Venue - Cape South Retreat Centre, Hawkes Bay, NZ

A Journey of Heart, Mind & Spirit with Ceremonial Cacao and Breath Medicine

Seleno Health (New Zealand) and Breath Medicine (Australia) are collaborating for a transformative long weekend retreat where ancestral cacao, conscious breathwork, and mindful reflection guide you to reconnect with yourself and others.

Ignite your inner fire in the luxurious landscapes of Hawkes Bay - Aotearoa! Join us for a thrilling 3-day odyssey from February 19-22, 2026, where ceremonial cacao's heart-opening elixir awakens ancient wisdom, dissolving barriers to profound self-discovery, and Breath Medicine unleashes waves of emotional liberation. This condensed powerhouse weekend fuses ancestral cacao's transformative rituals with cutting-edge neuroscience, rewiring your brain for resilience and renewal. Reconnect fiercely with your spirit, forge unbreakable bonds with kindred souls, and emerge reborn—grounded, radiant, and unstoppable.

Included:

• All meals and drinks - 100% plant based
• Accomodation in a luxurious Hawkes Bay estate
• 4 Cacao rituals
• 3 breath medicine sessions
• 1 Despacho ceremony
• 2 Preparation circles
• 1 Integration circle
• Access to swimming pool, infrared sauna, spa and gym
• Local support and guidance for anything touristic before and after the retreat

Pricing options:

1. Private room single occupancy with own ensuite - $2999
2. Private room with own ensuite for a couple - $2499 p/p
3. Twin room with shared ensuite - $2499
4. Triple room with shared ensuite - $2299
5. Glamping tent (5m) single occupancy with shared bathroom - $2499
6. Glamping tent (5m) with shared bathroom for a couple - $1999 p/p

EARLYBIRD 10% DISCOUNT OFF ADVERTISED PRICE FOR THE FIRST 4 PAID BEFORE DECEMBER 31st. 
Please select payment by bank transfer option to prevent additional 2.5% credit card fees applying. Max number of people accepted = 15.
Contact info@selenohealth.com to secure your spot today!!

Program Guide:

Thursday Evening (19th) – Arrival & Opening

Welcome Circle with Ceremonial Cacao Led by Corin, Pamela, Scott & Trudi.

Ease into the retreat with a gentle cacao ceremony. Meet your fellow journeyers, share your intentions, and allow the medicine of cacao to softly open your heart and create a field of trust and safety for the days ahead.

Friday (20th) – Ancestral Wisdom, Breath & the Science of Altered States

Morning – Ancestral Traditions and Cosmovision of Cacao with Pamela

• Discover the sacred history, tools, and indigenous lineages of cacao
• Experience hands-on practices that connect you to thousands of years of spiritual and healing traditions
• Understand cacao not as chocolate, but as a plant teacher and heart-opening medicine
• Connect with cacao authentically and learn how you can apply it to transform your health in your daily life

Afternoon – Cacao Circle + Breath Medicine Session 1 with Pamela, Scott & Trudi. A gentle introduction to Breath Medicine:

• This first cacao and Breath Medicine session offers a safe, supportive space to begin our shared exploration of breath and cacao.
• You will consume cacao in circle and then breathe consciously, supported by our team.
• Experience an expanded state with cacao and breath
• Develop safety and comfort with the group and facilitators
• Prepare for the deeper ‘rebirth’ sessions the following day

Breath Medicine meets you where you are. It honours your pace, your boundaries, and the innate intelligence of your body. Whether you are brand new to breathwork or have been practicing for years, this session will prepare you for the deeper journeys to come.

Late Afternoon-Evening  – The Neuroscience of Your Experience with Corin. Dive into the fascinating science behind what you’re feeling:

• How cacao’s bioactive compounds naturally enhance mood, open the heart, and support trauma release
• The neurochemistry of altered states and how plant medicines + breathwork amplify them
• Practical insights on rewiring neural pathways for greater self-awareness, emotional regulation, and healing
• The powerful synergy between ceremonial cacao and conscious breathing

Saturday (21st) – Deep Immersion & Relational Healing

Morning – Reflect and share your insights and emotions of the experience so far. This circle supports self-expression, empathy, and group connection.
Breath Medicine preparation.

Afternoon & Late Afternoon – Rebirth with cacao and Breath Medicine with Scott, Trudi and Pamela.

