As autumn approaches, we invite you to take a break and join us for an unstructured personal retreat. During your stay, you can enjoy qigong and meditation - to promote relaxation. Alternatively, you may choose to simply enjoy the tranquillity of the space, embracing the art of doing nothing. Imagine cozying up by a warm fire, savouring delicious vegetarian meals, and immersing yourself in silence. This time out offers a slower rhythm, allowing you to step back from the busyness of life and find peace within.

The spiritual life is first of all a life. It is not merely something to be known and studied, it is to be lived - Thomas Merton

New Year is a good time of the year to take stock and contemplate our moment-to-moment, here-and-now reality in all its fullness. It’s a traditional time for clarifying our motivations, and for starting afresh with new intentions. A time, in other words, to reboot the system. Give yourself the gift of time over this New Year period to collect the Three Wise Medicines of gratitude, ahimsa and contentment, to reflect on the past year, and uncover how you can best live your life in the coming year. During this time together we will let our body, speech and mind fall silent through the practice of meditation and silence. In working with the Three Wise Medicines, there will also be time for writing and contemplation, walking and ceremony especially outside in nature. We will welcome the New Year with a circumambulation around the  lantern-lit  Buddha Rupa, ringing out the old year with an ancient Chinese temple gong. The retreat will be held in an atmosphere of silence and introspection.

It is difficult to make decisions about important issues in your life when you are immersed in them. You need some distance from them, physically and psychologically to see them clearly for what they are. Only then, can you gain a fresh perspective on them. So, if you feel you need a gentle, uncluttered space to tune into what lies ahead for you in 2026, this largely unstructured weekend will prove useful. Experience sunrise qigong, yoga and meditation with Di, Marrion and Brendon while Nolwazi Bandezi, a qualified therapist, will be offering healing therapies by appointment. The BRC provides an ideal opportunity to be in a sympathetic space to experience what it is like to "just be"..

Christel has used the ancient Science of Numerology to empower and guide her clients for more than 20 years. It is an incredible personal development tool which brings wisdom, clarity and affirmation, in profound ways. Numerology is also a valuable guidance tool for planning a year ahead, making major life decisions, or simply understanding your current life situation. She uses her hands-on approach and creative skills of music, movement and art to teach Numerology. This makes it very easy to understand and to apply immediately. Come and join Christel for this informative mid-week retreat.

Join us for a transformative retreat as we explore the intricacies of our unpredictable world and strive to nurture a life filled with authenticity and purpose. We will embark on a journey to discover our identities and the relationships that link us to one another and to our surroundings. Inspired by the insights of philosophers such as Krishnamurti, Buddha, and Aristotle, we will embark on a journey of self-awareness, acknowledging that understanding ourselves is essential for navigating the challenges we encounter. Drawing on the insights of Jungian psychologist James Hollis and the poetic wisdom of Rumi, we shall confront the challenges that impede our growth and discover how to embrace our authentic selves. Enhance your emotional intelligence and mindfulness as you apply valuable self-insights to your personal development journey in our fast-changing world and explore ways to enrich your life with purpose and vitality, even in the face of the challenges that we encounter.

Join Duncan for a weekend of reflection, rejuvenation, relaxation and restoration. The retreat is based on the ancient practices of hatha and raja yoga and is open to all levels of ability, including beginners, who wish to understand the fundamentals of yoga and develop, or deepen, their own practice. In the tranquil environment of the Buddhist Retreat Centre, we will discover how shatkarmas (cleansing techniques), asanas (postures), pranayama (control of the breath), mudra (gestures to manipulate and stimulate the energies in the body), bandhas (energy locks with the body) bring us into equilibrium. These traditional practices will help us to develop awareness of body, mind and breath. As the body gently opens like a lotus flower, and we start to release our past impressions, so the mind becomes relaxed preparing us for meditation. We will follow traditional guided meditation techniques in the meditation hall and in the labyrinth to quieten the mind, calm anxieties, recover balance in life and enhance creativity, insight and self-reflection.

Take back your life, it’s the only one you’ve got! The past few years seem to have been particularly challenging for many of us. Unsettling changes, prolonged stress, life crises of one kind or another, or simply giving away too much of your vital fire to another can leave you feeling dangerously close to burn-out and struggling to regain your sense of balance, purpose and passion.

