My wife and I were greatly moved by our time in Assisi. Our leader David artfully allowed us to move into the Peace and Joy that permeates the silence, the light and the wind. All we need is to be peacefully present. We are left in complete gratitude and awe. Our hearts have been expanded. Our compassion and empathy for others is strengthened. We are more content and expansive in our living. Thank you for helping us to see.
I have just returned home to the UK from a week long retreat in Assisi with Ruth and Bruce Davis. Words cannot begin to describe the miraculous nature of this retreat. Not only did I receive a deep healing for a very old emotional wound, but I also felt incredible love, peace and joy flooding my heart. I am now filled with so much gratitude to Assisi and to Ruth Bruce and Diedre who looked after us all with such unconditional love and meticulous practical care. I cannot wait to return to another out of this world Simple Peace retreat in the near future.
I am full of gratitude as I carry in my heart the light I experienced Assisi - every day. You feel a PRESCENCE when you are in Assisi and it becomes a part of you. I have always expected people, places and things to give me love, satisfaction, joy, success, you name it, but I kept feeling this void in me ever since I was a child and tried to fill it with whatever I could from the outside. The pain became unbearable. Then I started to look inside and discovered the most fulfilling loving Source within me, in my heart. The Assisi Retreat was a milestone in this journey. Ruth and Bruce showed me & our wonderful group, the most loving path to the TRUE SELF. They were/are endless channels of light. I have never traveled so deep with self love. My mind was blocking me with pathological fears on the surface. There is a great freedom and joy to this and healing SILENCE. The journey of Saint Francis and Saint Clare, the meditative walks with our lovely guides, the beauty of nature...white doves literally following us into meditation! The hotel, the food, were superb, felt like family. It is also great that after returning home I continue to receive guidance from Ruth and Bruce to be able to practice the presence of NOW, keep the light in my everyday life with self care. It is challenging but works if you are willing to open your heart for it...
Everything about this retreat was pure joy. The rooms were modest with a breathtaking panoramic view of Assisi. The meals at the hotel were delicious and there are plenty of wonderful restaurants and cafes nearby. The retreat schedule was perfectly balanced with meditation time and time to explore Assisi. The program includes daily tours of the historic and most sacred parts of this beautiful town. Our tours were informative and fun and led by our exceptional retreat leader David. The meditation sessions led by David were divine and helped me deepen my meditation practice. The entire experience really shifted my spirit more towards joy. Assisi is a special place and this retreat is a special program. I loved every minute of it and hope to return again very soon.
I have just returned from my fourth Assisi Retreat. Each time we go to the same sacred sites, but my experiences are always totally fresh and miraculous. This time, David led us in some incredibly heart-opening meditations and I experienced my heart gently opening more and more to experience love and peace deep within me and all around me. I cannot wait to return to Assisi for another Simple Peace Retreat this August!
My wife and I did the retreat in Assisi on the week of my birthday and it was an amazing experience. It was great for me to deepen my meditation practice and really connect to Assisi, a very peaceful and beautiful place. The retreat leader David not only guided our meditation, but shared with us his love for Assisi in beautiful daily pilgrimages to the city sacred sites beyond the religious content. I highly recommend this retreat for everyone, specially those new to meditation looking for a retreat experience that is joyful and relaxed.
It was the most fruitful and joyous retreat I have ever been on. The fact that it was held in Assisi at a beautiful family Pensione means that we could also go to the many spiritual centers within walking distance. We meditated at each center and the effect was overwhelming. You quickly learn that Assisi is one of the power spots of the world. Add in David's kindness, tailoring your experience and you have the ingredients for a most profound and life changing experience.
What a powerful experience in Assisi. The hotel was quaint and very clean, with the most amazing views and friendly owners, and near the town square. The meditation room was simple and conducive to meditation. David was divine as the retreat leader and meditation (and travel) guide. We were a group of 5, each coming from diverse backgrounds. It was a good size group- not too large, allowing for intimacy. The days were full enough for visits to various shrines, and opportunities to meditate at each, but with time on our own, and flexibility within the group. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was, for me, a sacred experience in a miraculous and storied city! I’ll do it again. pace e bene!
