VIVID Retreat | Surrender & Death
You’re alive.
But do you live?
You think about it sometimes.
The end.
Your final breath.
The people you’ll leave and have already left behind.
What you’ll regret—or not.
What actually mattered.
Not only from fear.
But from a quiet pull.
To understand. To feel.
To make life count.
VIVID is for those who don’t want to wait until it’s too late.
For those who are done living half a life.
For those ready to explore death—not as something to avoid,
but as a mirror that reveals what’s really important.
This retreat is a radical, embodied encounter with death.
Looking at your relationship with endings, grief, and time.
As a doorway into life.
We’ll work with grief circles, embodied rituals, storytelling, and the raw truth of impermanence.
You’ll touch what’s unfinished.
You’ll meet what you’ve avoided.
And in the space that opens - you’ll find clarity, connection, and a deep sense of surrender.
VIVID is about becoming human.
Your invitation to live more fully, courageously, and vividly—
while you still can.
Testimonials
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The death meditation was mindblowing. Never experienced all aspects of life (and death) so intense. Felt the urgency of death around the corner for the first time of my life. Karlijn is a great facilitator with humor, power and cutting accuracy.
- Bram
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This is a serious workshop that is humbling, confronting, and can be very transformational. It made me see how I act in society at large, assured me of the past and left me looking forward to my future.
– O
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The death meditation was highly recommended by my dearest friends. The lovely guidance of Kabira with her beautiful trustworthy voice made this experience of life, birth and death, life changing. A deep loss was brought up, showing that life and death were the same and I didn’t want to be reborn again
- Anonymous
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My insights were that it feels very empty when a loved one passes away; I am very fond of the people around me. And that it won't help me if I linger in mourning; I was made to live and enjoy it.
- Pablo
What’s included
3-day immersive retreat with full-time facilitation
2 nights accommodation at New Eden, Friesland
Organic, home-cooked meals by our private chef
Personal workbook with journaling and integration tools
2 online follow-up sharing calls
Access to online graduate community
Optional discovery call and access to private mentorship following the retreat
This is for you if you feel
Curious about your own mortality—and what it teaches about living
Stuck in boredom, apathy, or existential anxiety
Done with surface-level living
Ready to transform grief, fear, and heaviness into clarity and vitality
Afraid of death, endings, or ‘running out of time’
Longing for more meaning, presence, and awe in daily life
Willing to surrender to a more effortless way of being
Drawn to sacred rituals and deep transformation
“A few years ago, I witnessed a natural death slowly unfold. Despite the mourning, I surprisingly realized the process of the soul detaching from the body felt so familiar to me: I recognized it through mastering Tantric practices. I wanted to share.
In VIVID we experience these death techniques as a way to either ground fully in the body, or to observe it with presence, in order to choose what our heart truly beats for. It invites us to relate to life in a whole new perspective”
- Karlijn
You will walk away with
A renewed relationship with death and endings
Freedom from emotional weight, old grief, and unconscious fear
Deepened presence, purpose, and vitality
Courage to end what no longer serves you - relationships, identities, patterns
Tools to stay grounded through loss, transition, and the unknown
Clarity on what truly matters to you
A deep appreciation of life, in all its intensity
A profound sense of peace, aliveness, and inner freedom
Testimonials
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My experience was very powerful and very confrontational. This has been one of the most impressive workshops I have been able to participate in. The realization that there is an ending to my time here, and at the same time being distraught about what I even want whilst I'm here. The relief I felt when I was allowed to die, and didn't have to do anything was so powerful, that I also realized I didn't want to live my life looking back thinking: "if only I had..." In short, a very strong workshop in which I was confronted with my fear of living out of the fear of dying (unconsciously). To realize that every day can, and should be lived, allowing playing in life again.
- Anita
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VIVID was surprisingly gentle and soft. Sharing about our deceased loved ones. Looking back on the ups and downs of our lives, and finding out what is truly important. Going through the experience of my own death and funeral at VIVID, I realized I regretted only two things in life. One was not being able to finish my book. Now, 1,5 years later, it's published! The second was not having a child with my beloved. Now I'm 7 weeks pregnant :). Looking death in the eye brought such clarity to what I truly wanted. And luckily I still have the time to actually do it! I see now that that is a luxury, something to be grateful for. I asked myself: "What would my life be like if I let go of my fear of death?" Lighter, happier, freer... So why shouldn't I?
- Margot Athena Brouwer, scientist and writer
The team
Karlijn Kouwenhoven |
Lead Facilitator
With years of experience in psychology, meditation, and self-development, Karlijn is known for creating powerful, clear, and transformative experiences.
Read more about Karlijn
Anita Witteveen | Assistant
A graduate of the CORE programme, Blanca brings a rich background in yoga, Tantra, and emotional bodywork. With over 15 years of experience and a heart rooted in Bhakti, her presence is warm, playful, and grounded.
Sanne ten Wolde | Assistant
A graduate of the CORE programme, Blanca brings a rich background in yoga, Tantra, and emotional bodywork. With over 15 years of experience and a heart rooted in Bhakti, her presence is warm, playful, and grounded.
New Eden a renovated old farmhouse
New Eden is home to HeartIQ. Located in the forest of Friesland, it has a large community space, swimming pool and soft retreat temple.
Sleeping arrangements include shared rooms (max 2-3 people) and possibly private rooms. It is possible to bring your own campervan.
The pool, forest and stretched fields will play a role in unlocking our inner nature.
Event info
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Friday | 10:00h – 22:30h | doors open at 9:30h
Saturday | 8:30h – 22:30h
Sunday | 8:30h – 17:00h
We recommend turning your phone off and being fully offline during the retreat.
An extra night’s stay is possible on Thursday evening (arrival from 19:00h).
VIVID can be followed as a weekend module of the CORE Programme. -
3-day immersive retreat with full-time facilitation
2 nights accommodation at New Eden, Friesland
Organic, home-cooked meals by our private chef
Personal workbook with journaling and integration tools
2 online follow-up sharing calls
Access to online graduate communit
Optional discovery call and access to private mentorship following the retreat
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New Eden Retreat Centre
Sparjeburd 2
8409 CK Hemrik
FrieslandThe Netherlands
Investment
FIRST BIRD | First 2 tickets | €1250,-
EARLY BIRD | Until March 31st | €1450,-
REGULAR BIRD | Until 2 weeks before start | €1650,-
LATE BIRD | €1750,-
Training includes max 18 participants.
Tickets include 21% VAT and tourist taxes. Prices include training, accommodation, and meals. Business invoices available upon request. Payment plans are available for students & low-income participants. First payment of €250,- required).
This is your invitation to die before you die.
To surrender.
And live.
Apply via the ticket shop, e-mail us your question or book a free Discovery Call