This recalibration workshop is geared at those who feel they have lost the compass. Under the experienced guidance of creative journey guide and author, Elana Bregin, you will be led through the gentle process of rebuilding your inner fire and reclaiming the joie de vivre that may have gone missing in the stresses and traumas of daily life. Amid the quiet beauty and sacred peace of the BRC grounds, well supported by the Centre’s delicious meals, cosy fires and revitalising ambience, we will open our senses and heart chakras and start the conversation with our deeper selves that relaxed attention enables. There will be periods of writing reflection, group sharing, inspirational walks and uplifting talks, to help us get back in touch with who we really are and want to be, and explore useful strategies for infusing more joy and fulfilment into our everyday living - whatever our current challenges and circumstances.

"This workshop delivered beyond my expectations! I have new tools & perspectives for my journey forward, thank you. I would most certainly recommend this workshop & the insights shared." Previous workshop participant

Nowhere Else To Be is a series of mid-week zazenkai held in Noble Silence at the BRC. Each zazenkai invites us to rest deeply in the present moment and attune to the simplicity and stillness of the unfolding moment. We will return to the basics of practice - stillness, silence, breath. With nowhere else to be and nothing else to do, we settle into what is.

This zazenkai is suitable for those with a regular meditation practice or prior retreat experience who feel ready to spend a day in silence, stillness, and simplicity. It offers a simple, structured, and spacious container in which to reconnect with presence, nature, and the still point within. The emphasis is on returning to what is already here — without distraction, without pressure, without needing to be anywhere else.

Come sit with us - there is nowhere else to be.

For the Zazenkai series, the next dates are:

24-26 February 2026
24-26 March 2026
21-23 April 2026

Explore this ancient Chinese practice that boosts one’s health and vitality. Participants will learn the key techniques of how to master qigong and incorporate it into their daily lives, effortlessly. These techniques are easy to learn, are useful and powerful. The healing power of qigong works on both the physical and spiritual level - if it is done correctly. These techniques include breathing, timing, warm-ups, postures, movement and mind projection. Dr Hu will also introduce some Chinese medicine for detoxing, lowering cholesterol, decreasing body fat and relieving water retention. This retreat is designed to suit beginners, as well as those who have practised qigong previously.

This retreat invites you into the quiet art of haiku as a contemplative practice. Rooted in the spirit of Zen, haiku offers a simple yet profound way to see clearly, feel deeply, and return to the present moment. Through silence, walking, writing, and shared attention, we will explore how just three lines -  and one breath - can open the heart and still the mind. Our time together will include periods of seated meditation, nature-based observation, guided haiku writing, and gentle reflective exercises. No writing experience is needed - only a willingness to pause, notice, and respond with honesty and care.

This retreat is for anyone seeking to reconnect with presence through the quiet doorway of poetry and the practice of seeing.

Our lifestyles seem to require us to direct our attention and energies into an external world that although involving us, also overwhelms and extends beyond our reach. We need to find a steady centre to our lives. Meditation builds internal qualities of calm and steadiness, but the training also encourages a wise focus and response to the external world. From this comes the Middle Way, a dynamic open centre within action and stillness. Finding and abiding in that centre is the theme of the retreat.

The retreat will include periods of sitting, walking and standing, along with qigong and chanting.

Most of us spend a third of our life asleep. Taking the average life span into account, this is equivalent to about twenty-five to thirty years. Even though the mental state is more subtle when the body is asleep, it doesn't mean that we can't have an alert, meditative, observing mind. In fact, certain practices prove to be even more effective during this state, as we are less distracted by the five physical senses. In order to access dreams and to turn them towards the Buddhist path, we first have to realise that we are in fact dreaming. Tibetan Dream Yoga is the original form of Lucid Dreaming documented for 1,000 years. Also known as Milam - the yoga of the dream state - it is a collection of advanced tantric techniques. Just like our Western understanding of lucid dreams, the initial aim is to awaken the consciousness in the dream, state. In the Tibetan tradition, dream yoga is also used to practise Bodhicitta (the seed of enlightenment) and to develop wisdom.