The Third day is the peak experience of the retreat. The preceding two days function as preparation for this day. In this deeper practice, you’ll be invited to:

• Consume cacao in ritual, opening the heart and preparing the mind and body for the Breath Medicine journey
• Enter a conscious, connected breath rhythm within your capacity and window of tolerance
• Explore sensations, emotions, imagery, and meaning arising through the breath
• Allow the body to guide the process through movement, sound, and intuitive expression
• Experience co-regulation and grounded support from facilitators
• Learn through witnessing—observing how breath, nervous system, and story weave together in another person’s journey

Breath Medicine honours relational safety, autonomy, and the innate wisdom of each person’s system. This immersion offers a profound opportunity to deepen your self-understanding, reconnect with embodied intelligence, and experience the transformative potential of being both held and holding another in their cacao breath journey. This day is often described as a turning point—where insight, release, and integration begin to take root in a meaningful way.

Sunday (22nd) – Integration & Gentle Return

Morning – Integration Circle with Ceremonial Cacao. With the support of one final cacao ceremony, celebrate your journey, anchor your insights, and weave everything you’ve discovered into daily life.

Late Morning – Despacho Gratitude Ceremony for Pachamama. A beautiful Andean offering ceremony to give thanks to the Earth, the cacao spirit, and the elements that have supported your transformation.

Departure between 2–3 PM. Leave grounded, heart-open, and equipped with lifelong practices.

Why Choose the Kakawa Retreat?

• Deepen self-awareness and emotional resilience
• Form a direct, felt connection to your heart through ceremonial-grade cacao
• Reconnect to your breath and nervous system with Breath Medicine
• Safely expand consciousness through supported, non-ordinary states
• Understand the science so you can continue the transformation long after the retreat ends
• Return home inspired, empowered, and deeply resourced

Limited to a small circle for maximum safety and personal attention. This is more than a retreat—it’s a homecoming to your own wisdom, body, and heart.

Dr Corin Storkey (PhD - Med Chem)

Dr. Corin Storkey is a New Zealand-based biomedical researcher and founder of Seleno Health, with over 15 years of academic and research experience specializing in medicinal chemistry, oxidative stress and disease. Dr. Storkey's expertise lies at the intersection of neuroscience, plant medicine, and spiritual practices. He specializes in the neurochemistry of cacao, analyzing its bioactive components to create therapeutic profiles tailored for health outcomes such as enhanced neuroplasticity, stress reduction, and emotional resilience. With a deep understanding of how cacao influences brain function—linking shamanic traditions to evidence-based mechanisms—he empowers participants to integrate these insights into daily life for sustainable well-being.

Pamela Chipana 

Pamela Chipana is a Peruvian-born facilitator, Quechua (Ayllu Chanka), and Seleno Health’s Cultural Manager and ceremonial & medicinal plants educator. Raised within Andean traditions, she carries ancestral teachings of reciprocity, ritual, and connection to Pachamama that guide her work with cacao and other plant medicines.

Through years of personal practice, community involvement, and cross-cultural exchange, Pamela has dedicated her path to sharing cacao as a bridge between worlds—honouring its lineage while helping participants access emotional healing, inner clarity, and heart-centered awareness.

Living in New Zealand and collaborating closely with Indigenous Peruvian farming families, she focuses on preserving traditional knowledge, supporting ethical cultivation, and teaching cacao as a conscious, living medicine. Her approach blends Andean cosmovision, ceremony, intuitive guidance, and embodied practices to create grounding, heart-opening experiences.

Scott Edwards

Scott is a somatic facilitator with over 10 years’ experience in body-based therapeutic work. He integrates techniques and ideas from breathwork, bodywork, somatic therapies and Buddhist meditation to support growth and healing for individuals and groups.

In addition to his work as a facilitator, he has over 15 years’ experience in education. Most recently, he developed and ran Australia’s largest training program for psychedelic-assisted therapy (Mind Medicine Australia’s Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies) from 2023-2025.

He brings a steady, attuned presence to retreat environments, supporting participants to work with what arises, find clarity in their experience, and strengthen their capacity to stay connected and present.

Trudi Hayes

Trudi Hayes is a somatic practitioner and Mental Health Social Worker with over 25 years’ experience in community development and therapeutic work. She integrates Somatic Experiencing, Breath Medicine and Kinesiology to support deep personal exploration, nervous system regulation and embodied healing in both individual and group settings.

Alongside her therapeutic practice, Trudi is a co-facilitator for Mind Medicine Australia’s Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies (CPAT). She brings a grounded, relational approach to retreat environments, supporting participants to gently release long-held patterns, reconnect with their inner resources, and cultivate a deeper sense of connection with self, others and the natural world.