"
- This event has passed.
4-Day Shibari Retreat (2 spots left!)
September 12 - September 15
4-Day Shibari Retreat (2 spots left!)
Thursday, September 12 – Sunday, September 15
REGISTER
Learn, experience, play, and connect through the medium of Japanese inspired rope bondage. This weekend retreat, designed for all levels of experience, explores intimacy, connectivity, and creativity within the realm of Shibari, movement practice, and alternative community building.
Recharge in the sauna, swim in the pond, enjoy nature walks and take in the sun, while our chef prepares a delicious selection of healthy meals to complement your rejuvenating experience at Peace Temple.
Retreat program
Spend the weekend in nature and among old and new friends learning and exploring the intricacies of Japanese inspired rope bondage. The retreat will start with an opening circle to share and set intentions for the weekend, and to learn more about each participant and what draws them to this art form.
Friday morning will start with a gentle Yoga practice, followed by a hearty and healthy breakfast to fuel up for a day of rope. The day will start with two class options— an absolute beginner rope class, for those with no existing knowledge of this practice, and an intermediate level class for those with an existing practice. This beginner class will cover history and culture of traditional Shibari and Western Bondage, in-depth safety, consent, and risk considerations, and several basic frictions and how to use them for your intentions within your own personal practice. After a break for lunch, there will be another mixed level class, as well as an opportunity to gather in the sauna, followed by dinner, to gently transition into the more social environment of the evening. There will be a fire circle and quiet open rope space for anyone who would like to continue to tie into the evening.
Saturday morning will begin with a meditation and sound healing, followed by breakfast. After breakfast, there will again be an option for two different rope classes of differing levels and subjects. Afterwards we gather for lunch, followed by an open rope space, with an optional guided group improvisation activity. Sunday evening will feature two performances, and time to connect with other attendees before settling in to rest for the evening.
Sunday will start with a gentle movement practice, followed by a nutritious breakfast. Our last class block of the weekend will feature an all level class, followed by time to pack up belongings and reset the space. We’ll close our weekend with a group lunch, and a time to come together one last time and share thoughts and experiences and inspirations from throughout the weekend.
All levels of experience with rope bondage and Shibari are welcomed at this retreat. All classes and open spaces are optional, and we encourage everyone to participate in as much group activity as feels comfortable. For those with experience with suspension, there will be several available outdoor hardpoints for use throughout the weekend.
Exact schedule and class descriptions will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tentative Retreat schedule
Thursday
- 3:00pm – 7:00pm – Landing/Arrival
- 7:00 pm – Dinner
- 9:00 pm – Opening Fire circle / introductions / Weekend Guideleines
- 11:00 pm – Rest
Friday
- 9:00 – 10:15 am – Yoga
- 10:30 – 11:30 am – Breakfast
- 11:30 am – 1:30 pm – Class session 1
- 1:30 – 3:00 pm – Open Rope Space / personal time
- 3:00 – 4:00 pm – Lunch
- 4:00 – 6:00 pm – Class session 2
- 7:30 – 8:30 pm – Dinner
- 9:00 – 10:30- pm – Evening fire circle / suspension demo
- 11:30 pm – Rest / Quiet Rope Open Space
Saturday
- 9:00 – 10:15 am – Yoga
- 10:30 – 11:30 am – Breakfast
- 11:30 am – 1:30 pm – Class session 3
- 1:30 – 3:00 pm – Open Rope Space / personal time
- 3:00 – 4:00 pm – Lunch
- 4:00 – 6:00 pm – Class session 4
- 6:00 – 7:00 pm – Sauna
- 7:30 – 8:30 pm – Dinner
- 9:00 – 10:30- pm – Evening fire circle / suspension demo
- 11:30 pm – Rest / Quiet Rope Open Space
Sunday
- 9:00 – 10:15 am – Meditation and Sound Healing
- 10:30 – 11:30 am – Breakfast
- 11:30 am – 1:00 pm – Personal time / Guided Group Rope Activity
- 1:00 – 3:00 pm – Class session 5
- 3:00 – 4:00 pm – Lunch / Closing circle and sharing
- 4:00 pm – Departure
Facilitators
Complete facilitators list TBA
Sydona – a Brooklyn-based rope artist, movement practitioner, and photographer who uses her training and performance experience in classical dance to inspire her ventures into experimental and experiential art of all forms. She was first introduced to the New York kink scene in 2018, and has been deepening her practice as a rope performer, educator, and facilitator ever since. In that time she has performed at events by House of Yes, House of X, House of Gemini and Scorpio, Seeking Haven, Hit Me Up!, Le Wand, Nuit des Cordes, and The Box. In 2019 She co-built two 300-square-foot installations at Industria and at Knockdown Center and in January of 2020 and December of 2022, Sydona assisted Hajime Kinoko’s large scale Shibari Web performances at The Dance and The Brooklyn Monarch. She is currently a resident educator at Temple, and is committed to creating safer kink spaces, educational opportunities, beautiful art, and connection to like-minded folks, for the sake of *joy* in ropes.
