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Monday 09:00 - 20:00 Tuesday 09:00 - 20:00 Wednesday 09:00 - 20:00 Thursday 09:00 - 20:00 Friday 09:00 - 20:00

Johann van Greunen Holistic Counselling & Reiki Healing

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South Africa
Durbanville
Johann van Greunen Holistic Counselling & Reiki Healing

I offer individual and couple counselling specialising in relationships, spiritual wellness, sexual identity, mood disorders and trauma.

I also offer training in Mindfulness Practices and Meditation as well as Reiki Treatments and Courses.

04/09/2026

RESTORE, RESTORY, REKINDLE:
An Embodiment Retreat

9 - 11 October 2026
Temenos Retreat in McGregor

“The body is the angel who expresses and minds the soul; we should always pay loving attention to our bodies. … The body is the angel of life.” (John O’Donohue)

Living in a world turned upside down and navigating a global reality marked by political instability, violent wars and uncertainty is sometimes an energy depleting experience. On a personal level we are dealing with relentless demands on our time and energy, unrealistic expectations, crazy pace of work and changes happening so fast we can hardly keep up. It sometimes feels like we have little control over what happens around us, as an ever-increasing cost of living and unexpected challenges all contribute to a sense of feeling frazzled, overwhelmed and disembodied. It is no wonder that we notice an increase in mental health issues as our capacity to manage stress is depleted and anxiety, depression and chronic fatigue sets in.

We need time to restore and heal our bodies that are energetically depleted from anxiety, stress, trauma and grief. We need time to re-story our narratives about our life situations that keep us stuck in negativity and lethargy. We need time to rekindle the creative energies needed to move forward with a sense of hope, joy and connectedness.

During this retreat in the beautiful and nurturing environment of Temenos, we will explore the following themes:

* Neurobiology, stress and trauma: the impact on our bodies.
* The Narratives of Life-scripts: how we story our lives to make meaning.
* Embodiment: The energy body, embodied existence and the body in relation.

The retreat will be structured as follows:

* Early morning walks and/or movement meditations.
* Morning and early evening guided meditations.
* Workshop-style sessions and practical sessions to honour the themes of the retreat:
- Embodiment practices to restore and rekindle energy, including movement, walking meditations, walking the labyrinth and free-style dancing.
- A practical session to evaluate life-scripts and to re-story problematic and self-limiting life-scripts.
- Painting and collage to rekindle creative energy.
* The evenings after dinner will be dedicated to reflections and sound journeys.

The retreat fee is R 5 500.00 for single accommodation and R 5 000.00 for shared accommodation. An immediate deposit of R1 000.00 secures your booking. For bookings, contact me at [email protected] or 083 764 5978.

27/08/2026

Discover how sound healing with Tibetan singing bowls may support deep relaxation, stress relief and restoration. Book a Sound Journey or Reiki session. Read more here:
https://johannvangreunen.co.za/sound-healing-journey/

14/08/2026

MEDITATION COURSE

I will be offering my 8-week Meditation Course again this year on Tuesday evenings during September – October, starting 1 September. The goal of this course is to give participants a taste of the different meditation practices available to us, and not to teach any of the practices in depth. This course is suitable for beginners as well as existing practitioners in meditation.

The following themes will be covered during the 8 weeks:

🌀 What is meditation and why do we meditate?
🌀 Mindfulness Breath Meditation / Samatha
🌀 Working with sensations in the body
🌀 Working with feelings and emotions
🌀 Working with thoughts
🌀 Insight Meditation / Vipassana
🌀 Sound Meditation
🌀 Chanting
🌀 Music Meditation
🌀 Visualisation
🌀 Body and Movement Meditation
🌀 Mantra Meditation / TM
🌀 Text meditation & Lectio Divina
🌀 Contemplative Prayer
🌀 Loving Kindness Meditation / Mettabhavana

Venue: 8 De Bron Avenue, Kenridge, Durbanville.
Dates: Tuesday evenings 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 September; 6, 13, & 20 October.
Time: 19:00-20:30.
Investment: R 1 500.

A 50% deposit paid by Friday 21st August secures your booking. Pay only R 1 350 if you pay in full by Friday 21st August.

For more information or bookings contact me @ 083 764 5978 / [email protected].

02/08/2026

I returned home today from an amazing start to my winter holiday, a 3-day retreat in the beautiful Nuy Valley in Worcester. The "Be Free Retreat" lead by Ronell Lemmer was everything the title promised: a moment in time to just be without any obligation to participate in all the activities on the programme. You did what your body needed and what felt right.

