Reconnecting and Rebuilding the Bond with Our Ancestors through Polynesian Wisdom. Firewalking Ceremony. Dance of Power / Haka Māori

A four-day intensive workshop with Mana Akitanga, a teacher from Polynesia, who uses Polynesian ceremonies, practices and rituals to help participants discover their Inner Power as the heritage of their Ancestors. It includes a cleansing ceremony, preparing body and mind for work with the Ancestors, connecting with them and letting go of what is no longer needed, as well as a Firewalking Ceremony (on glowing embers) and a shared Haka Māori – a “living prayer” connecting us with our Inner Guardian and the power of Mana.

The workshop is a gradual journey: first rebuilding the bond with oneself, then the relationship with the Ancestors and Mother Earth, and finally embodying personal strength through movement and expression. The aim is to explore our relationship with our Ancestors, our origins and Nature through Polynesian philosophies, physical practices, movement, reflection and personal experience – and to consider what we want to keep, transform and pass on to future generations. Each day has its own message and consists of several smaller workshops and ceremonies.

Programme

• Thursday (after dinner):introduction to Polynesian culture, heritage and its teachings.

• Friday – Cleansing: preparing body, mind and spirit.A day of meeting Nature: sensory exploration, body awareness, silence and personal reflection.

• Workshop 1 – Living Earth:reconnecting with the natural environment through the body and the five senses – exploring the forest by touch, sound, smell and sight, feeling the Earth's texture, temperature and movement, individual moments alone in nature.

• Workshop 2 – Releasing and Choosing Again:through movement, breath, silence, contact with natural elements and reflection we explore what nourishes us and what holds us back; we name what to symbolically release and what to welcome; exploring the forest at nightfall – darkness, silence and heightened senses.

• Saturday – Connecting with the Ancestors and Mother Earth.A more dynamic day: games, rhythm, movement, martial-arts-inspired exercises, meditation and reflection.

• Workshop 3 – The Body Remembers:movement, rhythm, coordination, games and exercises inspired by Polynesian physical traditions and martial arts; posture, grounding, presence, collective rhythm and personal expression – not competition, but recognising the different forms of strength.

• Workshop 4 – Roots of Life:exercises in nature, symbolic actions, movement, meditation and reflection on what we received from previous generations (knowledge, values, traditions, but also difficulties and patterns) and how to honour the Ancestors without carrying everything they passed on.

• Ceremony: Tahitian Firewalking– a sacred Polynesian ceremony with drums and chants; walking barefoot over embers with intention and trust as a symbol of transformation, courage and homage to the Ancestors.

• Sunday – Ancestors as Guides.Personal reflection, writing, symbolic exercises, movement and shared experience: what we inherited, what strengthens us, what we choose to carry on.

• Workshop 5 – Haka / Dance of Power:exploring the deeper dimensions of the Haka as a cultural expression (intention, rhythm, posture, voice, presence, group energy) and each participant creating their own personal “Dance of Power” – not a traditional Haka, but an embodied expression of their identity, origins and values.

Facilitators

Mana Akitanga – from Polynesia, born on the island of Ra’iatea (Havai’i Nui). His lineage descends from the last clan that resisted the colonisers in the Leeward Islands and in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Raised by his grandparents, he learned the history of his ancestors, the culture, rites and legends passed on by the elders. His passion is sharing authentic Polynesian culture; he stresses that Polynesian culture should be learned from Indigenous Polynesians.

Practical information

• Dates:19–22 November 2026 (Thursday–Sunday); starts 19 November at 18:00 with dinner, ends 22 November at 14:00 with lunch.

• Venue:“Tu i Teraz” Centre for Personal and Spiritual Development, Nowe Kawkowo 52 A, Jonkowo municipality (Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship).

• Not included:accommodation and meals (centre package – see pricing). The workshop is translated from English into Polish.

• Sign-up:Register by e-mail to the centre (full name, phone number, date and title of the event); registering also means consent to the centre's newsletter. After the confirmation e-mail and choosing accommodation, pay a 200 zł accommodation deposit to the centre's account within 7 days (reference: “imię nazwisko, 19-22.XI.2026”) – without it the booking is cancelled; do not pay before your place is confirmed. Paying the deposit means accepting the centre's rules. The rest of the accommodation cost is paid in cash on arrival, before the workshop. VAT invoice on request, with tax ID given when paying the deposit.

• Cancellation:The deposit is refundable up to 30 days before the workshop starts (the centre deducts a 20 zł administration fee); it cannot be transferred to another workshop. If you leave during the workshop, the workshop fee is not refunded. The facilitator may make small changes to the programme depending on the group process.