Reconnect your mind, body and spirit at the first annual Gay Men’s Retreat in Hawaii.

By Steve Young

While Los Angeles has its perks, the peace and quiet needed to become spiritually centered aren’t among them. But just west of the 405 freeway, about three time zones west, in America’s 50th state, there is a tropical universe that is awe-inspiring and pre-historic, a serene place where you can power down and forget about the neon and traffic jams back home. And instead of meeting someone new at, say, a bar on Santa Monica Boulevard, at the first annual Gay Men’s Retreat in Hawaii, you’ll have the opportunity to get to know someone while hiking in a tropical rainforest or perfecting your yoga technique. Taking place May 17-21, the retreat will consist of five days of morning yoga, tropical island excursions and interactive workshops to awaken the senses and leave you feeling refreshed and able to return to your place in the world.

This retreat is the collaboration of Gahl Sasson, a world-renowned spiritual teacher/professor of Kabbalah and astrology; his boyfriend, Igor Orlovsky, who is a personal trainer as well as a writer and comic; and Dr. Adrian Tartler, a chiropractor, kinesiologist, yoga practitioner and teacher. The concept of this retreat came from the idea that consciousness shapes reality. Sasson, Orlovsky and Tartler have created a special curriculum geared to reconnect the gay male spirit to its body and mind. The goal is that, by the end of the retreat, each participant will become stronger and more flexible, not only in their body, but also in their mind. These workshops will equip each individual with the tools to improve their health, relationships and self-image. Says Sasson, “There seems to be something of gay spirituality that was a little bit missing. The need for tribal-slash-warrior energy was a bit lacking, and it seems that people are depleted by the big circuit parties.”

Sasson has earned a wide following throughout the United States, Mexico, Israel and Europe. He teaches ongoing workshops in Kabbalah, the ancient mystical branch of Judaism, as well as tarot and astrology and has had his popular interpretations of Kabbalistic lore published regularly in Olam, the largest Kabbalah magazine in the world, seen by millions worldwide.

Sasson’s partner, Orlovsky, was born the son of a circus aerialist and film producer in the former Soviet Union. He is a personal trainer to Hollywood’s elite and a comedic performer at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. His first comic memoir, Knock on Wood, will be in print next year. His holistic approach to fitness incorporates core and strength training, techniques from yoga and Pilates, guided meditation, nutrition and, most importantly, laughter.

“I don’t think Kabbalah is ‘new,’ but it’s an alternative form of spirituality,” says Sasson, author of the book A Wish Can Change Your Life, about the teachings of the Kabbalah, which was endorsed by the Dalai Lama. As such, the nightly conversation groups derive their themes from the Kabbalah, although Sasson says pre-existing knowledge of Kabbalah isn’t a requirement. “Do you have to know Sanskrit to go to a yoga class?” he asks rhetorically. “The way we use Kabbalah is much more as a system of storytelling. I use Kabbalah to tell stories that have meaning or depth to them. Kabbalah is about connecting you to your soul,” Sasson says. “That is what Kabbalah means in Hebrew— ‘to accept.’ It really is a beautiful notion.”

Every day on the trip, after yoga, their are excursions planned. While the final details are being put into place regarding the day-trips, hiking and visits to waterfalls are definitely going to be in the mix in this island paradise. Orlovsky grows animated when describing the Big Island. “It’s just a beautiful, spiritual place,” he says. They chose the island because it is the site of an active volcano, and it is receding back into the ocean. “The whole interaction between fire and water, masculine and feminine, is what creates this paradise,” Sasson says.

Sasson is glad that he can offer something unique to the gay community. “I think people are looking for a spiritual outlet where they can come together. People will feel they’re having a spiritual, sexy workout for the mind, for the body. They’ll feel like they went on vacation but that they gained something too.”

For rate and registration information, visit the retreat's Web site, www.formidableangels.com.