Today we’d like to introduce you to Lena Siemiesz.
Lena, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started to observe the ways in which I was disconnected from my voice and power as a woman, despite society seemingly offering me the same opportunites. I started to see how empowerment was not about the job or degree you held, it was about the energy you embodied, and people respond to energy. After a brief exposure to the field of production and advertisement, I became quickly disenchanted with the corporate world and its emptiness. I went on a travel journey where I followed my heart and synchronicities which led me to be in the right places at the right time to serve people who needed to be heard and more importantly, received, for their humanity, their suffering, their longing and their worth. In the eyes of vulnerable others, I found my purpose– not to save or fix, but to bear witness to the beauty of the truth and how its gentle yet persistent tempo guides us all towards our destiny.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has become really popular to want to do retreats. People think they will be an overnight success. It doesn’t work that way. I’m grateful for the trusting and courageous souls who came to us in the beginning, before we had a history and reviews. Since then, it has been important to build reliability through gathering testimony and learning from logistical details that could be improved upon. What makes the experience smooth is remaining calm no matter what happens. I have had to work with facilitators who didn’t show up as they promised they would. I have had to meet participants in triggers and personal crises and endure projections without taking it personally. I’ve had to model non-violent communication while leaning into vulnerability when the instinct to protect threatens to take over. It has not always been easy, but my experiences have been overwhlemingly positive. People coming together with an intention to heal, grow, connect and transform itself creates magic. There are moments to be a strong guide, and there are moments to gently hold the space and allow people to unravel themselves as they seek their own meaning and connection to the experience. Discernment strengthens with time and practice.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
This business is soul centered. We are not like your average retreat operation. We are small, local, grass-roots and authenticity is our highest priority above profits. This is a business because the economy we live in requires spirituality to meet the world in the only ways those who are devoted to it can realistically commit their lives to the work. But more than a business, this work is a Dharma and Kuleana– that which is an honor and privilege and also a duty and responsibility. Our philosophy sits at the intersection of Power and Love. Power without love is a desrtuctive force while love without power is sentimental and ineffectual.
We are known for our non-denominational spirituality rooted in ancient mysticism and the perenniel wisdom of all traditions. We are known for our balanced offerings that combine mind, body, emotional and spiritual healing opportunities. Unlike other brands and spiritual leaders, we don’t claim to offer a panacea for life’s suffering. We offer tools and experiences that can illuminate the hearts and minds of those who walk towards truth and understanding with humility and grace. In this work, the transactional model doesn’t work. Yes, you receive meals, a comfortable, luxury stay in paradise and adventure opportunities, but everything else that is offered from yoga to breathwork to psychology workshops to sounds healings and more– this is up to the participant to utilise for themselves. Every person and experience reflects a divine message if we are willing to see it. We don’t see the world as it is… we see the world as we are.
I am the founder. I offer coaching. I lead women through yoga, power boxing rituals for transmuting nervous system patterns from traumatic experiences. I offer dance and embodiment experiences, ritual theatre workshops, authentic relating, art journaling and workshops on depth psychology and relational dynamics to name a few. I work one on one and with groups.
I am not someone with a trivial fascination with spirituality and the mind. I began my interest as an adolescent following psychology, literature and philosophy and deeply probing the mysteries of the human experience. I started mystery school at 20 years old and my yoga journey at the same time. I’m a doctoral candiate in Psychology at Meridian University currently conducting research on how nature connects us to archetypal realities that promote transpersonal awareness that can enhance our sense of self and our ability to relate meaningfully with others. I am someone, who now at 36, knows she will never stop learning, growing and improving. I am also someone who knows how to source wisdom from beyond myself and who actively practices detaching from the temptation to think “I did something” when profound transformations occur for clients and retreats. There are forces beyond the self which aid in awakening when intentions are pure. I’d like all my students and participants to realize that reality is participatory. We receive at the level to which we show up.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
It makes me happy to see people feeling their feelings. I think this is the greatest and most powerful intervention into the systemic pitfalls of our time which seem determined to dissociate people from their bodies and emotions. Our feelings and sensations are the roadmap into soul. When I hear the quality of a tone of voice that resonates deep down to the root of the spine, the quivering sound, the deep bellow, the wail of grief, the sacred rage, and the honest, lucid refelction– I inwardly beam. For we all recognize truth when we see it, read it, hear it and feel it. And truth is the ultimate medicine for a time in which illusion reigns so powerfully over our world. The darkness around us is deep, but a single light illuminates an entire room.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sanctuaryretreatshawaii.com
- Instagram: sanctuary_retreats_hawaii
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sanctuaryretreatshawaii/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qKAUvwdqKY
- Other: https://bookretreats.com/r/6-day-inner-alchemy-remember-self-reclaim-soul-in-hawaii-us/preview
