Dear Mr and Mrs Bokotej,
I would like to thank you very much for a beautiful week full of inspiration, self-awareness and self-discovery.
Mr Bokotej was the first person I met when I arrived. We only spoke for a few minutes, but I immediately felt that he was relaxed and very friendly. I was slightly stressed because, as a manager, I had been making calls until the last possible moment—even from the car park before switching my phone off. His manner and voice quickly put me at ease; as a businessman himself, he understood that this was normal. When I apologised for arriving on time but rather stressed, he assured me that I was in the right place and calmly started telling me about his own dark-retreat experience—what he had felt, what he had gone through and what it had brought into his life.
Then Mrs Bokotej took over and showed me to the cabin for my dark retreat. She told me that she would be the person guiding me throughout the stay. She showed me the cabin with the lights on and we talked about why I had chosen this place and why I had come. She also confirmed whether I wanted vegetarian or vegan food as ordered. She then showed me the sauna, which had been one of the main reasons I chose this place because I enjoy sauna very much and had not found another dark-retreat option where I could combine the two. Everything had been prepared exactly as arranged and confirmed by email. She showed me the sheet and the towel for the sauna, told me the sauna was ready, and then said that everything else was up to me: go to the sauna when I want, go to the cabin when I want, turn off the light when I want, and begin enjoying my time in darkness.
I am someone who likes meat, but I had enjoyed vegetarian restaurants before, so I thought the food would not be a problem. And it was not—I liked absolutely everything. Sometimes I tried to work out what the ingredients were. I liked being told what was coming most of the time, and I liked it even more when it was a surprise and I could guess what the soup or main course was made from. 😊 Fruit, vegetables from their own garden, and fruit or vegetable salad were an everyday part of the stay—especially after I admitted that I enjoy cooking. 😊 Tea and spring water were available every day. 😊
Every day my guide, Mrs Bokotej, asked whether I wanted to talk. I always took the opportunity and told her what I had experienced and what I had been thinking about. She listened, responded, or shared something from her own life, which often helped me arrive at my own answer and gave me something further to reflect on. 😊
Once again, thank you for everything. I am very glad I made this choice and had this powerful week-long experience, which I already know will move me forward in my life.
In the end, I decided to leave the darkness one day earlier. Only I knew why, and I was grateful that this decision was accepted and understood without any problem.
Respect—as I learned to say, NAMASTE.
With respect,
Lukáš N.
KLÁRA
For some time I had been thinking about a different kind of self-exploration from what I had done before. I considered an ashram in India, then I came across dark retreats and realised it was a great option: I would not have to travel so far and my family would worry less. I needed time to let the idea settle, but eventually the right moment came and I started actively looking. I found some places, but my partner told me not to rush and to get a broader overview. Thank goodness he did, because that is how I found Anička, and I am grateful for it. When I read the way she described everything and saw the photos, I had a very good feeling. Anička welcomed me, explained everything and gave me time and space to settle in. The atmosphere is wonderful both in the garden and in the cabin. I faced several of my fears there and it was not easy, but with my guide’s support I managed it. I think it is important that someone who offers dark retreats genuinely lives the experience and knows what they are talking about—and Anička certainly does.
I am grateful that the universe brought me there.
I recommend it to everyone!
And yes, I lost 4 kg and the food was incredibly delicious! I often seek out vegetarian food and I have never eaten better.
Tereza
Dear Anička,
Thank you for the beautiful space you created—for the healing darkness, and for your kind and attentive care. It is not easy to put so much experience into only a few lines. I entered the darkness intending to sleep and truly rest—from the outside world and, above all, from the feeling of an overloaded mind. I wanted to let my exhausted body regain strength, come closer to a magical gift and glimpse where to go next. The darkness felt kind and safe, so complete that I could not even see the outline of my hand. Perhaps only the glow… in which lights and images of mysterious realities appeared, along with thoughts and the colours of sounds. Songs born in the heart brought beauty and brought forgotten things to the surface. A song can drive away distress. To be my own companion, to be completely and “selfishly” just as I am. To see a cloudy sky through the ceiling. To see that the space responds to what is true—what genuinely comes from the heart—not to what we want things to be or merely think they are. To see my own beautiful light shine. It is possible to fall in love with a dark retreat just as it is possible to fall in love with life. Thank you for those gifts.
VRATISLAV
Hello,
For me, the dark retreat really began with the decision that I wanted to do it. As the mind prepares, it also resists. When I met Anička, I was disarmed by her compassion. It was a genuinely kind welcome, and that alone made me start confronting things before I had even entered the retreat space. I was offered a luxurious sauna session—better than anywhere I had experienced abroad—which I used to tune in and settle. Before the darkness began, I was shown around the cabin so I could orient myself and find everything I would need.
And so the dark retreat began. What was the experience like for me? The content and inner experiences are unique to each person. What mattered most was how I felt in the space: safe. That sense of safety allowed me to lower my defences and simply experience what was happening. I chose the vegetarian food option so I would have at least one small comfort. It turned out to be a powerful support because the food was incredibly tasty and offered a small moment of pleasure each day.
During the retreat my mind lost track of the days, but my body seemed to know. One morning I heard knocking. Mentally I thought it was a day earlier, yet my body had woken me at the right time—the retreat was ending and nobody had made a mistake except me. One of my biggest lessons was that the body can carry reliable information even when the mind does not believe it.
After coming out, I felt grateful that I had had the chance to be there. I walked around the area, then had breakfast and said goodbye. By then I too felt capable of greater compassion and understanding. I valued being able to share what the week had been like. Warmth and acceptance are not things I often encounter in people who simply “are”, but that is exactly the feeling I had here.
So once again, thank you for this retreat. The energy, experiences, plans, feelings and thoughts are things I will now process in my own time. I feel honoured that everything worked out and that I could have this experience here.
Vráťa
You can find more practical information about the retreat at Laskavá tma.
Available dates and booking can be found in the booking calendar.
