To the adolescents and adults out there, I know that the road is long, full of ups and downs, and that sometimes you prefer to just disengage from the world, when you feel an argument arising with your parents. Obviously, you have a lot to offer to the world, to society, but somehow everything always seems to get complicated and doesn't work out the way you would like.  Instead of feeling that you are on the path of a healthy development and maturity, you often feel misunderstood and you feel like no one really understands you- sometimes not even yourself. 

 

Parents, I know that the road is long, and full of ups and downs; sometimes, and quite often you may prefer to just disengage from the situation when yet another argument arises with your child. You know you have a lot to say to your child, yet somehow everything always gets complicated and doesn't work out the way you would like it when you engage with them at these times.  Instead of feeling like you're guiding your child towards a safe haven, you feel like you’re missing something because you can't bridge the gaps or meet them where they are as they go through adolescence. You may even have wondered whether there is an easier way out there, a quicker way, a more direct way to resolve issues with your child. 

 

Indeed, there is a way and it’s called Show Me Tao Way or SMTW, a mindfulness and life coaching methodology which plays out like a game. The main objective of SMTW is to help people release any unserving thought patterns that we may be holding on to, which cause stagnation. By practicing SMTW, we essentially carve out new neurological pathways for ourselves, allowing us to expand our ways of thinking and conversely we shrink our limiting beliefs, which have been holding us back. All of this happens with the SMTW method and it will even feel like you’re playing a game at times. 

 

This will be the first official SMTW retreat, designed specifically for a small group of parents and adolescents who can relate to the scenarios described above. Until now, SMTW has been employed mainly by therapists, life coaches and other professionals in their private practices. However, the time has come to make SMTW accessible to all, in particular to parents and adolescent/teenager children, ages 17-19. Why am I so focused on this age bracket, you may ask?

 

Because it was precisely at this age that I was on a hunt for guidance and tools to assist me during a period of so much uncertainty. When I facilitate the SMTW method for teenagers, I realize what a life long gift they are giving themselves by opening themselves up to this type of work. This age is tremendous for cultivating new thought patterns and ideas that may change us for the rest of life. The cognitive muscles being developed at the ages of 17-19 are still fragile and malleable on the one hand and therefore it is relatively easy to generate change, however it is also at this age that there is the start of maturity and readiness to create the foundation for this new chapter in our lives.  Studies show that training the cognitive muscles and working on one’s mental flexibility from an early age contributes significantly to leading a more balanced and healthy life for you and those around you. 

 

And that's exactly why SMTW was born.  The fact that it plays out like a game and a mindfulness technique allows for a light and casual feeling combined with a very structured framework with a clear  set of instructions. Over the course of the first few sessions of practicing SMTW, one will gain both confidence and trust in the process. If there is a 100% commitment to the process - a breakthrough is to be expected!!

 

The game consists of six stages. Throughout the game, each move in the session becomes more interactive and self reflective, helping one to observe, analyze and dissolve their own limiting beliefs.

 

During the retreat, we will practice the first three steps of the game, wherein each step will introduce a new process. For the rest of the time, we will enjoy good food, yoga, chikung and the good atmosphere that this magical place has to offer.