Terms & Conditions

I. Booking, Registration Confirmation, and Payments

A non-refundable deposit of 25% of the Program Fee and Accommodations package is payable at the time of booking. The remaining balance is due 60 days before the start of the program, on May 11, 2026. For bookings less than 60 days before the start of the retreat, full payment is due immediately.

II. Cancellations

Bookings represent a binding commitment between the participant, organizer, and venue. The organizer makes a nonrefundable prepayment to the venue on the participant’s behalf.  For this reason, no refund of deposit or balance payment shall be issued for cancellation on the part of the participant under any circumstances. Participants are advised to purchase travel insurance to protect against any unforeseen personal circumstances that may result in the need for cancellation. The retreat is subject to a minimum enrollment of five participants. In the event the minimum enrollment is not met, all funds will be refunded in full.

III. Health and Fitness of Participant

Your booking and acceptance of these terms indicates your acknowledgement of the following:

1. You are of sound physical and mental health, sufficient to undertake the travel, meditation practice, and all activities associated with this program, and you accept full responsibility for knowing and observing your own physical, mental, and emotional limits within said activities.
2. In the event you have medical conditions that may preclude your participation in any program activities, heighten your risk in said activities, or have experienced any significant physical or mental illness, or other debilitating personal circumstances within the last three years, it is your obligation to disclose such conditions or circumstances to the program organizer before commencement of the retreat. The organizer or any affiliated assistants may not be held responsible for any injury or loss of life that occurs as a result of such an omission on your part.
3. Should such a nondisclosure come to the organizer’s attention and result in a determination that the participant is unfit to responsibly and safely take part in the program, this shall be grounds for the immediate termination of the contract without reimbursement for any program or travel costs incurred by the participant. In the event this occurs after commencement of the retreat, the participant may be required to leave at his or her own expense.

IV. Documentation & Insurance

Participant agrees to:

1. Procure and carry all necessary documentation for travel to and from the retreat location, including passport and any necessary visas or health certificates.
2. Carry proof of health insurance covering any expected or unexpected medical attention, medication, or other expenses in the retreat country and en route.
3. Take out a travel insurance policy or accept personal risk for any losses due to unexpected cancellations, delays, disruptions, or changes of itinerary.

V. Instruction

The organizer and affiliated teaching assistants offer instruction in mindfulness-awareness meditation, contemplative art, and mindful movement to the best of their current knowledge and training in these fields. The instruction in this program is not a substitute for professional medical or therapeutic advice.

VI. Brokered Services

A Larger Tapestry: A Mindful Art Retreat in the Heart of Sicily is not a travel package. The organizer pays partner service providers, such as Azienda Masseria San Giovanni Sgadari and Nantista Viaggi, for their respective accommodation and transportation services, which shall be considered transitory items for tax purposes. Such service providers shall be solely responsible for the provision of these services, not the organizer.

VII. Liability

The participant shall not hold the organizer or affiliated assistants responsible for any of the following:

1. Losses resulting from program cancellation due to causes beyond the organizer’s control, including, but not limited to: acts of war, terrorism, civil unrest, natural disasters, public health emergencies, transportation disruptions or delays.
2. Loss or damage to personal property, personal injury, or loss of life occurring during the retreat or in the course of travel undertaken before or after the retreat program.

VIII. Code of Conduct

The shared trust in a retreat community, which supports individual and communal growth, is built upon mutual agreements of respect, kindness, care, and clarity. Behavior which breaks this shared trust will be grounds for expulsion from the program without return of any funds paid, and includes, but is not limited to: physical or verbal abuse, threatening words or behavior, harassment on the basis of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or national origin, sexual harassment, illicit use of drugs, or alcohol consumption beyond the confines established by the group.

IX. Media Release

Portions of this program may be recorded with photography, video, or other media for the sole purpose of promotional use for future programs. You hereby authorize Michael Anderson and Art of Being, e.U. to use any photographs or video footage of you in print, online, or video-based promotional materials.