The gentle movements that you will learn to do on this relaxed mid-week course will help to build your immune system and improve your general well-being. The mindful way in which you move will work on your internal organs as you generate energy 'qi'. You will also have time to roam the beautiful grounds of the BRC as you take time out to relax and recharge.

Join Steve for an enjoyable weekend of identifying some of the BRC’s 160 species of birds - including the summer residents, the rare Blue Swallow, Knysna Turaco and Emerald Cuckoo. Wake up to birdsong and walk the verdant hills and meadows close to where the Blue Swallows nest. The BRC has been awarded “Private Nature Reserve” status by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife for its conservation of the Blue Swallow and its pristine mistbelt grasslands. Included will be talks, slide shows, meditation and some quiet time communing with nature. Bring your binoculars and a sunhat.

Nowhere Else To Be is a series of mid-week zazenkai held in Noble Silence at the BRC. Each zazenkai invites us to rest deeply in the present moment and attune to the simplicity and stillness of the unfolding moment. We will return to the basics of practice - stillness, silence, breath. With nowhere else to be and nothing else to do, we settle into what is.

This zazenkai is suitable for those with a regular meditation practice or prior retreat experience who feel ready to spend a day in silence, stillness, and simplicity. It offers a simple, structured, and spacious container in which to reconnect with presence, nature, and the still point within. The emphasis is on returning to what is already here — without distraction, without pressure, without needing to be anywhere else.

Come sit with us - there is nowhere else to be.

For the Zazenkai series, the next dates are: 

24-26 March 2026
21-23 April 2026

Embark on a wild and delicious journey of deep nourishment for your body, mind and spirit and join us for a ‘nourish in nature’ retreat featuring Kaz Wilson, a passionate nutritionist and wild forager of superfoods and edible medicinal plants. Kaz will blend these gifts from nature into her intuitive cooking demonstrations - think sweet potato brownies, banana tahini ice-cream, sweet and savoury coconut chips, chickpea chocolate hummus - creating a unique culinary experience. With the principle of “Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food” she will share pointers from her ‘Grow A New You’ programme, incorporating food demos and nature walks to empower you to take healing into your own hands.
This retreat will also integrate yoga in nature and mindful food practices, promoting a holistic approach to wellness. Kaz will be joined by Dael Lithgow, who will connect mind and body through science and meditation. He will share insights on how our thoughts impact our health - exploring nutrition that nourishes both the physical and spiritual self.

Yoga teaches us the ability to remain present, calm and stable no matter what situation we find ourselves in. It is not about perfecting the shape of the pose or increasing flexibility – it is about knowing what the shapes do and how they impact our physiology, our energy and our mind. When carefully planned and sequenced, yoga helps us to thrive in the external world that is always changing and simultaneously allows us to disconnect from our daily lives and reconnect to that aspect of being that never changes.

In yoga, a complete practice includes physical postures (asana), breathwork (pranayama), and meditation. Postures and breathwork prepare us for meditation. When we regularly practise meditation, we train ourselves to pause before reacting, often based on habitual patterns, and instead respond calmly with more wisdom and compassion.
This retreat offers a reprieve from the sensory overload and constant stimulation of modern life. Throughout your retreat, you will discover practical tools to manage stress, enhance resilience, avoid burnout, and promote overall well-being. From yoga and meditation practices to a guided hike, our experiential approach addresses the mind, body, and spirit, empowering you to thrive amidst life’s challenges.

In the 1980’s Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn brought mindfulness into western medical focus. He was a practitioner of Zen Buddhism at the time and wanted to introduce his eastern learnings into a secular western framework. He was highly successful, and his work spread worldwide from the university of Massachusetts USA in the form of MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction). His definition: ‘Mindfulness can be cultivated by paying attention, in a particular way, on purpose and in the present moment, with three attitudes of  non-reactivity, non-judgement and open heartedness’ became the cornerstone of Mark Joseph's work. He found it wasn’t about converting South Africans to Buddhism but sharing the heart of practices that transformed his mind and heart. Mark became fascinated with the collaboration of HH The 14th Dalai Lama and science, especially with the work of neuroscientist Richard Davidson and author Daniel Goleman. Mark has been running mindfulness workshops for many years incorporating neuroscience and performance psychology. In 2016 he created the ‘Mindfulness teacher training program’ and in 2018 it was introduced into RMB bank to train wellness ambassadors. During the pandemic this program spread to the entire First Rand organisation as well as ABSA and DHL. Mark has pioneered the growth of mindfulness not only in the corporate world but also in training psychologists and individuals in mindful therapy.

