Why a serious retreat plays
Accomplished people have well-practised ways of presenting themselves. Play loosens that presentation. Within minutes of a simple game, people behave less like their role and more like themselves, and that is where the interesting information is.
Three tools
- Role reversal: you speak from the other person's position in a situation that matters to you
- Improvisation: responding in the moment without a script, which shows habits of control and caution
- Mirror work: reflecting another person's movement or words, and being reflected back
What people notice
Who they rush to lead and who they wait for. Where they laugh to avoid feeling something. What they do when they do not know what happens next. These are small observations, and they connect directly to how people live and work.
For the sceptic
Nobody is asked to act well, and nothing is performed for an audience. The point is not performance but noticing. You can step out of any exercise, and most people who arrive wary say this is the part they remember best.
How much of the retreat it fills
Games and theatre make up about 20–25% of the programme, alongside somatic practice, peer circles, reflection and rest.
The next retreat
24–27 December 2026 at Hinterland, Kochi, Kerala, 4 days · 3 nights, 16 seats · by application, from ₹30,000.
Last updated 25 October 2026.
