Updated BRC Newsflash - October 2021

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The Buddhist Retreat Centre

Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

For people of all religions

BRC Newsflash: October 2021

Dear Retreatants,

From Doing To Being

Most of us live in a state of perpetual doing. Our sympathetic nervous system is on overdrive and cortisol charges through our body and mind. No wonder we cannot calm down and relax! There is an upward rush of energy perpetually stirring up our thoughts like a furious wind causing a windmill to spin out of control.

Through mindfulness meditation we activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Instead of the energy going up into the head it goes down into the body. We slow down, feel more present in our bodies and connect to life around us.

We do this though slowing and deepening our breathing, letting our attention flow with the rhythm of our breathing and feeling the weight of our bodies on the Earth beneath us. It is a simple as that. This helps us to access the being mode.

Now, it is not that we stay in the being mode all the time. We learn to shift from being to doing as and when necessary. It is like driving a car. We do not stay in high gear all the time – otherwise the gear box will burn out – we learn to shift up and down the gears. Similarly, we learn to move between the being mode of embodied calm to the doing mode of energetic focus and activity. This brings balance to our lives.

With Metta,

Choden

Snow Buddhas

Recently, the BRC was transformed into a winter wonderland when snow white-washed the Ixopo hills and valleys.

It reminded me of the time in 1988 during the Children’s Retreat which I was leading. I remember waking up to excited shouts from the children and their parents as they woke up to snow. Naturally, all planned activities were cancelled for the day as we all went about enjoying the magical snowscape - building snow Buddhas. We can forget about teaching meditation and philosophy when you can throw yourself into joyous moments like those!

This was not about “Going with the flow” but indulging in the snow.

With affection.

Louis

Now And Zen: Reboot, Recharge And Retreat In Ixopo

There is no better place to reboot and get in touch with nature than in the beautiful, tranquil spaces of the BRC. We have a selection of retreats for October to support you.

All health protocols and Covid-19 regulations are in place - with social distancing, sanitizing and masks - for your safety and well-being.

There are still a few spaces left on the following September retreats:

Zen Pen: A Writing, Being And Meditation Retreat

Dorian Haarhoff | 3 days | 23-26 September
Looking at your image in a clear stream,
you answer the question by your very presence

In this retreat we explore the connection between writing and meditation. We write and meditate on the many changes and transformations we experience as we journey along the river of our lives. We consider how creativity steadies the boat and how writing helps us dip the oars into dark water so we may navigate the river safely.

The Rough Writing Road: Keeping A Journal
Dorian Haarhoff | 2 days | 26-28 September
The journal is a vehicle for my sense of selfhood. it does not simply record my actual, daily life but rather - in many cases - offers an alternative to it - Susan Sontag

Journals inform and support all genres - as a think book, as a non-think one, a plan book or an open-hearted one. Instants of inspiration. A home for the imagination, the cauldron of creativity. Moments of synchronicity. As William Blake says ‘kissing the moment as it flies’. So, come and kiss the moment.

Conducted Retreats October 2021

Deepening Your Emotional Intelligence Through Mindfulness: Gaining Insights Into Your Emotional Intelligence For Resonant Relationship

Shanil Haricharan | Weekend | 1-3 October
There is a positive relationship between mindfulness and emotional intelligence. Emotionally intelligent people are aware of their own emotions (self-awareness) and they effectively manage their emotions (self-management). In addition, they are aware of the emotions of others (social awareness) and are adept at managing the emotions of others (relationship management). This interactive retreat supports participants in their personal development journey, through gaining insights in concepts and practices in emotional intelligence and mindfulness, in navigating our volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world.
Read more

Yinsight Yoga: Yin Yoga And Mindfulness Meditation

Despina Forbes | Weekend | 8-10 October
Combining the practices of Yin yoga and mindfulness meditation creates powerful possibilities for insight, transformation and healing on all layers of being - body, mind, and heart. Yin yoga combines aspects of Hatha yoga, the concept of the modern meridian theory in Chinese medicine, Taoism and mindfulness meditation practice. It is designed to improve the flow of chi/prana (the vital energy of the body) through the energetic channels (or meridians) to improve overall emotional well-being, joint mobility, immunity and organ health.
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Stand Like A Tree To Power Up Your Chi

Paul Dorrian | 3 days | 12-15 October
‘Standing like a Tree’ qigong is unlike most other qigong styles in that with the exception of changing from one static posture to the next, the practitioner remains absolutely still. Regarded by many contemporary Masters as the most powerful of all qigong practices, it opens all of the nine energy portals in the body, and encourages one’s chi (life force) to flow powerfully throughout one’s entire being. In this retreat Paul will teach the Four Posture Zhan Zhuang Form, which assists in developing a strong physical structure as well as creating a greater supply of healing chi to promote health and vitality. To complement Zhan Zhuang, he will also teach a bouquet of ancient Taoist qigong healing meditations, designed to cleanse and heal the key organs of the body, promote inner peace and tranquillity, expand one’s spiritual awareness, and develop a glowing aura of protection and health.
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The Myth Of Writer’s Block: Exploring The Relationship Between Negative Thought Patterns And Creative Flow

Natasha Freeman | Weekend | 15-17 October
Utilising the tenets of Vipassana meditation, Natasha will explore the concept that writer’s block does not actually exist. The retreat will utilise complimentary aspects of meditation and discourse, focussing on self-reflection and exploring, discovering and shifting restrictive internal barriers which contribute to the perception of writer’s block.
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Under The Rose-Apple Tree: A Weekend Of Meditation practice

