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Our Story
When was the first time you thought about organizing a retreat?
Lola: I was 4 months postpartum, just moved from Romania to Turkey and felt empty, confused, not knowing what am I supposed to do with my life now, who is this new me. I started to search for a retreat to join, for the first time in my life. I wanted to disconnect from the usual things, wanted to forget that state of being a full time parent, a stranger in a new country. I searched a lot for a retreat that would make me feel going, but most of them were solely yoga retreats. And despite the fact that I practiced yoga occasionally, I didn’t feel like committing to doing only yoga for a week, I’d feel bored. So I never found any retreat that made me excited and want to join. Guess what, the first ever retreat I joined was the one created by me. And as I say, it’s not really a retreat, it’s a camp for grown ups, who want to be kids for a week, enjoying the opportunity to run around, chase each other in movement games, imitate animal moves, go out for a morning hike, and end the day with a strong practice that makes you sleep deep.
What is your movement background?
I was lucky that I never had to exercise for a pragmatic reason - it was never about weight loss, fitness goals, or getting appreciation. Small correction: I did need to lose weight and get fit, and also feel appreciated. As a child I was overweight, lacked confidence, had no friends, and there wasn’t really anything I truly loved. I feel so sad about me in the past. Yet I feel so lucky because that insecure and overweight girl discovered how transformative movement can be. And honestly, without any focus on the benefits, she just fell in love.
I started aikido when I was 13 - I was absolutely the worst and most hopeless in the group. I’d never imagine I could roll, or get fluid in movement. I have no clue why, but I just kept going.
4 beautiful years I spent mastering this Japanese martial art - so much in me changed, and I’m not talking about all the weight I’ve lost, or the confidence I gained on the tatami. But then it was time to move on.
When I moved to Poland I wanted to accomplish a dream - dancing flamenco. Spent two years loving it with all my heart, but my injured knees enjoyed less.
I kept trying different movement disciplines - was fanatic about running but can't do it full time, since my knees hate it. Love dancing but, again, my knees would fail me occasionally. I equally love conscious movement practice classes, as well as meaningless running around. They always tell you that you need to focus on one thing to grow, but it just kept feeling wrong for me, so I needed a space where I could allow myself (kind of "legalize") things that normally don't pair together - box and dancing, heavy hikes and floorwork, handstands and yin. This is how our program for the Movement Camps started to develop - just adding things that I always wanted to do at the same time. To then hear how our guests would say "how thoughtful and balanced was the schedule" :)
"I kept believing my body is limitless, I just need to find the right thing"
Lola: I tried all sorts of “classical” workouts in the next decade - gyms, group classes, privates, pilates, reformer, tried to love yoga… You might say that it’s inconsistent. But I discovered that I don’t need to be consistent in one movement practice, I only need to be consistent in movement.
Apparently, there’re people who enjoy doing different things.
Apparently, you don’t need to stick with one exercise routine.
Apparently, you can be a curious child beyond childhood and just playing in life.
And while learning to love all these different movement styles, for ten years back and force I was struggling with my knees. Every time I’d find a movement practice I love and get fanatically into doing it, my body would limit me. Yet I kept believing my body is limitless, I just need to find the right thing.
The First Movement Camp
sometimes you've got to do the most unreasonable things fully trusting that somehow it will all work out.
...and it did!
people told me it doesn't make sense doing the camps before I have a bigger audience, they said there're lots of retreats out there, and that it's just such a hassle to organize one...
and then i did it over and over again until the very same people started to ask for advice on how to do "retreats"
What are Movement Camps
The Movement Camps are about falling in love with movement in its’ most diverse forms. They are about travelling to unconventional places. They are about finding a community of people who share the same passion for movement, mindfulness, nutritious diet, longevity and joyful life.
During the camps we practice at least 10 different movement practices during a week. Imagine hand balancing, dance, different yoga styles, animal flow, strength training, surfing, hiking, barefoot runs, improvisation, and then more chill things like sailing or beach time (at 6 am :)
Always a different Crew.
Always a New Location.
We always bring in different instructors who contribute a completely different approach, style and knowledge in movement field. Usually, it’s 3-5 instructors that you meet during the camp.
And the locations are always different too. Not the places you usually would go to alone, just because they aren’t on your mind before we tell you they exist :) Not so easy to get to, but they are not touristic, in the nature, we need this feeling of being isolated from the usual world to rewire our brains and allow to absorb all the new things we’re about to learn during the week.
