Reconnect to the Real: John Vervaeke, Guy Sengstock, and Kyle Koch Announce the Whistler Retreat

Why is the modern world making us lose our "taste for the real," and can ancient practices like animal tracking and Socratic dialogue actually save our personhood from the "virtual matrix" of AI?

John Vervaeke, Guy Sengstock, and Kyle Koch announce their second "Reconnecting to the Real" retreat and outline what each will teach: Kyle offers nature-connection practices such as tracking and bird language to cultivate belonging; Guy brings Circling Method relational practices to deepen listening, communication, and group connection; John brings reconstructed Socratic practices including dialogos, dialectic, imaginal reflection, and a two-hour Socratic salon for questions. They describe the retreat as a non-vacation "pilgrimage" meant to transfer skills back into everyday life amid increasing virtual mediation and AI-driven risks of losing the "taste for the real." Logistics: Aug 31–Sept 4 in Whistler, British Columbia at Brû Creek Lodge, with lodging and meals included, costing $3,995 USD, and limited spots remaining with many returning participants.

Guy Sengstock

Co-founder of The Circling Method: He has spent 30 years developing this relational practice to transform peer-to-peer communication into a profound "asana" of listening and presence. Relational "Maestro": He uses spontaneous inquiry and formal circling to help groups move beyond intellectual concepts into direct contact with "the real".

Personal Blog/Website

LinkedIn

Kyle Koch

Nature Connection Expert: He bridges the gap between philosophical concepts and embodied reality through tracking, bird language, and nature-based core routines. Embodiment Practitioner: Coming from a background in Evolve Move Play, he focuses on reclaiming our innate sense of belonging to the natural world

EARTHKIN WILD - Kyle's Website

Reconnecting to the Real

The Circling Method

Evolve Move Play

Nature Connection Mentoring with Kyle

Rewild your Week-7 day nervous system reset

Timecodes:

00:00 Welcome to the Lectern

01:00 Kyle nature connection

02:30 Guy circling practice

06:00 John socratic practices

09:30 Whistler logistics

14:00 Why reconnecting real

16:00 Guy ear for real

20:00 John true good beautiful

30:00 Kyle beyond virtual

33:00 Tracking as truthing

35:30 Primordial skills return

38:00 Biases and feedback

40:00 Games reveal patterns

43:00 Beauty as practice

46:30 Pilgrimage not vacation

49:00 Screens and ai mediation

53:19 " The real is becoming option, like optional in some strange way."

53:30 Losing taste for real

58:00 Bring it back home

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Thanks for listening!