The essence of this program will be shared in this 2-day retreat and combines key points around how mindfulness contributes to:
- Focus and attention management
- Stress Management
- Insight and Innovation
- Psychological safety
- Emotional Intelligence
- Self compassion
- Empathy
- Wisdom

Experience the merging of the eastern and western forms of mindfulness to provide you with an evidence-based approach to cultivating a daily practice and how this will affect your positive mental well-being.

This weekend retreat will bring traditional Hatha Yoga practices to align with western science and explore why yoga assists with regulating the nervous system and how the fascial system is the environment of the body and its influence on everything else. Cheryl’s diverse background in Somatic psychology and counselling, contemporary dance, traditional yoga, personal training, meditation, physical therapy, fascial release, massage, polarity therapy, Reiki, and Pranic healing has enabled her to develop a holistic approach to healing that addresses pain and emotional blockages, guiding participants towards profound self-healing and personal growth.

Participants will experience a traditional South African healing ceremony over three days during which they will learn to connect to their Ancestors (bones), Dreams, 'Umoya' (spirit) and one another. 'Ubuntu' means 'I am what I am because of who we all are'. It is a circle of interlinking relationships connecting the seen and unseen worlds. The ceremony will involve a plant cleanse, using medicinal plants to cleanse the spirit and open the heart. Included will be an in-depth discussion on 'African cosmology' and the understanding of ancestors, plant medicine and dreaming. Retreatants will learn one of the most ancient and misunderstood cultures in South Africa today - the Sangoma medicine people, the monks and nuns of Southern Africa. The retreat will focus on educating people about South African traditional spirituality and also lead participants on a spiritual journey to rediscover their own ‘soul’ or what is termed ‘umoya’ in Xhosa and Zulu culture. This is a unique opportunity as there are very few places in South Africa today where people can learn from this mystical tradition. 'Ubuntu' in essence represents harmony and is similar to the Zen circle. Linking the past and present, it is an evolving state of co-operation and compassion whereby every human being is linked to their own families and communities as well as the unseen world of ancestors. John will be assisted by his colleague Makhosi Nomusa who is the resident Zulu Sangoma. Please bring a plastic basin which will be used for medicinal foot healing, a dream journal, pen and paper to take notes, a meditation blanket and an open mind. This retreat is suitable for all therapists, healers and those with a desire to heal South Africa. 

Read the Odyssey magazine article on John Lockley.

This Easter long-weekend Open the Heart and Still the Mind Compassion Retreat with clinical psychologist Sue Cooper, is held in Noble Silence and is offered either as a 4 night Easter Weekend retreat or as an extended 7 night retreat. Inspired by the wisdom teachings of the Dharma and of Buddhist and western psychology, we will cultivate mindfulness and compassion practices which calm the nervous system and help integrate body, heart and mind. As we learn to listen and connect more compassionately with ourselves, drawing silent support from the sangha (like-minded practitioners finding solace in the shared silence), we will discover that the containment of ennobling silence allows us to find the courage to honour and embody our authentic, heartfelt presence with greater confidence, clarity and joy.

As we embrace the joys and the sorrows of life with a greater understanding of impermanence, we move beyond fear, shame and crippling self-doubt. After establishing some stillness and calm in the mind and the heart, we will explore the Brahma viharas (the four divine abodes/ immeasurables) to cultivate greater kindness, courage and compassion for ourselves and others. These compassion practices bring more appreciative joy, equanimity and wisdom into our lives, strengthening our capacity for more open-hearted presence and healthier boundaries in our relationships. This silent retreat includes teachings, guided meditations, daily qigong, time to walk, rest and replenish, as well as short, individual sessions with Sue to deepen our insight and sense of well-being. There will be relaxing massages and mindful movement offered as optional extras (the cost of which to be confirmed), to support our embodied experience.

