“Grounded in Practice” Program

Our program focuses on Waldorf Education’s generative principles as it applies to any classroom.

    • Immersive retreat-like design:

      • Longer days due to quieter contemplative periods throughout the day

      • Personal breaks and assimilation periods within the day in a natural, forested setting. (Forest Bathing & Evening sauna’s in Cowichan!)

    • Evenings are cozy, with tea, and we gather conscious of what is contemplated before sleep to maximize learning

    • Afternoons are art based, and personal work periods helps new employees prepare for their oncoming year, while they are held in a retreat like setting

    RETREAT WEEK LOCATIONS 2025-2026

    Duncan, BC: Monday, August 18th, 9am - Saturday, August 24th, 12:30pm

    We are happy to offer the retreat week at your school, or in your local area at a different time of year, upon your request.

    Retreat Week Curriculum:

    • Introduction to Anthroposophy as it relates to understanding human development (Morning Lecture)

    • Introduction to The Arts thru the Years (Painting, Drawing, Singing)

    • Intro. To Rawson’s Generative Principles (5 Vignettes)

    • Advisory Planning Time (towards your personal aims); with mentorship

    • Contemplative Practice / Inner life of the teacher: practices to support inner health

    • Intro to Child Development (Evening Lecture)

    • Practical & Developmental Movement Activities over the years

    • Eurythmy

    Generative Principles: 

    • Child Development, timing is everything

    • Learning is rhythmical

    • Learning processes are structured over time

    • Block teaching strengthens learning

    • Teacher Preparation/Economy of Teaching; how can we utilize somatic, emotional, contemplative practices to mitigate burnout?

    • Planning and Implementation (The What)

  • VIRTUAL TWICE MONTHLY MODULES - Sept 2025 - May 2026

    Monthly Schedule: 

    • Week 1: 2-hour virtual session

    • Week 2: 2-hour independent exploration

    • Week 3 & 4: Repeat the cycle with a new topic

    SAMPLE SCHEDULE (subject to change)


    Module #1 Asynchronous Pre Recording & Saturday August 30th 9:30am - 1:30pm

    Introduction to Grounded in Practice 

    -Biography of Steiner (possible pre-recording)

    -Generative Principles

    -Epistemology /Theory of Knowledge


    All Modules below are 9:30am - 12:00pm Saturdays

    Module #2 Saturday September 13,

    Introduction to Anthroposophy: Theosophy Epistemology /Theory of Knowledge

    (Waldorf Education takes the spiritual dimension seriously)


    Module #3  Saturday September 27

    Children Need to be Ready to Learn and Need Time to Learn

    (Child Developmental Strategies)


    Module #4  Saturday, October 11

    Teaching Must be Artistic

    Activating the imagination through vivid pictorial descriptions and images is a powerful starting point for learning


    Module #5 Saturday, October 18th or 25th TBC

    Teaching Must be Artistic

    Storytelling Creates a Sense of Coherence


    Module #6 Saturday, November 8

    Learning is Rhythmic (Learning Processes 7fold)


    Module #7 Saturday, November 22

    Learning is Structured Over Time

    Block Teaching Strengthens Learning Disposition Over Time


    Module #8 Saturday, December 6th or 13th TBC

    Supporting the Development of the Twelve Senses


    Module #9 Saturday, December 20

    The Cultural Life of the School

    Celebrating Nature and Ancient Wisdom in Contemporary Ways


    Module  Saturday, January 3

    Break


    Module #10 Saturday, January 17

    Rudolf Steiner’s Theory of Knowing

    Philosophy of Freedom Part 1


    Module #11 Saturday, January 31

    Sense of Coherence is the Basis for Healthy Learning


    Module #12 Saturday February 14

    Direct Experience is the Basis for Healthy Learning


    Module #13 Saturday February 28

    A Phenomenological Approach Enables an Organic Growth of Knowledge


    Module #14 Saturday March 14

    Nurturing Self-Activity in Your Students


    Module #15 Saturday March 28

    The Waldorf Class is a Learning Community - Diverse Learners/ Differentiated Learning


    Module #16 Saturday April 11

    Building a Learning Community - Assessment and Reporting in Waldorf Schools


    Module #17 Saturday April 18th

    The Teachers are a Collegial Learning Community - Waldorf School Governance a Basis for Collaborative Education


    Module #18 Saturday May 9th

    Connecting With Parents


    Module #19 Saturday May 23rd

    Communication and Conflict Resolution: Making sure your language is restorative. (Share Resources)

    Module #20 Saturday June 6

    The Primary Aims of the Curriculum in Waldorf Schools

  • 6 day In Person Retreat: $1300 US / 25% Full Time Canadian Resident Discount.

    Twice Monthly Virtual Modules: Sept - May: $1900 US / 25% Full Time Canadian Resident Discount.

