A SOUND-HEALING RETREAT IN THE BELGIAN ARDENNES, WITH YOUR LEVEL 1 TRAINING INCLUDED

SUMMER SOLSTICE RETREAT

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RETREAT 2027

Summer Solstice Retreat: 5 Days in the Belgian Ardennes

€1,800 early access before 27 March 2027, then €2,100

Your Level 1 training is included in this price. Whether the retreat also includes Level 2 is still being decided, tell us what you'd prefer when you pre-register.

5 days in the mountains of the Belgian Ardennes
13–17 August 2027 (dates to be confirmed)

Step away from the noise of daily life and into the stillness of the Ardennes forest. Aki Sound Studio invites you to a five-day immersion of meditation, sound healing and your complete Level 1 training, held in a quiet mountain setting within easy reach of Brussels.

Guided by AKI's co-founders Lama Brian Hilliard and Shannon van Staden, the days weave together meditation, heart-essence teachings, Tibetan Lujong yoga, Yin yoga, alchemy sound healing, and the complete foundations of Level 1 into one seamless rhythm. Each practice is offered not as something to strive for, but as an invitation to listen, to your breath, your body, and the sound moving beneath the surface of your life.

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SUMMER SOLSTICE RETREAT

MEET YOUR TEACHERS

This retreat is guided by AKI Sound Studio's co-founders Shannon van Staden and Lama Brian Hilliard, whose work has come to define a new standard for contemporary sound practice in Europe.

Together, they hold a space that is both deeply rooted and intuitively led. Lama Brian's lifelong devotion to Buddhist practice, mantra, and sound, shaped through years of study with Tibetan masters and a traditional three-year retreat, brings a depth that is felt as much as it is taught.

Shannon's work in alchemy sound, yoga, and meditation offers a refined, embodied approach to resonance. In Brussels, she opened Europe's first Crystal Tones® sound studio, offering private consultations, immersive trainings, and a new way of working with sound, resonance, and somatic healing.

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AKI Sound Studio Level 1

A complete Level 1 foundation, taught within the retreat

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

  • Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls® -playing techniques, care, and working respectfully with the bowls
  • Sound theory -resonance, harmonics, binaural beats, chords, and the science of vibration
  • Sound & energy -the play between alchemies, colours, notes, chakras, and intention
  • Crystal sound healing practice -posture, breath, seed syllables, and visualisation
  • Mantra & visualisation transmissions -Lama Brian's specialised practices
  • Healing application -creating and leading sound baths with confidence
  • Quantumplations -contemplative practices that deepen awareness and integration
  • Integration -bringing sound into both personal practice and professional settings

The curriculum unfolds gently across the week, between rest and practice -moving through the Spacious Sound of A, the Clear Sound of OM, the Blissful Sound of HUM, the Expanding Sound of RAM, and the Accomplishing Sound of DZA, and closing with a certification ceremony and sound bath Quantumplations.

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WHAT THE DAY FEELS LIKE

You wake slowly into gentle morning practice. Tibetan Lujong yoga energises the body and grounds the mind, opening into meditation, stillness, insight, heartfelt connection. Meals are shared and unhurried. Afternoons stay spacious: rest, journal, or simply walk the forest trails around you. As the light softens, Yin yoga and sound healing draw you back into rest, releasing what the body has carried.

YOUR LEVEL 1 TRAINING, INCLUDED

Woven gently into the days, your complete Level 1 training unfolds, your first true lessons in the bowls: the core principles of sound, how to care for your bowls, and the techniques to hold a clear, steady tone. You arrive curious. You leave a practitioner.

THE EMOTIONAL JOURNEY

This retreat is not about escape, but about returning, to yourself, to simplicity, to the intelligence of slowing down. Over the days, a quiet shift: breath deepens, sleep improves, steadiness returns. All of it is welcome, held within a small, supportive group.

THE SPACE

Set in the mountains of the Belgian Ardennes, the retreat house offers understated calm, a place that doesn't demand attention but gently supports presence. Shared rooms foster a sense of community, while quiet corners throughout the property offer solitude whenever you need it.


WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO LEAVE WITH

  • A deeper connection to your inner stillness
  • Your complete Level 1 foundation, sound theory, bowl care, and your first playing techniques
  • Tools to regulate your nervous system and support emotional balance
  • Renewed clarity, grounded energy, and a softened relationship with yourself
  • A felt understanding of sound, silence, and movement as pathways to healing

This is an invitation to step into the alchemy of sound, movement, and meditation, held by nature, guided with care, and shaped by the ethos of Aki Sound Studio.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Your place includes:

  • Your full Level 1 training, included in the retreat price
  • 5 days / 4 nights accommodation and meals
  • Certification on completion of Level 1

Whether Level 2 is added to this retreat is still being decided, based on pre-registration responses. Full inclusions and the cancellation policy will be confirmed with your booking, before the early access deadline.

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LOVE FROM OUR COMMUNITY

What an unbelievable experience, Aki Sound studio is a top tier highly recommended place for everyone who’s looking for the ultimate combination of expertise and quality singing bowls. I’ve felt so comfortable and welcome since the first time I attended the studio. The ambiance is also so relaxing, you feel at home and nurtured. I was blessed to start my journey here, and I’ve just finished my level one training. I’m looking forward to level two and many more blissful moments to come. Thank you Lama BrIan and Shannon for sharing all your knowledge and love.

Mariette T

I just completed Level 1 Sound Healing training this weekend and my heart is just filled with so much joy and gratitude. The training was so insightful and nourishing for my soul. Diving so deeply into sound and learning about the power of vibrations and frequencies from the divine Alchemy Crystal bowls was just amazing. I traveled from Copenhagen, Denmark because I knew Shannon and Brian were the best within their field. From the moment I arrived I felt completely at home in their beautiful studio. Their warmth and passion for what they do can truly be felt in their presence.

Nicole O

I am so grateful for this transformative experience. Not only did I learn so much but I also experienced a deep personal and emotional breakthrough during the training. I feel like a huge shift has happened within me.

“I wanted to thank Shannon and Brian for this magical weekend. I’m still on cloud nine! It’s a weekend I would recommend to everyone — a true pause in a world where we’re constantly in the “doing.” I learned, shared, listened… and I’m coming out of it more peaceful and fulfilled. It was such a rich and generous training, just like Shannon and Brian. I can’t wait to take part in Level 2!

Liliane B

Attended the sound healing level 1 course which was an absolutely wonderful experience. A lot of depth to the teachings as well as much love in every detail. Beautiful studio, even more beautiful people. Would definitely recommend!”

Elgin T

RETREAT DETAILS

  • Location: Belgian Ardennes (venue to be confirmed)
  • Dates: 13–17 August 2027 (to be confirmed)
  • Early access price: €1,800 before 27 March 2027
  • Regular price: €2,100 from 27 March 2027
  • Level 1 training: included in the price
  • Bowls are supplied by AKI Sound Studio
  • Accommodation and meals included for the duration of the retreat
  • Travel, flights and travel insurance are not included

GOOD TO KNOW

Pre-registering reserves your early access price. It is not a final booking, and no payment is taken at this stage.

Full payment terms, instalment options and our cancellation policy will be shared with you by email before the early access deadline, so you can decide with all the details in hand.


For questions:
CONTACT US

BOOK FREE DISCOVERY CALL PRE-REGISTER NOW

We're still deciding whether this retreat includes Level 1 only or Level 1 and Level 2 together. Your pre-registration survey helps us decide, and we'll confirm before the early access deadline.

Nothing financially. Pre-registering reserves your early access price of €1,800 and puts you first in line for full booking details. No payment is taken at this stage.

Yes. Many of our retreat guests come alone, as a way to connect with themselves as well as a like-minded community.

Full details on meals will be confirmed closer to the date. If you have any intolerances or special requests, let us know when you pre-register.

No. Everything needed for the yoga, meditation and training sessions will be provided on site.

The dates above are provisional. Anyone who has pre-registered will be the first to know if anything shifts, well ahead of the early access deadline.