Roads – found herself in the New York shibari scene in 2017, mostly as a voyeur and witness of the art of ropes. After a 2020 trip to Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, she became inspired to tie and express a creative side of herself she never thought existed. Thanks to the guidance of Guatemalan based shibari artists at Pendulo Kinbaku and New York based instructors at Temple NYC, Roads has been studying shibari and tying professionally for 3+ years She comes to rope with a curiosity and yearning to unravel, uplift and transform the complicated beauty that exists in all of us. Roads especially likes to incorporate the use of sound in her rope practice with careful attention to the fluctuations of silence, breath, and natural sounds around us that remind us of life’s beautiful moments. Outside of rope, she specializes in LGBTQ+ immigration law and provides legal services to asylum seekers in the US and Mexico. She also works with plants to restore faith in herself and humanity.
Margherita Tisato – I am embodiment enthusiast, a dancer, a perpetual learner, and a subtle disruptor. In rope for over a decade, my practice expanded drastically when we founded temple in 2019, and gradually became an integrated element of my somatic work. Aside from rope, my work involves teaching a variety of movement and mindfulness techniques in correctional facilities and substance abuse disorder treatment programs, specializing in individuals dealing with PTSD, addiction, and other mind-body complexities. I also serve as a guest lecturer on embodiment and trauma at colleges and universities, while actively engaging in scientific research on addiction and recovery. My passion lies in creating spaces for exploring suffering, discomfort, and marginalized experiences, finding growth through catharsis and integration via somatic practices leading to liberation, such as stillness, yoga, dance, Butoh, rope, hook suspensions, and laughter. My mission in sharing information and experiences with others is to soften the dichotomy between body and mind, to investigate visceral sensations in order to create emotional resilience, through the main mediums of embodiment, curiosity, dialogue and play. You may catch me performing with Sokolow/Theatre Dance Ensemble, Vangeline Theater, Dances We Dance, or as an independent artist.
Bondagious & Thumper – Bondagious (he/him) snared Thumper (he/they) at a rope date in the fall of 2019, and they have been tying tangible and intangible bonds ever since. Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the duo has studied principally Akechi Kanna-style rope bondage, from official and unofficial sources. They draw inspiration from Barkas and Addie’s approach to rope as a tool for communication and connection, strongly influenced by the teachings of Yukimura Haruki. With backgrounds in the performing arts, they seek opportunities to surprise and delight audiences and each other, drawing on the dynamic, high-impact minimalism of Tifereth and Nicholas Yoroi. A shared textile fetish inspired them to develop their Exposure and Restraint: clothing play and rope bondage workshop, which they previewed at NARIX Montreal in June 2022. Since then, they have been fortunate to tour this weekend intensive to rope studios in Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City, New York City, Chicago, Austin, and Denver. Locally, they co-host Mens Rope Night, an open practice at Tension Montreal for GBTQ+ men who tie men to meet, chat, watch and tie in a secure and supportive environment. This monthly event aims to increase the presence and representation of masc/AMAB people-in-rope. This fall, they will be headline presenters at Men Roping Men 2024, the first annual weekend rope conference focused on education and community building for men, masc-leaning non-binary/trans/gender non-conforming folks, in San Francisco.
Demo (he/him) is a Western MA based artist, harm reductionist and kinkster. His lived experience in various systems brings his kink into a political space where the boundary project of relating to others and their bodies in expansive ways takes shape. Demo frames his kink and his work through an anti carceral lens; liberating his own body through mixed mediums and pushing for the collective power and autonomy of all criminalized peoples and communities. He has been practicing rope for five years and is most interested in how rope can engage in dialogue with bodies through exposure and tenderness. His focus in kink is on the body and its capacity to absorb/create/transform/negoti
Vladimir Kuperman – Host and the creator of Peace Temple. Vladimir is a leader of Peace Temple, a spiritual retreat center in the beautiful Catskill Mountains, devoted to creating and holding peaceful and inspiring community events, where creativity, spiritual growth, sustainability, respect for nature, and respect for each other are practiced. Besides hosting the retreat, Vladimir will facilitate the Central American Sauna.
