The virtual trainings are complemented by immersive workshops that bring face-to-face community experiences: practicing together to develop the four intelligences in search of coherence and joy. In harmony with the general objective of ESI, which is to transform oneself in order to transform the world, these workshops are moments of learning. Through: different ecological practices, body work, practices of self-knowledge in nature or bio-constructed spaces, celebrations that strengthen bonds and give space for sharing, lectures and practical classes, art workshops of different kinds (especially with recycling)…
These sessions also teach us to welcome the challenge of the new era, to coexist peacefully and responsibly in environments immersed in Nature or designed ecologically.
The next in-person retreat in India:
- Trilingual course in English, French, and Portuguese from 16th to 28th February 2023 (coordinated by Débora Nunes)
India
Auroville Immersions
From time to time, the Integral Ecology School offers its international community a multilingual immersion in the world’s largest and oldest ecovillage, Auroville, located in the Pondicherry region of India. It is an opportunity to learn from the experience of Auroville’s inhabitants who have been seeking personal alignment for half a century in order to build a community that is seen to represent human unity. The founder of the School, Débora Nunes, together with her husband Emerson Sales, have lived in Auroville, which opens the doors of this city to a visit beyond tourism, allowing a real immersion in this piece of a new world.
The short story “Auroville, 2046: After the end of one world”, by Débora Nunes (available here in eight languages) already provides us an insight into the city, its challenges and achievements, within a futuristic perspective of realism and optimism. Realism in the face of the immense challenges which humanity is being confronted with and which will deepen in the future, and optimism through the description of the processes of regeneration and reconstruction which are already being practised in Auroville and elsewhere and which ESI students are invited to take part in.
Check our website for details of this immersion (dates, languages, fees).
Brazil
ESI Immersions at the Farm of the Future
Immersions at the Farm of the Future have been held since the School’s inception in Brazil and are important moments to deepen on the themes and the learning process, both for Module I and Module II. The Farm has the capacity to accommodate up to 18 people and provides a variety of suitable environments for ESI activities. It welcomes both large and small groups for the development of emotional, mental, physical and spiritual intelligences. Thus, there are spaces for physical exercise, various permaculture practices, meditation and rituals, lectures and sharing circles, as well as walks in the magnificent surrounding landscapes.
The bio-constructed architecture of the Farm of the Future headquarters offers an environment that encourages experimenting with different ways of living: daily routines of greater respect and interaction with Nature. There are dry toilets, renewable energies, a vegetable garden integrated into the architecture, and rainwater catchment, among other eco-friendly practices. The organisation of the community in the daily life of the Farm favours shared and group work, from planting and harvesting in the organic garden, to the collaborative vegetarian and creative kitchen, as well as sharing responsibilities in everything related to food and organisation of the space.
The Farm of the Future has a Coexistence Pact based on the experiences and discoveries of community life. It sets out the behaviour expected of participants in an immersion so that it may take place in an ecological, cooperative and joyful way. It is a political document, in the sense that it marks out guidelines for living together and facilitates the learning of new behaviours for a new world under construction (download the pdf).
During the immersions in the Farm, the participants are offered the opportunity to be involved in the production of molasses and rapadura and of manioc flour and beiju, which are centuries-old local products. In this way ESI students interact with the local community, making the most of their knowledge.
The participation of the ESI community in the agricultural activities of the coffee agro-forest, in the production of vegetables and fruit in the orchard and in the planting of trees for ecological regeneration, reinforces the change of paradigm that the Farm proposes for the Grota region, based on its permaculture practices.
France
Immersions in the French Alps
Retreats are held periodically in a chalet in the French Alps, a property shared by seven families. Next to the chalet is our partner farm producing organic cheese, the Pradier. The chalet can accommodate up to twenty people in a rustic and pleasant setting surrounded by spectacular scenery.
This is an idyllic setting for self-knowledge, changing daily practices towards a more ecological life, interacting in a small learning community, and connecting activities with Nature.
