Umami Mountain Retreat
25 April - 28 April 2025
"Rewilding is the continuous conscious intention to come back to a more primal state of wildness. To shed the invisible chains imposed on us by modern living. It is act after act of remembering our lost parts so that we can trust that we have everything we need to survive and thrive in a world that exists beyond the matrix. Rewilding is an act of revolution, and only through it can we be fully free." - Dr Leila
Imagine being surrounded by the wilderness of mountains, forests and streams for 4 days.
Feel the freedom and fullness of your being as you shift perspective from mundane demands to the untamed majesty of the wild. Connect with the joy of letting one suffocating layer after the other fall away as you unleash the wild woman inside of you, free to embrace the sensual nature of untamed feminine.
Now imagine the magical sensation of women dancing ecstatically around a bonfire as the drumbeat moves you to trance... and then the childlike bliss of collapsing and dissolving into an endless starry night sky, feeling one with the great expansive sky. You are not only more available to appreciate the beauty of what surrounds you, you have now merged with beauty itself. This is just a taste of what awaits...
The core of this retreat is to move you through a sacred journey of ritual and ceremony, curated to call your authentic essence forward. Within this majestic shamanic container we will access transformative soul integration and healing, while deepening your sense of connection with magick and mystery.
This retreat journey is based on the following foundations:
-
Nurturing of extrasensory perception and intuition - with teachings and practices to encourage opening of the third eye
-
Tools for deepening spiritual connection and healing - through powerful daily meditation, breathwork and ritual
-
Intimate embodiment of the elements - while being guided through sacred ceremony into the magic of nature, including a 5 hour solo nature immersion
-
Whole being healing and personal power activation - through breathwork teachings and practices plus shamanic breathwork journeys
-
Tapping into the force of feminine power and the gift of sisterhood - within intimate containers, designed to foster trust and authentic connection within a wild female tribe.
-
Building inner strength and resilience - as we meet our edges and heed the invitation to expand within the womb of the wilderness.
Dr Leila is a powerful space holder and shamanic guide, who will ensure that you are held in a tangible weave of magic throughout the retreat. She has a gift of tapping into the wild essence of things and people, and curates impeccable healing spaces of delayering and excavating till every person is moving and breathing from that core.
You will be forever transformed on this weekend.
You will have greater access to your intuitive gifts.
And you will experience deeper intimacy with yourself and all you encounter.
This is my sacred commitment to you. 🦅
Just for a moment, in a hidden corner of the universe, come howl under the stars with us. 🐺 lets answer the great call of the wild together.
"Our innate capacity for magic is hidden in the wildest parts of ourselves." Dr Leila
The Venue
Umami Mountain Retreat is a 26-hectare paradise that flows naturally onto the untouched Franschhoek Nature Reserve. The setting is magnificent and unspoiled. As you enter Umami you immediately drop into the timeless tranquility of ‘The place where the elephants use to calf’ – and find yourself falling into the still serenity of the natural landscape.
The facilities at Umami are designed to seamlessly blend into the mountain landscape. Allowing Mother Nature to dominate and gently pull you to Her calm rhythm. This is one of the magical spaces near Cape Town that still feels inherently wild.
In keeping with the theme of rewilding we will sleep in secluded pods, featuring thick stone walls, high pitched thatched roofs and double glazing. Naturally cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The pods are understated and tasteful, but everything is top quality from the Egyptian cotton bedding to simple furniture. Each pod sleeps 2 and is individually situated in its own unique space in Nature, ensuring privacy, silence and solitude.
*Please note: Toilets and showers are nearby, the pods are not en-suite.
FACILITIES
-
Sleeping pods, with 2 single beds
-
No electricity in pods
-
Parking on premises
-
Full kitchen amenities
-
Swimming dam
Retreat Offering
This 3 night and 4 day retreat is a serene sanctuary designed for those seeking, transformation, rejuvenation, and connection with like-minded souls. It's an intimate space where you can pause, recharge, and nourishingly explore the edges of your comfort zone in a supportive and nurturing environment. Embrace a journey of self-discovery and transformation that honors the call for alignment, connection and authentic growth, allowing you to step into your potential at your own pace, while feeling deeply seen and supported by the great force of the feminine collective.
-
Shamanic ceremonies
-
Rapay and shamanic journey
-
Sananga ceremony
-
Creative art process
-
Conscious dance
-
fire ceremony
-
daily meditation and breathwork practices
-
free time and natural pool swimming
-
Solo Nature immersion
-
Transformative healing processes
... and more
nature Vigil
The great teachers, mystics, saints, and shamans of old have known since time immemorial that spending intentional solitude and silence in nature was a powerful portal to greater connection with Spirit. Nature vigil is this, full immersion into the elements, with the intention simply of listening and learning to the wisdom of Mother Earth. It is a ceremony of presence and connection, where you are called to quieten your mind and open your heart, allowing the natural world to speak to you in its own language.
This practice invites you to step out of the mundane, deepen your spiritual journey, and engage with the elements, the land, and your own inner landscape in a profoundly transformative way. To the seeker it invites solace in solitude, guidance from Spirit through the manifestations of nature, and deeper alignment with purpose and the natural rhythms of life.
Traditionally a nature vigil is anything from 24 hours to 7 days or longer. In this rewilding retreat, I will share a taste of this medicine with a 5 hour solo vigil. Umami has been specifically designed for this purpose, and there are wooden platforms scattered throughout the land to provide a secluded, safe, elevated space to vigil from. Through facing our fears, boredom, discomfort, bad weather or any other internal processes that arise, we will initiate into greater levels of personal power and inherent value.
In these 5 hours you will drink only water to hold focus on the vigil and keep your frequency high. You will hike out to your platforms around mid afternoon till evening to experience the transition from day to night, after which you'll be called back with a horn when it is time to return.
Sacred Exchange
EARLY BIRD R18000 per person sharing / R28,000 private room / R33,000 private pod for 2 sharing
FULL PRICE R20,000 per person sharing / R30,000 private room single / R35,000 private pod for 2 sharing
Holding Deposit (due on registration): 26% (non refundable)
Remaining Balance: due 1 month before retreat (non refundable)
payment plan options:
3 month or 6 month payment plans on request
Sofie, Cape Town
"The retreat held me in a way that I could move through the heaviness and confusion in my mind and heart. This is a space for anyone to dive deep into all that you are and more. It opens you up to love, to feeling, to the wildness, to depth, to presence, to learning, to listening, and to new experiences. You don’t want to miss the magic!"
Vanessa, Zimbabwe
“Leila weaves science & spirit with unconditional love to alchemise embodied holistic healing & restored health.
Her magic wraps you up in safety, giving you the key to your own locked doors, she walks with you back into a remembered state of wholeness. I went further & wider & deeper with her than 8 years of modern medicine & psychology. Take the first step into her winged arms with an open heart & a willingness to heal. She’s got you.”
Ruwayda, Cape Town
An absolute phenomenal and magical experience that I urge everyone to undertake sometime in their life. Dr Leila is a majestic medicine woman who creates a magical setting for individuals to discover more about themselves through this Divine medicine. Watching my body take on this medicine was mind blowing . I don’t have words to express my immense gratitude."