ enjoy daily experiential learning around Celtic culture and folklore
+ connect to self, other, nature, and spirit with reverence through ceremony and ritual
+ learn embodiment practices and receive encouragement to trust your body’s wisdom
+ feel physically nourished by daily Qoya movement, food, connection, and rest
The temperature will be around 18 -22 Centigrade or 65 – 72 Fahrenheit.
Weather here changes frequently. Ireland can have sun, rain, and everything in between in one day. Please be mentally and physically prepared for various weather changes. Activities in the schedule may shift to flow with the weather of the week.
3:00pm: Check in
Time to rest, settle in, and explore surroundings
6:00pm: Dinner
8:00am: Morning Swim
Day Free to Explore Westport, Ireland
4:00pm-6:00pm: Opening Ceremony
6:00pm: Dinner
8:00pm: Storytelling
8:00am: Morning Swim
9:30am: Breakfast
11:00am – 1:00pm: Qoya Class – Invoking Earth
1:30pm: Lunch
2:30-5:30pm: Afternoon Excursion to Old Head Beach, the oldest oak forest in Ireland
Walk in the forest, sauna, swimming, or stand up paddle boarding.
6:30pm: Dinner
8:00pm: Evening Gratitude Ceremony
8:00am: Morning Swim
9:30am: Breakfast
11:00am – 1:00pm: Qoya Class – Invoking Water
1:00pm: Picnic lunch during afternoon excursion to honor Water
Visit Leeaun through scenic Delphi and take a boat trip on Killery Harbour.
6:30pm: Dinner
8:00pm: Irish Singing and Dancing
8:00am: Morning Swim
9:30am: Breakfast
11:00am – 1:00pm: Qoya Class – Invoking Air
1:30pm: Lunch
3:00-6:00pm: Afternoon Excursion to Sacred Sites (Solstice is exact at 3:57pm)
6:30pm: Celebration Dinner
8:00pm: Summer Solstice Fire Ceremony
8:00am: Morning Swim
9:30am: Breakfast
11:00am – 1:00pm: Qoya Class – Invoking Fire
1:30pm: Lunch
3:00-6:00pm: Afternoon Excursion to Honor Goddess Aine
Celebrate the Queen of the Faeries and create Faery Gardens.
6:30pm: Dinner
8:00pm: Flower Blessing Ceremony
8:00am: Morning Swim
9:30am: Breakfast
11:00am – 1:00pm: Closing Ceremony
1:30pm: Lunch
3:00-6:00pm: Afternoon Free to Hike Croagh Patrick Mountain.
You may also opt to explore the town.
6:30pm: Dinner in town
9:30am: Blessings on your next adventure
This retreat will be held at the home of Geraldine Lavelle, one of our Irish Qoya teachers, and also in a guest house nearby. It will be an intimate retreat, so if you feel called to join us, we recommend you register soon.
Double Occupancy = you will have a roommate but a bed to yourself
Single Occupancy = whole room to yourself
Single Room: $3,333
Shared Room, King Bed: $3,111
Shared Room, Twin Bed: $2,800
If you are feeling the call to join this journey, we invite you to apply below to speak with Rochelle Schieck, who will be facilitating the retreat, and will answer any questions you may have.
CANCELLATION POLICY: If you need to cancel for any reason (including COVID-19 travel restrictions) and we can find a person to take your spot, we will refund the amount paid minus a $250 administration fee. If we cannot find a person to take your spot, there are no refunds; however, you can transfer your paid spot to someone else, so you can send a friend or family member to the retreat in your place.
We will also hold your tuition as a course credit for a future retreat minus any housing expenses we incur. If you would be placed in financial distress in the event that you need to cancel without a refund, we encourage you not to register and to wait until closer to the retreat to register so that you may be more sure of your plans and current travel restrictions.
Have a question that isn’t covered here? Contact us at info@qoya.love, and a member of Team Qoya will support you.
It starts with dinner at 6pm on the 17th, and ends at 9:30am on the 24th. We recommend that you arrive around 4pm on the 17th to have time to settle in before dinner.
Fly into Dublin. We will arrange a shuttle pick-up from Dublin airport on Saturday, June 17th at 10:00am. It is a 3.5 hour drive, and price is included in registration. If you would like to make your way to the retreat location a different way, we will support you with all the details you need. The van will then leave the retreat center Saturday, June 24th and bring you back to the Dublin area/airport at 10:00am, arriving around 2:00pm.
Another option is Knock Airport, which is about one hour away from the retreat location. Check Aer Lingus for flights.
No – you will need to book a room nearby in the area and handle transportation back to the airport on your own, or organize somewhere to stay in Dublin. If you’d like to come early or stay later to explore Ireland, we can help you with directions on how to get to the retreat.
Since we have limited space for this retreat, we are only able to accommodate your partner if they are attending the retreat as well. If you would like to stay in a hotel or BNB nearby and commute in to the retreat, that can be arranged.
In order to ensure a good experience for everyone who attends the retreat, we want to make sure everyone who attends is willing to participate in a safe and sacred space, honoring our communication agreements.
If you’re not able to attend the retreat, there are no refunds regardless of the reason. We are happy to hold part of your tuition as a credit towards a future retreat.
If you don’t feel comfortable with this, please don’t sign up. You can get good travel insurance that covers Covid cancellations or wait until the last minute to register and attend to lessen your risk. However, as a small company, we can’t cover refunds in the event of an act of nature, like a global pandemic.
Any questions we haven’t covered here? Email us at info@qoya.love.