Living the Appreciative Spirit: an advanced AI retreat for practitioners

UPDATE: Please note that this event has been postponed to summer 2018 at an alternative venue due to the closure of the Windermere Centre.

Appreciating Church is running a retreat in the beautiful surroundings of the Windermere Centre in the Lake District.

In Living the Appreciative Spirit, the three-day course, from 26th-29th June 2017, we will playfully explore the practice of living appreciatively.

We will co-design and co-create our event together, each bringing our ideas to the theme of living appreciatively, with lots of space for you to share your creativity in images, words, dreams and activities. You will have the opportunity to explore:

The principles of AI and how a deeper understanding of them can assist us as AI practitioners.
Ways of working skilfully with the concept that, through our choice of words, we largely create the world we later discover.
The power of creativity in all its forms.

It is for experienced and aspiring appreciative inquiry (AI) practitioners who enjoy using AI in daily life.

The fee includes three nights’ full board and retreat resource, with a maximum of 25 places available. The event begins with dinner at 6pm dinner on Monday 26th June (arrivals any time after 4pm), followed by an evening introduction session. It ends after lunch on Thursday 29th June. There will be time to enjoy the wonderful scenery, so bring suitable footwear and clothing if you want to do some local walking.

When your world moves too fast
And you lose yourself in the chaos,
introduce yourself
to each colour of the sunset…
Find yourself in the appreciation of life.
– Christy Ann Martine

The Appreciating Church project developed from an AI Essentials event Appreciating People ran for the United Reformed Church at the Windermere Centre in March 2014. Appreciating People co-founder Suzanne Quinney will lead the retreat. She has developed a range of practical applications of AI, while also deepening and exploring her own spiritual practice, which she began while living and working in the Findhorn community in 1994. Suzanne values deeply the creative and poetic; explores ways of including nature in spiritual practice; and is looking forward to sharing your expressions of these in this retreat. If you have questions, please email Suzanne: suzanne@appreciatingpeople.co.uk.
The Windermere Centre

Situated in the Lake District of north west England, the Centre is committed to offering radical hospitality and spiritual adventure on behalf of the United Reformed Church. The comfortable en-suite accommodation is matched by hotel quality meals made from local produce.
Cost for the retreat and accommodation and full board is £479 (with a non-returnable deposit of £100). To request a booking form, please email: philippa.linton@urc.org.uk.
Click here to download the Windermere-retreat flyer

Gratitude therefore takes
nothing for granted, is never
unresponsive, is constantly
awakening to new
wonder, and to
praise of the
goodness of God.
– Thomas Merton, mystic and monk