Stephen Coan | Weekend | 22-24 October
The teachings of the Buddha sprang from his enlightenment experience under the bodhi tree. The key to this final awakening, according to the Buddha, was his recollection of a childhood experience that occurred when, on a hot day, “I was sitting in the cool shade of a rose-apple tree” and, quite naturally, he entered a meditative state. “Following on that memory came the realization that: ‘This is indeed the path to enlightenment’.” While the Buddha’s enlightenment can be difficult to comprehend, this earlier experience is more accessible, possibly even familiar to us. Re-connect with and renew that experience in a Zen-style retreat supported by a programme of sitting and walking meditation. There will also be time to enjoy the beautiful grounds of the centre - and to sit under trees. Please note: apart from an introductory talk and a discussion period the retreat will be held in Noble Silence.
Read more

Yin And Yang: A Yoga Retreat: Release, Relax And Restore

Georgie Carter | 3 days | 26-29 October
Yin yoga provides the balance to our hectic Yang lifestyle. In today’s busy world we are inundated with the pressure to do more, take on yet more and push ourselves even further. This 3-day mid-week retreat provides a balance to our often frenetic, stressful lives and will restore harmony, health and calmness. In relaxing our muscles and surrendering into our yoga postures, we are able to work deeply into the joints, ligaments, fascia and bones of the body - releasing tension and detoxifying normally inaccessible parts of our bodies. The retreat is centred around releasing, relaxing and restoring our bodies, our minds and our energy and is suitable for everyone. Please bring your own yoga mats.
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Life Tides And Word Links: A Weekend Course In Poetry

Dawn Garisch | Weekend | 29-31 October

I want to share an approach to poetry
that’s taught me how to play
with rhythm and meaning, following words
and traces of feeling to make new tracks.
Acts of poetry link the tides of my body
and the world with new ways of thinking, moving
across from life to the page, and back

This course will help you to connect with themes and images that need expression and exploration. Learning to condense or distil your inquiry can help with insight and clarity. Working with rhythm and rhyme, off-and-half-rhymes, and with antonyms and synonyms, can break open meaning in new and unexpected ways. Please bring a thesaurus and a rhyming dictionary if you have one. I will bring mine to share.
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Step Into Spring With a Personal Self Retreat

People often yearn for an opportunity to recalibrate their lives and to spend some time in quiet reflection among like-minded people. The BRC provides such a refuge - where silence is a precious commodity. Treat yourself to a personal retreat where you can wake up to bird song, walk in the morning mist, rake the sand garden, listen to the wind chimes, meditate in garden of the Bamboo Grove.
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Wholesome Almond Tart

Prudence Maksanya joined our team at beginning of this year and has introduced some delicious new recipes. Her Whole Almond Tart is sensational and her recipe is in much demand, so we thought we would share it with you for those special treat days. To make the crust  mix 120g butter, 200g white flour and 60g castor sugar and sprinkle 150g whole almonds over the base. Make the filling by melting in a pan 90g brown sugar, 100ml syrup, 25g butter and 50g flour. Whisk 2 eggs into this mixture and pour over the almonds. Bake for 25 minutes at 170º. If you can’t attend one of our retreats, you can in your own home - with our recipe books - get the flavour of the place. We are able to courier the books to your door. Please email: . if you would like to order our recipe books: The Cake The Buddha Ate, Plentiful and Quiet Food.

About the BRC

Perched on a ridge at the head of a valley in the Umkomaas river system in KwaZulu-Natal, the Buddhist Retreat Centre looks out on a vista of indigenous valleys, forests and rolling hills receding like waves in the blue distance. Here, for thirty-nine years, people of all religions and none have come to experience peace and tranquillity. It is a gentle, sympathetic space where one can be still and get in touch with oneself and reflect on the things that crowd one's life.

The BRC was voted by CNN as one of the ten best meditation centres in the world.

CNN Travel awarded another feather in the BRC’s cap by voting it as one of the ten best spiritual centres in South Africa, recently.

The BRC was awarded Natural Heritage status in 1995 under the auspices of the Department of Environmental Affairs and received a certificate to that effect signed by President Nelson Mandela for turning an eroded farm into the natural paradise it has become - thousands of indigenous trees were planted by retreatants under the supervision of Mervyn Croft - with 160 species of birds, including the Blue Swallow, otter, deer, antbear and indigenous forests. The Centre was also given the special status of “Custodian of the Blue Swallow” for its work in preserving the breeding areas of this endangered bird.

Recently,  Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife  granted the BRC “Private Nature Reserve” for the conservation of the rare Blue Swallow and Mistbelt Grassland.

The BRC facilitated the founding of Woza Moya, the community-based NGO, located in Ufafa Valley, twenty-one years ago, on the estate. Their vision is for all people in the community to be healthy and .productive, to live in a safe and clean environment, with good access to services and social justice. The Centre continues to support the organisation by showcasing their crafts in the shop and sponsoring their trainers and consultants. The Woza Moya Crafters are local women who receive ongoing training and support to enable them to create these unique and charming best sellers.

Please continue to support the BRC by becoming a friend of the Buddhist Retreat Centre (a non-profit organisation) and find out more about the BRC's Paid-Up-Yogi and Sangha Friends’ projects.

We have been very touched by your appreciative letters, emails, support and friendship towards the BRC - your spiritual home from home.

Chrisi

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