To register
You may send the complete payment, or a 50% deposit (the remainder is due one week before the retreat start date) and fill out the form below with the screenshot of your payment.
Early bird cost for this retreat is over.
Only 2 spots left!
$720 cost includes all meals and camping (bring all your camping gear). All identities, orientations, and levels of experience are warmly welcomed and encouraged to attend. If the cost of attendance is prohibitive, please reach out via peacetempleretreats@gmail.com to inquire about potential scholarship or discounted attendance.
- SOLD OUT – Add $75 for a three-night stay in our cozy dorm with a full-size bed (bring your own bedding). If sharing the bed with another participant, the second person pays $38 in addition to the retreat cost. When registering, provide the name of the person you are sharing your accommodation with to help us track available spaces.
- AVAILABLE – Add $375 for a three-night stay in our private cabin with a queen-size bed (bedding provided). If sharing, the second person pays $75 in addition to the retreat cost. Cabins are available for a maximum occupancy of two people (please inquire for availability). When registering, please provide the name of the person you are sharing your accommodation with to help us track available spaces. Please note that cabins do not have private bathrooms; bathroom facilities are shared among guests.
Venmo or Zelle full payment OR a 50% deposit to 917 968 3214 to book your spot.
Please use the Friends and Family (keep purchases option turned off) option when making the payment, as avoiding the transaction fees helps us to keep the retreat cost lower for you.
Please do not use words Rope or Shibari with Venmo, simply write “payment for Sept 12-15 retreat”
VENMO: https://account.venmo.com/u/Vladimir-Kuperman
You must write in the note part of the payment your full first and last name and email, and clearly specify what this payment is for.
This retreat is not yet sold out.
Refund policy
Peace Temple reserves the right to cancel a retreat at any time. If Peace Temple cancels a retreat, you will receive a full refund. Some retreats may have special cancellation policies; please see individual retreat descriptions.
Unless otherwise stated within program descriptions:
Full refunds are available up to thirty (30) days before your program or stay.
Nonrefundable credit toward a future Peace Temple retreat is available up to fourteen (14) days before your retreat, or you may choose to receive a 50% refund at this time. Credit may be applied to any Peace Temple retreat in 2024-2025.
No credit or refund is available if you cancel within thirteen (13) days of the retreat; if you do not show up; or if you leave an event early for any reason. No refund will be available if you attend a program and are dissatisfied with its presentation or content.
Fill out the form to complete registration
We will review your registration and get back to you with a confirmation.
* * *
We are now offering two separate weekends for this 4-day retreat!
Please read through this FAQ:
* * *
Will the programming be the same for both weeks?
No! While the general schedule structure will remain the same, there will be some new facilitators and different class offerings.
Can I sign up for both weeks!
Yes!
I’m currently registered for Week 1, but would prefer to attend Week 2, can I switch?
Yes, as capacity allows. Please email peacetempleretreats@gmail.com with your request.
When someone signs up for weekend 2, do they get taken off the waitlist for weekend 1?
Yes, unless we receive an email asking to remain on the waitlist for weekend 1, upon registration for weekend 2, your information will be removed from the waitlist for weekend 1.
Can I attend solo?
Yes! All levels of experience and types of partnership are welcomed. There will be some programming to help facilitate new friendships and community building, including games, peer skillsharing, group discussions…
I’d like to attend but I can’t arrive by the 3-7pm arrival time. Can I still come?
We ask that all participants arrive by 9pm at the very latest on the first day of the retreat and stay through the closing circle on day four to create a closed container environment. If you need an exception to these departure/arrival times, please email.
* * *
* * *
Retreats provide time and peace away from your day to day routines. Going on a retreat helps to re-energize your body and soul, while providing you space to think creatively and time to reflect. If you truly want to be productive and effective in your daily life , then setting aside time to detox your body, being in nature, consider your life’s purpose and your personal values, vision and mission is vital.
* * *
Please write to peacetempleretreats@gmail.com to inquire for details.