CPD accreditation for psychologists and other HPCSA (or equivalent) registered professionals will be confirmed, with an annual admin fee tbc.

Please note: There is a teacher's fee for this retreat, which is offered on a sliding scale, with reductions and payment plans on request. Please contact Sue on  for her pre-retreat questionnaire and to discuss a pre-retreat session if needed. More details can be found here: https://stillmindretreats.com/event/retreat-the-joy-of-courageous-heartfelt-presence/

The body begins the ageing process around the age of thirty. It is hardly perceptible in the beginning and speeds up the older we get. How we age is dependent on lifestyle, life experiences, mental health and attitudes, and our genes. Qigong and yoga give us tools to keep the body healthy by mobilizing the joints, strengthening muscles and keeping us flexible. The postures and sequences can be adapted to all conditions and abilities. Yoga gives us pranayama, breathing techniques which strengthen and calm the nervous system as well as infusing our body with prana (life force energy). Meditation quietens the mind and has been shown to alter structures in the brain causing us to become more peaceful and less reactive. Yoga is an inward journey, getting to know ourselves, becoming aware of our habits and finding that place of stillness and joy that is in each of us. Ayurveda offers many ways in which we can nurture the body and manage the effects of menopause, ageing and living in a stressful world.

On this retreat we will slow down and explore the offerings and take away what resonates and fits into our life.

Co-hosted by couple counsellor, global leadership coach and author ‘The Relationship Architect’ Shelley Lewin, in combination with IEA international enneagram professional practitioner, master credentialled global leadership coach and counsellor, Sav Goldridge, this retreat is an intimate, restorative experience for couples to co-create healthier relationships and transformational growth through intentional practices and tools drawn from Uncomplicated Love; the exploration of ancient wisdom drawn from Enneagram as well as meaningful connection in nature.  Shelley and Sav will guide couples to transcend relational patterns, heal emotional wounds, and build or restore the foundation for a thriving partnership. Through immersive group activities, personal reflections, and shared experiences, participants leave feeling better equipped with the tools to co-create resilient, empowered relationships that continue to evolve long after the retreat ends.

A copy of the book Uncomplicated Love: A step-by-step guide for building a thriving relationship can be purchased at an additional charge of R250.00.

Nowhere Else To Be is a series of mid-week zazenkai held in Noble Silence at the BRC. Each zazenkai invites us to rest deeply in the present moment and attune to the simplicity and stillness of the unfolding moment. We will return to the basics of practice - stillness, silence, breath. With nowhere else to be and nothing else to do, we settle into what is.

This zazenkai is suitable for those with a regular meditation practice or prior retreat experience who feel ready to spend a day in silence, stillness, and simplicity. It offers a simple, structured, and spacious container in which to reconnect with presence, nature, and the still point within. The emphasis is on returning to what is already here — without distraction, without pressure, without needing to be anywhere else.

Come sit with us - there is nowhere else to be.

We all have inner guidance and knowledge, but we don't always know how to access it and use it as the incredible gift it is. We are constantly trying to keep up with the ever-increasing pace and demands of our lives which leaves us with high stress levels and exhausted. On this retreat we will fortify our spirit, embrace our personal power, and allow our light to shine brightly again, the way the universe intended. Through talks, meditation, group work, transformational exercises, relaxation and conversation, we will journey back to our centre - to our most natural and balanced state of being. Deepening our connection with our inner self allows us to stand strong in our own personal power in the here and now. We will learn to listen less to the limiting, fear-based voices of our mind, and start aligning with our intuition, to our core that already knows that we are born as an unstoppable and magnificent force.

It is important for us to take time out from the incessant demands and fast pace of daily life. The BRC gives us a space to step off the wheel and the time to come home to the quiet, strong refuge which lies at our centre. Cultivating the natural state of peace and ease that lies there reveals our true nature - which enables us to not only help ourselves, but to help the world of which we are part. Then daily living becomes meaningful. This 3-day mid-week retreat will bring out our Beginner’s Mind through the practice of meditation. The time will be silent, quiet, and slow. There will be meditation instruction and guidance, formal sitting, and time for walking, writing, or staring into the distance. The retreat is suitable for those with or without meditation experience and will be held in an atmosphere of introspection.

