Vibe-Coding Recovery Retreat — recover your focus, ship gently
Calm your nervous system. Keep your edge.
If you’ve been vibe-coding 10–12 hours a day, you already know the pattern:
high output, wired baseline. Focus fractures, your body stays tense (jaw/neck/shoulders), and “rest” doesn’t fully recharge.
This retreat is a hard reset for that mode - grounded, practical, and guided.
You’ll arrive overstimulated and running on drive.
You’ll leave with a calmer baseline, deeper focus, a better sleep rhythm, and a set of recovery tools you’ve practiced enough to use automatically during normal workdays.
Why this isn’t “I can detox at home”
At home you negotiate with your habits all day. Here the environment + schedule + group container do the enforcement for you, so willpower isn’t the bottleneck.
Screens aren’t “forbidden”; they’re bounded:
Two Work Windows per day (optional): 2x90 minutes (Wi-Fi on, laptop allowed)
One Admin Window per day: 30 minutes (messages/logistics)
Outside those windows: no screens by default (phone stays in a phone hotel you can access during windows)
This stops the constant micro-checking loop and gives your attention real room to recover.
What you’ll do (and why it works)
1) Morning outdoor light (circadian anchor)
What: 5–10 minutes outdoors after waking (longer if cloudy).
Why: stabilizes sleep-wake timing and daytime alertness.
2) Guided NSDR / Yoga Nidra (deep rest without sleeping)
What: 10–30 minutes lying down, guided protocol.
Why: downshifts the nervous system and restores mental energy without nap grogginess.
3) Physiological sigh / cyclic sighing (fast stress downshift)
What: one deep inhale + a short “top-up” inhale + long exhale.
Why: a simple on-demand “stop button” when you feel wired, anxious, or stuck.
4) Desk-tension release (grounding movement, not a workout)
What: daily guided sequences for jaw/neck/shoulders/hips/spine.
Why: reduces the physical tension that keeps breathing shallow and attention brittle.
5) Break practice (micro-breaks you can actually use)
What: rehearse short resets (2–10 minutes): stand + walk, gentle mobility, breath, eyes-to-distance.
Why: micro-breaks reduce fatigue and improve well-being, especially for knowledge work.
6) Sleep wind-down environment (simple, boring, effective)
What: dim evening light, reduce bright overheads, cool/dark sleep space.
Why: removes the most common sleep disruptors.
Optional: caffeine timing
What: try delaying caffeine ~90–120 minutes after waking (only if you want).
Why: can reduce mid-day crashes for some people.
Work with guardrails (no abstraction)
If you choose to use the Work Windows, we apply constraints that prevent the two classic traps:
infinite iteration and tool-hopping.
You’ll be guided to:
Lock scope for the day (one tiny objective, not “rewrite life”)
Freeze tools (no new frameworks/agents mid-retreat)
Cap iterations (stop after N loops -> reset -> decide)
Close the loop at the end of each window (“what’s done, what’s next, then stop”)
This keeps the builder identity without letting the build consume your nervous system.
Retreat Flow (3 nights · 4 days) — example schedule (no exact timings)
Day 0 — Arrival (soft landing)
Check-in + Phone Hotel setup
Guided calming breath + short body scan
Gentle grounding movement (jaw/neck/shoulders/hips)
Quiet nature walk
Welcome circle
Evening NSDR / Yoga Nidra
Dinner + early wind-down (dim lights, quiet mode)
Day 1 — Downshift + Focus
Morning outdoor light walk (silent)
Grounding movement + calming breath
Optional Work Window #1 (deep focus, bounded)
Admin window
Nature block + walking meditation
Lunch offline
Midday NSDR / Yoga Nidra
Somatic grounding lab (tension release + orienting)
Optional Work Window #2
Tea ceremony (mindful tasting, screen-free)
Micro-break practice (2/5/12-minute resets)
Evening wind-down + short Nidra + quiet mode
Day 2 — Stabilize + Make it stick
Morning outdoor light walk (silent)
Grounding movement + breath
AI-fast focus sprint (no AI)
Optional Work Window #1 (buddy guardrails)
Admin window
Longer nature block + walking meditation + silent time
Midday NSDR / Yoga Nidra
Stress-to-skill session (stop signals + reset actions)
Optional Work Window #2
Tea ceremony (mindful tasting, screen-free)
Somatic release session + optional sauna/hot shower ritual
Evening wind-down + short Nidra + quiet mode
Day 3 — Goodbye (integration + departure)
Morning outdoor light + grounding movement
Short NSDR / Yoga Nidra
“Keep it at home” session (daily recovery + screen boundaries + reset protocol)
Closing circle
Departures
Food & Drinks (simple, flexible)
Breakfast included (basic): coffee, tea, cookies + standard breakfast items.
All day: tea/coffee station (and small snacks).
Lunch: we’ll usually go to a nearby restaurant together (pay-your-own / choose your own).
Dinner: optional (light, home-style). Vegetarian/vegan option available by request (tell us in advance).
Tea ceremony: included on Day 1 and Day 2 (screen-free).
Who this IS for
AI-first builders (engineers/founders/solo makers) who ship hard and feel the cost:
scattered focus, wired baseline, restless sleep, constant stimulation.
Who it’s NOT for
Party weekend
Hardcore silent retreat
Grind harder mastermind
FAQ (common fears)
I’m introverted.
Quiet is the default. Social is structured and optional.
I can’t be offline.
You’re not. You have an Admin Window + two Work Windows daily.
I don’t do woo.
Same. This is practical: breath, deep rest, light, sleep environment, gentle movement.
I just want to rest, not work.
Totally valid. Work windows are optional; the core is recovery.