Urvashi had learnt St Francis' prayer as a child and since then she had harboured a deep desire to visit Assisi. Finally the opportunity arose this October, on her 60th birthday! We discovered the Retreat by chance and what a wonderful find it was. Our 5 day stay in Assisi was the highlight of our marvellous trip to Italy. The Hotel Posta Panoramica is most conveniently located and dinner on its terrace while enjoying the sunset is wonderful. The Assisi Retreat Center is located just off a quiet garden (in the Hotel) which is dedicated to the retreat participants only. The space has a feeling of peace and sacredness. Our guide was Brenda, a wonderful, warm and gentle soul who lead us through meditation in the morning and evening and guided us through Assisi bringing the spirit and message of St Francis alive. Assisi is wonderful. Its centuries-old buildings and narrow paved paths seem frozen in time and each place linked with St Francis has been lovingly preserved and radiates the love of St Francis and the devotion of the millions of pilgrims who have come here. Being here in the retreat with Brenda and the wonderful group of co-pilgrims who had come for the retreat was a very special experience that will remain with us for a long time. We would love to return and bathe once more in the joy and beauty of Assisi. Rupin and Urvashi Mumbai
About 10 years ago I visited Assisi for the first time in search of a deeper Retreat experience. During the retreat I visited San Damiano and it's evening Vespers. As I started walking down to this sacred site I experienced a type of meditation. Every stone gate I passed felt like an inner gate leading me into deeper meditation - I felt a blessing upon me - As I passed the olive trees and entered the monastery garden I came even deeper into this space. I felt somehow time was outside of this space and was full of loving beautiful beings. Since then San Damiano has been the place of ultimate love for me - every stone of it is made if love. I am so thankful for the retreats of Bruce and Ruth that helped embed in me this deeply touching experience. Thank you so much !
This week was an amazing time of sharing, listening, reflecting, and expanding inner and outer awareness of the divine. Our guide, Brenda, so gently and wonderfully shepherded our little cohort of spiritual practitioners in Assisi. The impact of this brief but amazing week leaves a mark, a necessary mark, a mark that beckons our deepest and true selves to return to the time of silent reflection so that such a spirit might permeate our lives more and more with each breath, not simply those we breathe in our practice. The twice-a-day practice was great and something Penny and I had been wanting to do but had not incorporated at that time. The close ties formed by our group will last long into the future, and Brenda’s spiritual acumen is largely to thank for that. A big shout out to Savita, our gentle and healing masseuse. Don’t miss this opportunity to take this journey in Assisi.
I enjoyed every minute of my stay in this blessed place. The retreat leader, Brenda, was an angel. Peace and love can be found here. It is very difficult to describe my experience because it is in my heart and soul. I wish I could stay longer and I certainly will come back. I want to express my deep gratitude to Ruth & Bruce as well for their vision and inspiration.
We had a fantastic time at the Assisi Retreat. We look forward to coming back in the future. Everything is very welcoming and comfortable. Our retreat leader was a huge support. Brenda guided us through our meditation sessions and meditations in the sacred sites. She was always so incredible helpful and inspiring! All in all, I did enjoy this opportunity of enlightenment, and hope to live up to all the beautiful things I have learned with her. I will be sending you some pictures from our stay. Thank you very much !!
We attended an Assisi Retreat in July, led by Rob and David. I was a complete beginner in meditation, and was ably looked after by all. Assisi is really a stunning location, with amazing energy, and the retreat combined time for reflection along with experiencing the amazing sites - we were particularly taken by San Damiano and Eremo. Thank you to all involved - inspiring.
I have just returned from my second retreat in Assisi with David Nowe. Words cannot really convey how miraculous it is to stay right at the centre of this incredibly powerful spiritual hotspot. After just a day or two of meditating in the hotel's beautiful new practice room, my heart just opened wide and I experienced unconditional love pouring through me. The veil of illusion between this illusionary world of endless suffering and the real world of perfect love and perfect peace is so thin in Assisi that we all experienced miracles happening around every corner. For example, I shared a miraculous moment of unconditional love with an albino donkey on the path from the Hermitage back into Assisi!! With heartfelt thanks to David and Ruth and all the beautiful souls who attended this retreat during which true spiritual awakening and renewal happened so effortlessly. .
