ASCEND at Dimensions Algonquin Highlands

Belong to Yourself by Awakening Your Core Wisdom…Life can feel so hard at times, especially when we struggle to experience belonging. But it doesn’t have to be this way. There are simple and practical mindfulness, wellness, and yoga tools we can use to feel more authentic, empowered, and embodied. Join your co-hosts, Dr. Komal Bhasin and award-winning empowerment and yoga teacher, Ritu Bhasin for a transformative and experiential stay at Dimensions Algonquin Highlands. The breathtaking natural environment,  situated on Maple Lake, Ontario, is the optimal location for resetting the central nervous system. This is a place where somatic psychotherapy is supported by plant medicine as the catalyst for self-betterment. Ceremonies are led by Plant Elder Martin Millen, a First Nation Traditional Medicine Man and are guided by expert somatic therapists. This co-hosted ASCEND Retreat features mindfulness, Breathwork and kundalini yoga sessions conducted by Komal and Ritu.

Embark on your ASCEND program and Retreat for self-betterment featuring one week of guided preparation, a four-night all-inclusive Retreat and two weeks of post-retreat integration. The four-night retreat at Dimensions Algonquin Highlands  features a range of somatic wellness and bodywork healing modalities, and an optional cannabis-assisted psychedelic journey. While on Retreat be surrounded by an intimate group of 12 others who are equally dedicated to becoming the best version of themselves.

Join Dimensions Algonquin Highlands’ Clinical Director Donald Currie, RP, and his team of leading somatic psychotherapists, massage therapists, and hospitality experts providing a new paradigm for well-being. Your all-inclusive Retreat begins on Wednesday, December 11 and runs through to Sunday, December 15, 2024.

A special inclusion on the second evening of the retreat features Ritu Bhasin and the award-winning musician Santosh Naidu who will guide you through a mindfulness, wellness, and yoga experience, enabling you to better connect with yourself. They will use a sequence of breathwork, chakra work, somatic awareness, and self reflection practices – all to live music. Areas covered in this session will include:

• An exploration of key mindfulness, wellness, and yoga practices for unlocking belonging, resilience, non-judgment, and joy
• A sequence of breathwork, chakra work, somatic awareness, and self reflection practices – all to live music
• A spotlight on what “Core Wisdom” is and why it’s essential for living with heightened authenticity, vulnerability, and intention

On your final evening join Dr. Komal Bhasin for a transformative Kundalini yoga session designed to center and strengthen you for the busy holiday season and the year ahead. Grounded in over 20 years of expertise in mental health and trauma-informed practice, Komal will guide you through Kundalini’s bio-psycho-spiritual benefits, combining meditation, yogic poses, and breathwork. This session will tap into the power of ancient Kundalini yogic wisdom  to enhance clarity, resilience, and inner peace, empowering you to navigate life’s demands with a renewed sense of purpose and calm. Awaken your vitality, release stress, and harness the healing power of sacred wisdom to support your journey into the new year.

Use Your Health Insurance on a Dimensions Retreat

You may be eligible for certain treatments on your health benefits plan. Do you contribute to a private or occupational health and wellness benefits program? You may be eligible for claiming one or more of those benefits at Dimensions. Find out more

THE THREE-PHASE ASCEND PROGRAM

PRE-RETREAT PREPARATION (one week prior)
(Virtual group meetings, dietary advice, videos, worksheets, meditations)

INCLUSIONS WHILE ON RETREAT at Dimensions Algonquin Highlands:

• Private luxury cabin accommodation with en-suite bathroom (soaker tub + walk-in shower)
• All meals, drinks, and snacks (healthy and organic)
• One welcome reception hosted by Komal and Ritu (discussion on integrating yogic principles, mindfulness and breathwork into your day to day)
• *One optional psychedelic Plant Medicine Ceremony with cannabis
• One Ceremony preparation, group, coaching
• Five individual Body Work and Wellness selections (acupuncture, massage, Thai massage, individual breathwork, reiki, sound healing, cranial sacral therapy, hot stone massage, mindfulness meditation)
• Choice of either BioSound therapy or Floatation therapy (float tank sensory deprivation)
• One individual somatic psychotherapy session (1 hr)
• One group psychotherapy session for integration (2 hrs)
• Daily morning group yoga or Qigong
• One nature group (forest therapy)
• One evening group Sound Bath
• One evening mindfulness, breathwork, wellness and yoga session with Ritu Bhasin and musician, Santosh Naidu
• One Kundalini yoga Session with Dr. Komal Bhasin
• One evening cacao Ceremony, followed by ecstatic dance
• Optional seasonal cold-exposure therapy (cold plunge)
• Seasonal outdoor activities

POST-RETREAT INTEGRATION, guided integration over two weeks:

-Virtual group discussion, videos, meditations

The ASCEND Retreat is held in a uniquely western container: it is supported by rigorous health and safety protocols and is among several well-being programs developed by Dimensions’ team of experts. The Retreat’s five-star environment is a ground-breaking opportunity to leave the everyday behind. Pause, reflect, and connect to an enhanced sense of purpose.

* RETREAT PARTICIPATION IS BASED ON ASSESSMENT

*For Guests who would like to experience Plant Medicine:

Dimensions is the foremost plant medicine retreat location in Canada – we offer plant medicine journeys for those guests who are interested. We use a cannabis blend of sativa, indica and a hybrid which increases the psychedelic effects of cannabis. Martin Millen, our Indigenous Plant Elder brings years of experience in assisting plant medicine journeys.

When used therapeutically in a professionally supervised environment, psychedelics can help you safely explore past experiences and memories that are normally difficult to tolerate or access. By quieting the part of the brain associated with ego, psychedelics disrupt patterns of negative thinking and allow for the creation of new perceptions. In these expanded states of consciousness, you’re better able to develop – and maintain – a deeper, more compassionate sense of yourself and your place in the world, leading to better mental health and improved well-being.  At Dimensions, safety is our priority. We incorporate multiple measures to optimize your wellness journey and ensure your stay with us is safe and effective from beginning to end.

(Psychedelic Assisted Therapy with Cannabis is Optional)

Clinical Team:  

Our Clinical team falls under the leadership of our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Douglas Cook (Neurosurgeon).  Donald Currie, RP is our clinical Director and Retreat facilitator.   Our therapists have expertise in using trauma, somatic and plant-based psychotherapies and other modalities.  The clinical team will be integrated into your entire experience.

Sessions involving therapy are with somatically trained therapists. Somatic psychotherapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on the connection between the mind and the body. It aims to help individuals process and release emotions, beliefs, and traumas that are stored in the body, which can lead to physical symptoms, emotional distress, and mental health issues. Somatic psychotherapy can be helpful in treating a wide range of conditions, including anxiety, PTSD, chronic pain, grief and depression.