I’m still savoring the calm and joyful experience from the summer retreat in Peștera even though weeks have passed:

The mountain orchestra of crickets buzzing, dogs barking and wind kissing wild grass and flowers… If there could be only one need to highlight: abundance.

Abundance of nature, homemade food, laughter and deep connection with myself and others. That felt to be the safe space with community I’d like to go back again, and again.

I deeply enjoyed my time in Peștera during this year’s Candidate Retreat. The setting is breathtaking, the food nourishing and the sense of community a true gift.

I especially appreciated the retreat’s flexible structure. People were free to follow what best supported their learning and well-being, whether that meant resting, receiving support, or offering a session. The collective generosity and enthusiasm meant our schedule quickly filled with many opportunities for learning and growth.I loved practicing NVC alongside such experienced and committed people. I left feeling inspired, connected and encouraged in my own learning journey.

Having attended last year, it was a joy to reconnect with old friends, meet new ones, and continue walking this path together.My deep gratitude to Ian and Mona for their care and dedication. From the thoughtful logistics that brought ease to the many learning opportunities that supported growth, I felt deeply held throughout the retreat.

The whole experience was both inspiring and nourishing.

For me, the 4 days spent at Pestera were a context of connection with myself, with nature and with human nature, with authentic needs and feelings.

I had the feeling of travelling on the axis of time, past, present and future.

I am grateful for the context for growing and learning, for connecting with colleagues from different countries, for new experiences.

Firstly – as I mentioned in the closing circle, the needs I was aware of at the outset of retreat I.e. my needs for self connection and presence, connection with others and learning were fully met and to a depth I wasn’t expecting, or often experienced in other NVC spaces.

Trust and safety

Before arriving at the retreat – the quality of communication and care shown for our most basic needs I.e. safe arrival at the venue, comfort with photos of the beautiful venue, sleeping arrangements and the weather forecast, nourishment and photos of the food, all gave me a deep level of trust and provided a scaffolding, a safety net for the quality and depth of connection to myself and others I was able to experience at the retreat.

Deep connection with others

This was only the second time I was able to connect with each participant at an NVC event, which made the whole experience deeply joyful for me. Partly it was due to the smaller size of the group and partly due to the overarching sense of care and containment provided by the two of you and the venue owners. Swapping the home groups also allowed a deeper connection with the participants I didn’t know, or didn’t know well, and didn’t have a chance to connect with in other ways.

Self connection and presence

Arriving with a sense of being ‘looked after’ (as mentioned previously), provided the safety I needed to connect to, and be supported in, parts of what’s alive in me that aren’t often not safe to feel or share. I also experienced a sense of belonging that I haven’t felt in NVC spaces for the past few years which gave space for connection to a broader range of emotions, both comfortable and uncomfortable.

Learning

Being in a learning space with other candidates and trainers with a similar, or greater, level of NVC knowledge, experience and practice, allowed me to dig deep for my learning edges, have a deeper level of discussions and connections and explore more fully what was alive in me as the week unfolded. I particularly found the input from each of you, your presence, your observations and preferences, very valuable in helping me increase my awareness of my own preferences and confidence in behaving more fully with authenticity and integrity. 

I particularly enjoyed the conversations around being an elder (rather than older) candidate and shifting my mindset to embrace all I have to offer NVC communities. And I’m enjoying the new energy this is bringing to thoughts around the value of my presence and contribution. 

Finally – Location

Being in such a stunningly beautiful place with so many comfortable spaces to be together (or alone), with hosts that showed so much attention and care, was nourishing for me in many ways, not to mention the delicious food (and cakes!!!). I’d love to say that I’ll be back next year but my life isn’t that predicable. I look forward to being together again, wherever that may be. 

I attended the Pestera event as my first in-person NVC event. It was important to me to find an environment that felt authentic to me. And easy and fun! I found all of those things through being there and of course the depth and sweetness I find in the NVC field. The entire group was involved in co-creating the learning space and it inspired me to further contemplate how I’d like to contribute in spaces like that. I enjoyed being led and guided by both Mona and Ian.

For me, being at Pestera felt more like a “camp”, rather than a retreat and it brought quite a few inner shifts. One of the more significant ones was the decision to step deeper onto the certification path. I made new friends and connected with folks in different ways.

I also loved the location! The green mountains, the views and daily afternoon showers! The traditional Romanian food was a wonderful experience in itself.