Ronell, a clinical psychologist, is one of the few people in my life with whom I feel completely safe. She held this retreat space with such gentleness, care and motherly nurturing. I will never forget the blissful feeling of being tucked in by her with the thick blanket after the Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) we did in the mornings. In the afternoons Ronell taught is simple but extremely powerful Somatic Experiencing (SE) tools that we can implement with ease in our daily lives to help settle the nervous system, find our inner balance and sense of gravity. Early evenings we did drumming around the fire pit, a first experience for me, and I am hooked!

The early morning meditations on the verandah surrounded by the profound soundscape of joyous birdsong was so special. And we had loads of fun and time to play. Everyone made use of the opportunity to paint spontaneously, with amazing results. After drumming in the evenings we just relaxed, shared stories and enjoyed the hot tub. We reflected on how wonderful it was to competely relax, be able to play and just laugh. There is nothing that helps our nervous systems to calm down as efficiently as laughter does.

Thank you Ronell for holding this beautiful and restorative space for us with such care. Thank you Marzet for the admin arrangements behind the scenes, and thank you Marcus for the lovely and nutritious meals you prepared for us.

Thus our retreat weekend ended on a playful note: as the soap bubbles we had fun with floats in the air reflecting a kaleidoscope of colours in the early morning sun, it becomes a symbol of imagination, magic and freedom.

29/07/2026

Sound Healing:

Since my 20's I have been deeply interested in the healing properties of music. I discovered a book by Mary Bassano on Music Therapy in the earlier 90's that informed my earlier retreat work, although it was based on beliefs, probably informed by the popular New Age Movement of the time, that the musical scales resonate with the 7 Chakras. Of course sound has a profound energetic effect on the body, but music written in the tone of C will not necessarily only stimulate the root chakra and make you think of red.

My first ever experience of a Sound Journey was with Chris Tokalon in the early 2000's. The seed was planted and I knew I would love to offer this kind of work in the future. I was particularly drawn to the Tibetan Singing Bowls because of its powerful calming effect on the nervous system.

A few years ago I did a Sound Healing Course presented by Harel Gal, a music therapist from Israel, brought out by the Music Department of the University of Pretoria to run CPD accredited courses across the country. I felt ever closer to the manifestation of my dream after this excellent practical and theoretical course, but now to obtain the bowls. I still remember Harel saying that if you have 3 resonating singing bowls, you can start your practice. And you have to choose your bowls personally. Never buy online.

It took a couple of years for my dream to manifest, and by the end of last year I was finally able to introduce Sound Healing to my work. I offer monthly Sound Journeys using the Tibetan Singing Bowls and other sacred instruments, in an intimate setting where I can only accommodate 7 participants.

I have also introduced Sound Healing in my Reiki practice. During the 90 minute session I start with sounding the bowls around the client and on the client's back. This is followed by a full Reiki session. We end of with the bowls placed on the front of the body.

Sound Healing has become increasingly popular recently, the reason being its immediate calming and restorative effect on the body, which most of the time is under severe pressure due to high stress levels. So what actually happens? Why does this work?

Sound moves faster through water, and since our bodies are about 75% water, a variety of sound frequencies resonates and creates movement in the body. The physical vibrations from the bowl can directly impact cells and tissue, facilitating a deeper sense of physical relaxation and potential cellular repair.

Furthermore, what happens is a process called "Entrainment". This is what happens when you start tapping your toe to a beat or dance in perfect rhythm to a piece of music. With singing bowls the brain naturally synchronizes its own frequency to the dominant, stable frequency of the singing bowl, often slowing down from Beta (active) to Alpha or Theta waves. This means that an altered state of consciousness is reached, in the same way that Meditation leads to an Alpha state of awareness.The pulsing sustained sound produced when a bowl is played creates a specific "beat frequency" that typically falls within the theta wave band (4-8 Hz), which is closely linked to deep meditation and
healing.

As a result, the singing bowls have a profound effect on body mechanisms like heart rate and breathing. Unlike short-lived sounds, the sustained, rich, and layered overtones of a bowl provide a continuous, stable rhythm that allows the nervous system to settle, which has the profound healing effect of reducing stress and anxiety. These effects, often called "frequency following response," allow the listener to move into a state of "spacious awareness," reducing tension, balancing the energy centers (chakras), and lowering heart rate and blood pressure.

Are you interested in experiencing this for yourself? Then book for a Sound Journey or a Reiki & Sound Healing session with me by contacting me at 083 764 5978.

The dates for my next Sound Journeys are:

🌀 Saturday 15 August from 15:00-16:30.
🌀 Sunday 16 August from 10:00-11:30.

26/07/2026

Reiki Level 1 Course
25&26 July 2025

With every Reiki course I teach, I stand amazed at how there is always synchronicity between students attending a course. They either share interests, dreams or similar challenges and similar spiritual journeys, regardless of differences in background and culture. This enables a deep connection, a sense of safety and ensures meaningful and stimulating conversations.

