Sound Journey Summer School
Learn the Art of a Sound Journey
Are you wanting to learn how to lead your very own Sound Journeys and Sound Baths? Join us at our home, The Birds Nest, in West Michigan, for a weekend of deep learning, fun, and abundant nature and wildlife. In the Sound Journey Summer School, we will dive deep into the wide range of knowledge and experience we have gained in working with thousands of people while sharing our Sound Journeys worldwide for over a decade and over 1,000 events. We have crafted a series of training modules to help you build a solid foundation for exploring sound and sharing your passion with others.
We firmly believe that almost any instrument that you’re passionate about can be applied to a Sound Journey or a Sound Bath and shared with others, given the proper playing techniques and attention to the energy of your offering. We will work with instruments you already are familiar with, as well as have the ability to explore and get hands-on with instruments like the Handpan, Gong, Crystal Singing Bowls, and more. This session is perfect for beginners and intermediate students looking to build a solid foundation for their offerings.
Our home is situated on about three acres of land on the Pentwater River. Within a short walk from our house, we have access to 70+ acres of private forest for nature hikes, and also hundreds of acres of state and national forest land. We are located a short drive from the Village of Pentwater, a quaint lakeside village on the shores of Lake Michigan. Nearby, we have miles of sand beaches, several state parks with hiking trails, beautiful rivers, and lots of nature. It's an idyllic place for a summer getaway.
or send us an email at SettleIntoStillness@gmail.com
June 9-11 or July 7-9
$599 per person, including glamping accomodations (tent with mattress provided, access to showers and toilet).
Room in our neighbor’s riverside rental cabin available. Please inquire!
$50 Early Bird Discount Available - Sign up April 15 for the June session, or May 15 for the July session.
Secure your space with a 50% non-refundable deposit. Final payment is due 1 month prior to retreat date. Cancellations prior to one week before the retreat date starts are fully transferrable to a future retreat. Cancellations within one week of retreat start date will forfeit your 50% deposit unless we are able to fill your spot.
Space is limited to keep group sizes small for a more intimate learning experience.
Curriculum:
We work with small group sizes so we can meet each student where they are at in their journey, and tailor our offering to the students needs. Before the weekend training, we will send out a short questionnaire that will help us to gain a better understanding of your musical experience and where you want to grow.
Training topics may include, but are not limited to:
Instrument selection
Deep listening
Dynamics and volume
Sequencing
Energetic flow of a Sound Journey
Transitions
Setting the space
Composition and improvisation
Working with other musicians
Harmonic Foundations (Tone, Melody, Musical Scales, Consonance, Dissonance)
Hands on training - Gongs, Crystal Bowls, Handpans, and more!
Creating an offering that is unique to you
Where to play and how to set up events
Included:
Friday evening Sound Journey with Settle Into Stillness
Daily training modules and workshops to teach you the foundations of creating your own unique Sound Journeys
Guided Nature Hikes.
Time to rest and rejuvenate in beautiful natural surroundings. Read a book, journal, reflect, etc.
Healthy, plant-based meals with food from our organic gardens, free range chickens, and produce from neighboring farms, when available. (Dinner included Friday and Saturday. Breakfast included Saturday and Sunday. Light snacks available for lunch on Saturday and Sunday)
Riverside “glamping” accommodations (tent with mattress provided, access to showers and toilet). You may bring your own tent if you prefer.
Riverside rental cabin upgrade available (2 rooms available) .
We will conclude the weekend with a trip to the beach at Lake Michigan, or a special scenic overlook, as attendees prefer.
Abundant Nature and Wildlife
Evening fire circle, if desired
Not Included:
Transportation
Extra meals, drinks
Optional activities and other activities not included in the retreat itinerary
Additional transportation outside of the retreat itinerary
Optional Activities:
Visit Ludington State Park with miles of hiking trails and beautiful sand beach shoreline. (30 minute drive)
Visit Charles Mears State Park to soak in the sun on the sandy shores of Lake Michigan (15 minute drive)
Explore the village of Pentwater and it’s many shops
Stay an extra night (extra charge if in the rental cabin, no extra charge if camping on our land) to explore the beauty of northern Michigan. Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and so much more are within a 1.5-2 hour drive from our home.
or send us an email at SettleIntoStillness@gmail.com
Settle Into Stillness
Settle Into Stillness unites the healing power of deep relaxation with sacred sound. Settle Into Stillness was founded by Jeremy Arndt and Nancy Grzeszak, who met in 2011 and began traveling around the world together, sharing their passions of yoga and music through their Sound Journey events. Settle Into Stillness combines different world music instrumentation such as the handpan and didgeridoo with elements of gong baths and crystal singing bowls, creating an offering that remains entirely unique amongst today’s mindfulness-based musical offerings. Their musical journey has taken them to 16 countries together, on 5 continents, and all over the United States.
Jeremy and Nancy are both dedicated yoga students and teachers, living in service of inspiring others to live from their hearts and follow their dreams. In addition to their Sound Journeys, they lead their Settle Into Stillness Retreats worldwide. Past retreats include Bali, Indonesia in 2016 and 2018, Lesvos, Greece in 2017 and 2022, and Morocco in 2019.
Nancy
Nancy is inspired by the deep well of knowledge that exists within our own being. Since 2004, she has been exploring this internal wisdom through Yoga, meditation, and sound. Her love of Yoga and pursuit of inspiration has taken her across the world to 18 different countries.
Her passions within the timeless practice of Yoga include Gentle Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and Yoga Nidra. She finds that the mind and body’s innate wisdom most often reveal themselves when residing in stillness. She completed her 200 hour Yoga teacher training certification with Prairie Yoga, based in Lisle (Chicago), Illinois in 2014, Relax and Renew® Level 1 Certification with Judith Hanson Lasater in 2017, and Lizzie Lasater’s 30 hour Restorative Yoga Training in 2019.
As one of the founders of Settle Into Stillness, Nancy shares the transcendent vibrations of Gongs, Crystal Singing Bowls, and more. She approaches these powerful vibrational instruments with a graceful mastery and deep listening, creating a soothing atmosphere that allows the listener to reconnect with themselves, their breath, and their true essence.
It is her deepest desire to create more love in this world by revealing the gift of stillness, and creating a soothing and nurturing space which facilitates healing for all.
Jeremy
Jeremy has been fusing the mindfulness based practices of yoga and meditation with his music for over a decade. Since 2009, he has traveled the globe, with music as his guide, studying different musical traditions and finding a consistent thread of inspiration for his own music. His journeys have taken him to performance stages and yoga studios around the world, in 26 countries and 5 continents.
Jeremy has dove passionately into the study and exploration of many instruments, and is most known for his music with the Handpan (aka Hang, Hang Drum). He has become one of the most prolific performers on the Handpan in North America, having shared his music in nearly performances in the last 14 years and has become one of the top Handpan acts on Spotify. His handpan music is gentle, soothing, and world-inspired, weaving a story with the sound of this captivating instrument.
In addition to the Handpan, Jeremy also plays the didgeridoo, guitar, and electronic music. He has taken part in a wide variety of music and recording projects around the globe, including his solo work as Jeremy Arndt and Heavenly3lues, as well as work with international music projects 8 Hands of Sound, based in Melbourne, Australia, and Groupe Sans Frontieres, based in Bamako, Mali.
Jeremy’s music is heavily influenced by his yoga practice, and he completed his 200 hour Yoga teacher training certification with Prairie Yoga, based in Lisle (Chicago), Illinois in 2014.
“This is a sonic wonderland that gets you into the moment, into the now. It gets you to connect to the very center of you, the vibratory center of you.”
— Mickey Hart