🧘 Choose Your Own Spiritual Adventure

👋 I’ve spent over $70k+ over the past few years experimenting with dozens of modalities, trainings, vision-quests, retreats etc (shortlist of top ten here)

If I was to rewind the clock — with a ton of curiosity, reasonable budget of time + some spare $$ to invest in my own emotional + spiritual development — here’s roughly how I would think about allocating it to increase the likelihood of breakthroughs, learnings & worldview-expanding experiences.

NB. this is obviously by no means an exhaustive list, and I would love to include additional recommendations from readers so please let me know on Twitter if you have ideas.

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🔥 Core Experiential Curriculum

MISSION #1: HEAD PATH (aka waking up)

Adventure Objectives

Level up with moments of unity consciousness + decisively break limiting + boring materialist worldview

🧘 10-day Vipassana Retreat ($donation-based) — there are thousands all over the world. The format is basically identical wherever you go. It’s ideal to get 1:1 meditation mentorship in the long run, but Vipassana is also a good entry level. If you really want to challenge yourself (advanced mode) you could also consider spending time in a Dark Room (e.g. Skycave). I’ve spent 10 days in one of these and it was profound. Also highly recommend Hridaya retreats for an effective blend of meditation techniques.

🍵 3-day Ayahuasca Ceremony ($500–$3k) — has the potential to be totally life-changing assuming a skilfully held container. Listen to my conversation with Anne-Laure to hear about her powerful experience. DM for recommendations in terms of how to vet a maestro/ceremony.

🌳 14 day Animas Vision Quest (~$2k) — created by Bill Plotkin who has 4+ decades of experience leading rites of passage (my interview with him here) — ideal for connecting more deeply with the natural world and uncovering your life’s purpose (2023/2024 vision quests).

MISSION #2: HEART PATH (aka building emotional fluidity)

Adventure Objectives

Expand nervous system capacity + emotional fluidity, deepen relationships, increase self-expression.

🙋‍♂️ In Person Experiences

🫁 10x 1:1 Breathwork Journeys (~$1-$2k) — Highly recommend going with Jack Tew who is also trained in FBR (first choice, I can intro you guys) if he’s free in London, otherwise Jamie Clements is also a solid experienced practitioner. More practitioners on Somal.ist. Learn about Facilitated Breathwork Repatterning here.

⚔️ Men’s Work Retreat (~$1-$3k) — Sacred Sons EMX would be my go-to, or the smaller men’s retreat that I’m co-hosting in September 14-17. Expect a combination of ice baths + ritual combat + emotional work. Good write up of what this involves here

💪 John Wineland Retreat — the art of sacred intimacy retreat 2024, John is one of the greatest men’s work and intimacy teachers out there, his book from the core weaves in spirituality + nervous system capacity building. link

🖥️ Virtual Experiential Trainings

🙇‍♂️ Art of Accomplishment Masterclass with Joe Hudson ($6k) — they run this 8-week masterclass once per year and whilst it’s not cheap, it is in my opinion one of the most transformative online experiences you can go through in terms of reframing your relationship to yourself and your emotions. link

🫁 Nervous System Mastery ($1.2k) — definitely biased here but the five-week curriculum (run twice per year), is an essential component for building regulation and will be supportive in explorations in all other areas — including meditation, relationships and capacity to be with intensity. link

🙋‍♂️ Aletheia Coaching Training ($3.5k) — run by Steve March, whilst this is framed as a training for coaches, it combines an impressive number of modalities, including internal family systems + emotional processing tools and is the closest thing to a ‘How to Human’ integral curriculum for ‘self-unfoldment’ that I’ve come across. link

👀 Expanding Awareness Training ($250) — an awareness-based skill that helps people live with greater ease and freedom, a method to notice, expand and ultimately play within the space between stimulus and response. Like the nervous system training above, this becomes a lens through which you will start to explore the world. link

🧠 Intellectual Maps + Frameworks

Reading, listening & learning is great (essential) for gaining sufficient context — and there is no replacement for the experiential component.

🎙️ START HERE: Reading + Listening

- Head Path: WTF is Awakening?

📱 30 Day Meditation journey by Sam Harris on the Waking Up app (link)

🧘 Guide to Non-Duality by Sasha C. (article)

🧘 Meditation Myth Busting, my interview with Michael King (link)

👀 Becoming Nobody — documentary on Richard Alpert (Ram Dass) (trailer)

- Heart Path: Emotional Fluidity

🫁 Nervous System Primer with Jonny on the DO Explain podcast (podcast)

🎙️ AoA Podcast listen to the Emotions Series with Joe Hudson (podcast)

📚 START HERE: Six Superb Books

• The Practice of Embodying Emotions by Raja Selvam // backed by some solid literature, understanding how emotions work and how to work with them well.
• The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer // extraordinary account of what happened after an awakening experience, he decided to simply allow his life to unfold before him.
• The Journey of Soul Descent by Bill Plotkin // potentially dense, but his map of adult development is totally fascinating
• Waking Up by Sam Harris // this was my introduction to the world of meditation (and why it even matters)
• From the Core by John Wineland // great primer on men’s work and how to level up in these areas
• Grist for the Mill by Ram Dass // one of my favourite teachers, I prefer listening to him rather than reading, former Harvard Professor + phenomenal storyteller.

📱 START HERE: Two Amazing Apps

• Waking Up — probably the most well designed and thoughtful curation of the world’s best meditation teachers. Very accessible for beginners and there are also practices for even the most seasoned meditators to learn from. Get 30 Days Free.

• Othership — I've written at length about why breathwork is like the operating manual for your nervous system, and I have been highly impressed by the app that Robbie and the Othership team have created. You can choose between guided daily practices that will up or downshift your state, as well as breathwork journeys that focus on embodiment for cultivating intimacy, athletic performance, or preparing for sleep. 3 month free trial

🎧 START HERE: Podcast Episode Playlist

A curated playlist of podcast conversations (some of which I recorded myself) that will send you down various related spiritual + emotional related rabbit holes.