Source of Inner Strength Retreat – Poland
- Apr 7
- 5 min read
A week in the mountains after which many returned to their lives as a different person.
I have just returned from Poland with the participants of the Source of Inner Strength retreat. We spent a week together in the Karkonosze Mountains, and those moments are still alive in me – the moments when I witnessed people stepping beyond their fears, and at the same time discovering a strength they once believed they did not have.
Some were unsure how they would take their steps at 1602 meters, on Mount Śnieżka, dressed in summer clothing. Others felt their heartbeat quicken at the thought of an icy mountain stream. By the end of the week, those same people stood at the top of the mountain – calm, grounded, and smiling. And for many, a realization emerged: there is more strength within us than we tend to access in everyday life.
Source of Inner Strength is a Wim Hof Method–based retreat, where breathing, cold exposure, and experiences in nature support the nervous system in finding a new balance. A week in the mountains often initiates a shift that rarely finds space in a familiar environment. Breath, cold, and focus work together to influence the nervous system – you can read more here about how this method is structured.
When the Call Is There – Yet We Still Delay
Before the retreat, I had many conversations with people who felt the call. They sensed that a week like this would move something within them. Yet the response often sounded the same: “Maybe next year.”
Interestingly, almost every participant who eventually joined had said exactly the same a year earlier. The flow of life easily fills the space. Responsibilities, decisions, and the rhythm of everyday life often push aside the very steps that would bring the most meaningful change.
And yet, a week consciously dedicated to yourself can reshape the way you relate to your life for a long time to come.
Fear Is the First Step
Most participants arrived with a sense of fear. Questions began to arise: how will I climb Śnieżka in summer clothing? What will my body experience at 1602 meters? What will it feel like to step into an icy mountain stream?
Fear is a natural part of this path. The body becomes more alert, attention sharpens, and the breath deepens. When the first step is taken even in the presence of fear, something begins to shift: the body starts to learn, the nervous system gathers new experiences, and familiar boundaries slowly begin to expand. If you would like to understand more deeply how this nervous system adaptation takes place, you can read more about it here.
Cold often does not reveal our limits – it reveals how much strength lives within us.
Ice-Cold Water from the Mountains
Although this year only the mountain peaks were covered in snow, nature still revealed its strength. The icy current of the stream flowing down from the mountains surrounded the participants, and the water immediately brought the body into presence. The rhythm of the breath gradually settled, and the nervous system found a new balance. In these moments, the cold no longer appears as a challenge.
It becomes a gateway.
A gateway to the body’s intelligence, a gateway to inner stability, a gateway to the experience that strength lives within us. In the cold, attention naturally turns toward the present moment, thoughts begin to quiet, and the rhythm of the body and breath comes into the foreground.
Śnieżka and the Inner Mountain
Śnieżka rises to 1602 meters above the Karkonosze Mountains. As we ascend, the rhythm of the body begins to shift: the breath deepens, the steps slow down, and the wind arrives more strongly along the ridge. Moving toward the mountain in summer clothing becomes a unique experience.
Attention narrows into a single rhythm: step – breath – presence.
Thoughts begin to quiet, and a simple realization emerges. The body knows the way. As the summit comes into view on the horizon, many no longer feel that performance matters. At the top of the mountain, the same sentence is often spoken: the strength was within me all along.
A Week Invested in Yourself
The Source of Inner Strength retreat is one week. One week of space to step out of your familiar environment and bring attention to what is happening within you.
The imprint of nature works deeply on the body, the mind, and the inner world. Quiet mornings, shared practices, and the presence of the mountains gradually reshape the way you relate to yourself. By the end of the week, many expressed it in the same way: it felt as if a different person was returning to their life.
Not because the external circumstances had changed, but because a new inner stability had emerged.
Why Poland Is Special to Me
Poland holds a special place for me. This is where I became Hungary’s first female Wim Hof Method instructor, where I completed my advanced training, and where I guided nearly 400 participants last year during a Wim Hof winter expedition.
Each time I return, the space brings the same feeling: as if the silence of the mountains gently retunes something within. Attention becomes clearer, and it becomes easier to connect to an inner rhythm.
I organize my retreats in places where I feel a genuine call. In environments where the presence of nature supports the inner process. Poland is one of those places for me.
Cold Is Not Just for Men
I often see that many people imagine engaging with cold as a masculine challenge, as if it were a performance-based test.
My experience shows something very different. Connecting with the cold is an inner encounter – not a competition, and not something to prove. And it is not reserved for men.
On retreats, I witness again and again the depth of strength that emerges in women when they feel that their bodies can connect to this experience. It is not men or women who set out toward the inner mountain. It is souls that begin the journey. For me, it is an important mission to show women that this path is open to them as well.
The Power of a Small Group
A process like this requires presence: a safe environment, attention, and genuine connection. This is why I always work with small groups.
An intimate setting allows each participant to receive the support and personal attention needed for a deep inner process to unfold. Nature surrounds you, the group’s energy holds you, and the practices guide you step by step.
The Next Journey Is Already on the Horizon
The next Source of Inner Strength retreat is already taking shape, and the 2027 retreat is on its way.
If you are reading these lines now, and something in you begins to feel that you would like to create space for a week like this in your life, perhaps this is the moment to begin preparing for it. A week like this rarely happens spontaneously. It asks for time, for attention, and often for a conscious decision.
Many already see it as a point in their future – a period worth making space for in their calendar, and even setting aside financial resources for. Because a week that truly brings you back to yourself is one of the most meaningful investments you can make in your life.
And when the time comes, perhaps you will be standing at the foot of the mountain, among the Karkonosze peaks, ready to begin the journey toward your own inner mountain. And at that point, the question will no longer be whether you are capable – but what begins to open within you along the way. You can connect here to the next retreat and the details.