"Dear Ruth, David and our Assisi Retreat Team, I want to thank you for the incredible experience I had at Assisi Retreats. We had an outstanding retreat leader and guide, plus the entire week was a dream for me. I feel that the retreat transformed my way of thinking about myself and life and I am very grateful. I hope to return next year. Thank you so much for this wonderful treasure you are giving to people !!"
Dear David, I wanted to take some time to thank you, you are wonderful, you carry within the best of every culture and the pure message of St Francis, Thank you for sharing all of this with us, for your guidance, love and your joy of living !!! You and Assisi will be always in my heart. May the spirit of Assisi be always be with you!
My heart is overwhelmed with happiness finding this amazing retreat. David and Brenda guided with love and have wonderful stories of Francis and Clare... They helped us feel the spiritual beauty of Assisi which I will take home with me !!! I recommend this retreat to anyone seeking to discover the spiritual treasure of Assisi.
Dearest Linda and David, It was such a wonderful experience to spend these days in your welcoming presence & retreat, in these amazing surroundings. Given that I normally do not really have (or make?) the time, I feel that this was such a great opportunity to slow down, to breath, and to do some real good soul searching. I feel that I was able here to reconnect with my soul, and I've gained some really important insights, like the things which really make me tick. This is not finished now and I will continue to search and connect and enjoy life to the fullest! A life in which I will ensure to incorporate morning meditation and yoga. I am sure that I will often think back to the peace of Assisi and your teachings in yoga and meditation.
I was in serious need of tranquility and peace. The process immediately started when I booked with Ruth Davis as she arranged the taxi for me and an additional night in a wonderful hotel called 'La Posta Panoramica' ~ Nothing was too much for Ruth. I enjoyed every moment walking through the quiet streets and all the nature calling you, the swallows, the Assisi bells, sitting under the old olive trees of San Damiano, watching butterflies, wasps, birds, cicadas, lizards, crickets – you name it. Time flies there by doing nothing. We stayed mostly silent or just whispered about relevant things. It was a great experience not having to talk about oneself or inquire on other people’s life. There came a time at the end of the week where we opened up. It was also a great lesson to learn not to judge people as you don’t know their back ground. Linda welcomed us with open arms and her wonderful smile. She led the meditations and yoga or movement meditations. She was also open for other suggestions like QiGong. Others enjoyed Linda’s healing hands during massages; for me it was bliss to receive an occasional hug. She radiates so much love and happiness. When David, the retreat leader, joined us on Wednesday the five of us had already built a strong bond. David joined the group with great care and wisdom. I enjoyed his mediations and tapping into his vast knowledge. I wished we had more time. I am not so much into religious aspect and had sometimes to distance myself from references to the Saints but it never disturbed my way of finding peace or getting into a meditative state of mind. Linda and David never preached anything. Linda and David… you are wonderful individuals and a great team. Bruce Davis’ books were very helpful for me and touched me. Coincidence – I don’t think so. Thank you Linda, David, Ruth and Bruce! Love and Peace to all people in the world.
This is by far the most beautiful & exquisite experience I have had in a long time. Under the gentle, competent guidance of two dear fellow humans, Brenda and David, I was brought me back to my inner self. I will never forget the blissful hours of meditation and the walks through back streets and up to the Eremo of Assisi - the picture-book town where one feels embraced by the spirits of both St. Francis and St. Clare.
I was at a very low point in my life and for once I decided to do something for myself. I live in Toronto and yes there are many retreats in Canada, but I chose Italy because Italy is incredibly peaceful and people in Italy live for 'today' and not for tomorrow. They do not worry about tomorrow because it is not now. Ruth and Bruce Davis have created an incredibly wonderful space for people to transform in tranquility and solace. Through my many tears, laughter and peacefulness, I was transported to a place of clarity. God Bless you Ruth, Bruce, David & Brenda
I have enjoyed both my stays at Assisi retreat, the first at 2012 and the second in 2013. I went there to find connection to my inner self, enhance my meditation practice and simply to enjoy beatiful surroundings and silence. I was greeted with wonderful atmosphere and lovely surroundings. The peace that I experienced at the retreat stayed with me for a long time after.. I am looking forward to the day when I can return to Assisi again. At the end of the retreats people were requesting a possibility to stay longer and that is what I would have wanted to do as well.