    Important Enrolment Information

    Participants are required to enroll in both the in-person retreat and the virtual modules for full participation in the program. The only exception is for applicants attending the retreat at Sunbridge Institute. For Sunbridge applicants, you have the flexibility to choose from the following options:

    • Attend the in-person retreat as a standalone experience.

    • Enroll in the full program, including both the retreat and virtual modules.

    • Optionally, join the virtual modules after completing the in-person retreat.

    We offer these options to best suit your needs and schedule!


    Credit Hours & Transferring to Accredited Waldorf Teacher Training Institutes

    This program fulfills 100 hours of Foundation Study according to AWSNA guidelines for teacher preparation requirements. Credit transfer for foundation or supplementary hours requires approval by training institutes on a case by case basis. However, full credit hours are pre-approved by the following institutes:

Two people sitting at a wooden table with open books and a notebook, one reading and one writing, with an iced drink nearby.

Your Instructors

  • Smiling woman wearing flower leis in an outdoor setting.

    Sarah Nelson

    Sarah Nelson has been a Waldorf educator and advocate for over 27 years, serving as a class teacher, early childhood educator, pedagogical administrator, mentor, and leader within the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA). She holds a Master’s in Education from Antioch New England, a Waldorf Teaching Certificate, and a Bachelor’s in Adolescent and Child Psychology from UMass. Sarah works with various Waldorf schools while splitting her time between British Columbia and Maui, HI.

  • Person wearing glasses and a black Arc'teryx jacket, smiling outdoors with a blurry green background.

    Rubeena Sandhu

    Rubeena Sandhu has been a Waldorf educator and principal for over 25 years. She has served on the Leadership Council of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) since 2018, and is currently the Secretary of the Anthroposophical Society in Canada. With a Masters of Education in School Counselling, a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts and a Waldorf Teaching Certificate she supports students, teachers administrators and parents to learn, develop, connect and heal.

Register Today!

Please fill the registration form before payment

Poster for Arscura's Art as Life Biography Training Program by the New Adult Learning Institute. It includes details on the curriculum with modules focusing on life cycles and personal growth. The program is scheduled from August 9th to August 12th, with a fee of $400. Contact information and a website link are provided, along with images depicting a painting and a log cabin in a wooded setting.
Flyer for Arscura's 'Art as Life' Biography Training Program, detailing registration and tuition, overview of biographical coaching, location in Saltam, BC, and information about the facilitators and host.

Biography, Life as Art - Three year part-time program

Module One $415 (4 days) @ Havenwood, August 4th -9th 2025

Full Program: $1015 per year: 9 modules total

In biography studies, students learn through personal journeying. Life patterns, cycles, crisis points, and identifying one's purpose in life (destiny) are studied. In this program art is used as a vehicle for process, not as a discipline to be developed.

Although there is no time limit, all nine modules offered need to be completed to lead to the Diploma Life as Art - Biography Practitioner. The program can be entered at the beginning of each module. Nine sessions over three years:

  • Three summer intensives of one week each

  • Two On-line terms with monthly virtual sessions from fall through spring.

MODULE ONE: Explore Life Cycles, $400 for 4 days

An introduction to biography studies, through a unique process of self reflection, group work and studio exercies. We will create a final beautiful watercolour of YOUR life.

Familiarity or openness to contemplative practice or anthroposophy is recommended.

  • Biography - Life as Art -- Course Outline

    Year One

    • LIFE CYCLES
      The seven-year cycles as described by Rudolf Steiner. Introduction.

    • PLANETARY QUALITIES
      The seven planetary qualities in their relationship to life cycles

    • EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSSNESS. The journey of reviewing, letting go, and beginning again before, during & after life.

    Year Two

    • MALE AND FEMALE ANCIENTQUALITIES
      A deeper look at masculine and feminine qualities in everyone's life. Working towards an inner unity.

    • OVERCOMING POLARITY
      Qualities of form and dissolution in life patterns. Observing our own tendencies to polarize and learning to find balance.

    • TIME AS A PHENOMENON IN BIOGRAPHY
      Growing, developing and ripening are the result of four etheric forces. This theme and charting the biography of another are part of this term's work.

    Year Three

    • FAMOUS BIOGRAPHIES & TWELVE WORLD VIEWS
      Charting an historical celebrity for presentation. Awakening 12 spiritual capacities in life and learning to stand in the middle of life's dynamics with a balanced overview.

    • CRISIS IN BIOGRAPHY
      By revisiting past turning points we learn creative responses for the future and to meet challenging life situations.

    • PRACTICAL APPLICATION
      Facilitating a group and weekly tutorial. Self & peer assessment and presentation from practice. Helping each other to look toward future steps.

  • Each Year: if paid in advance $ 1,015 plus materials.

    Each Module: $415, if taken separately, plus materials.

    Credit: Arscura completion diploma. This program will run for one year before applying for accreditation by the International Trainers Forum for Biography Work (ITF).