With each Level 1 course I am also more under the impression of the importance of the four attunements that initiates the students into the Usui system of energy healing. Each attunement is more powerful than the one before, and most students share profound experiences and insights following the fourth attunement.

It was a privilege to journey this weekend with Ntombifuthi and Kate, and I am really looking forward to attune them as practitioners in October. I am reminded of how true the following statement by Paula Horan is: "Reiki is an art of living, and at the deepest level, Reiki is ONENESS."

My upcoming Reiki courses are:
🌀 Level 1: 12&13 September
🌀 Level 2: 24&25 October

23/06/2026

REIKI LEVEL 1 COURSE
25&26 July 2026

This course is for anyone who is drawn to Reiki as a personal healing and self-development tool. As Reiki Master I teach the Usui Shiki Ryôhô system of energy healing founded by Hawayo Takata, with direct lineage Mikao Usui, his student Chûjirô Hayashi and his student Takata.

The curriculum for the Level 1 course includes the following:

🔹 What is Reiki?
🔹️ The history of Reiki
🔹️ Reiki and the energy system of the body
🔹 ️Reiki and Healing
🔹 ️Hand positions for self-treatment
🔹 ️Hand positions for treating others
🔹 ️Practice Sessions
🔹️ Different uses of Reiki
🔹️ Reiki Principles
🔹 ️Guidelines and Exercises

You will receive four Reiki 1 attunements during this course that will enable you to activate Reiki for healing. After the attunements a 21-day clearing process will follow. The course includes guided meditations, and ample time for quiet reflection is also built into the course. Remember that you will only be able to set up a practice to treat others after receiving Reiki Level 2. A date for the Level 2 Course will be negotiated with the group after the Level 1 Course.

You will receive a Usui Shiki Ryôhô certificate after completion of the course.

Venue: 8 De Bron Avenue, Kenridge, Durbanville.
Date: Saturday 25 & Sunday 26 July 2026.
Time: 9:30-17:00 on both days.
Investment: R 2 900 including training manual, refreshments and lunch on both days.

Other upcoming Reiki courses:
Level 1: 29&30 August 2026

For bookings, contact me at 083 764 5978.

21/06/2026

Winter Solstice 2026. Yesterday afternoon and this morning I guided sound journeys in celebration of this significant half-year mark on our calendar, as we slowly start journeying towards summer again. After the session yesterday afternoon, the group witnessed a magnificant sunset from our verandah, leading in the longest night of the year.

This morning, a few minutes after the Winter Solstice meditation that I guided supported by the sounds of the bowls and other sacred instruments, it was a special moment when I announced the exact time of the solstice at 10:24. I introduced a tea ceremony after the 90-minute sound journeys, which will now be a regular part of the ritual in future.

This year's Winter Solstice coincides with Father's Day, and we honour the biological fathers and elders who played and continues to play a significant part in our lives.

19/06/2026

What a privilege it was to guide my Winter Solstice Sound Journey at Robyn Spacey's The Movement Sanctuary early this morning. The first of hopefully many to come! We will communicate dates for sound journeys in this lovely space on weekday mornings soon.

08/06/2026

The title of my upcoming Wellness Day Workshop was born after dipping a spoon into the peanut butter jar for strength the umpteenth time thinking, "I need to get off this madhouse called Planet Earth." So here it is:

Staying Sane in an Insane World: Finding Calm in the Chaos

I am sure I'm not alone in the experience of our current world as a rollercoaster ride spiralling out of control. Every day we wake up to new changes and shocks to the nervous system. Apart from the daily impact of happenings in the wider world, marked by political instability and wars, our personal and professional lives are filled with relentless pressure, insane expectations and the rising cost of living, especially now with the petrol price gone through the roof. As a result our stress levels are dangerously high and our nervous systems under severe pressure. No wonder that anxiety and depression has become a major mental health concern.

This workshop aims to help us understand what happens in the body when the stress response is activated, and to develop skills and techniques to help us build resilience, find peace and ultimately calm in the chaos.

This workshop will cover the following:

🌀 The Neurobiology of Stress, Trauma and Anxiety: understanding the body’s reaction as well as the debilitating effects of chronic stress on the nervous system.

🌀 Skills Toolkit: We will cover Mindfulness Practices like Meditation, Breathwork, Mindful Movement, the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and other practical tools.

For more information or bookings contact Johann @ 083 764 5978 / [email protected].

Address

8 De Bron Avenue, Kenridge
Durbanville
7550

Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 20:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 20:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 20:00
Thursday	09:00 - 20:00
Friday	09:00 - 20:00

Telephone

+27837645978

Website

http://www.johannvangreunen.co.za/

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