In the face of stresses both planetary and personal - climate change, biodiversity loss, societal upheaval - cultivating inner resilience and hope becomes not just personal, but deeply ecological. Practices like meditation help quiet the mind and ground the nervous system, allowing us to respond to crises with clarity rather than fear. Reconnecting with nature deepens our sense of belonging to the Earth, reminding us that we are not separate from the systems we seek to protect. And in moments of wonder and awe - whether in the stillness of a forest, the glitter of a starry sky, or the simplicity of meditation - we tap into something greater than ourselves, igniting a reverence that fuels both courage and compassion and active hope.

The weekend will be a poetry-inspired time of meditation practice, deep-time walking and creative imagining, with a touch of morning yoga.

This retreat brings our practice into direct contact with the living earth. With each step, each breath, we are invited to drop below the noise of thought and return to the ground beneath our feet -  to the dirt, the air, the quiet movement of life all around us. Through walking meditation, outdoor stillness, mindful movement, and creative response, we will explore the meeting point of inner and outer landscapes. We will work with natural phenomena as invitations to presence, humility, and embodied wisdom.

The retreat includes periods of zazen, slow walking in nature, writing or drawing as contemplative response, and gentle ritual grounded in the turning season. Come as you are, and leave more rooted.

Many men are experiencing a crisis of identity and meaning in their lives right now. Relationship and careers are in transition, and the heart is yearning for a more meaningful and soul-centred vision in life. What is required is a fundamental shift in how we see ourselves, our roles, and our purpose in the world. This Men’s Retreat will facilitate huge shifts in the quality and experience of one’s life. This powerful intervention will assist participants to reduce stress, shift limiting perceptions and attitudes, gain self-knowledge, self-worth and emotional balance and inculcate mental and emotional resilience in coping with this rapidly changing world.

Are you ready for a life shift? John and Michelle bring their combined forty years of facilitating experience to this retreat, providing you with a gentle, yet powerful process that will shift, awaken and nourish your whole being. You will leave this retreat greatly refreshed with a new and awakened perspective in life, taking with you practical tools to apply in shifting all areas of your life.

The retreat will integrate transformational, yet practical spiritual teachings of Presence, Awakening and Creative Art Processes. This integration will help you clear blockages that may have prevented you from living a healthy, peaceful and abundant life. All creative experiences are process-driven, as opposed to being outcome-based, so no artistic experience or skill is required. You will leave with a deeper sense of peace; a more focused sense of life purpose and rekindled joy and with greater emotional and spiritual intelligence to navigate life’s challenges.

For more info on their work see www.journeysofawakening.com

Why do we need to Recover to our true Self - to our Buddha nature? Often we may find ourselves using various substances or strategies addictively which can include everything from food, alcohol, recreational or prescription drugs, social media, or where we are in abusive relationships. When this affects our daily lives and more importantly the relationships that mean the most to us, we have lost our true nature of self.

In this retreat we will explore the Buddha’s teaching on the cause of suffering (Samudaya), the origin of suffering - our attachment, our craving and ignorance that generate negative karma. We will discover that there is a solution in the Four Noble Truths which results in the end of suffering (Nirhodha) and the possibility of achieving liberation (Nirvana) from the cycle of suffering and the rebirth to our true self (Samsara). Our karma and shortcomings can be removed only by ourselves. We are personally responsible for their creation, and we are responsible for their elimination. This retreat will be helpful to people in need of recovery and speaks to any aspect of ourselves that needs to heal.

The feast of Wesak is the most important day in the Buddhist calendar, commemorating the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha 2,500 years ago, and is held annually on the full moon of the lunar month of Vesakha (coincidental with May). We will mark this festival with a programme of sitting and walking meditation plus reflections on the Buddha’s life and teachings and, in union with Buddhists around the world, hold a traditional Wesak ceremony - a lantern-lit circumambulation – on Saturday evening. Apart from a talk or two - some thoughts on the Buddha’s smile - plus discussion, the weekend will place an emphasis on meditation, the basic Buddhist practice common to all traditions – simply breathing in and breathing out – doing exactly what the Buddha did. The schedule will include time to enjoy the beautiful grounds of the Buddhist Retreat Centre.

*Please note this retreat will be held in Noble Silence.