Updated BRC Newsflash - January 2022
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The Buddhist Retreat Centre |
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Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
For people of all religions |
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BRC Newsflash: January 2022 Dear Retreatants, |
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| Reclining Buddha | Image: Angela Buckland | |
"If Your Compassion Does Not Include Yourself, It Is Incomplete” - Jack Kornfield“Every other Tuesday, our company starts the day with a heart sharing circle. Not everyone comes, but those who do really open up. We each share from the heart anything that wants to come up and the rest just listen fully. It feels so whole just to be heard. This morning I was struck by a comment that someone made about gratitude: they said they were grateful for the things that they don't have, for things that didn't happen. Often I can default to be focused on the things that I don't have. Need to buy more, become more, give more, either way it is more, more, more. Then, at times I'm lucky enough to tune into the things I already have. I'm grateful for my partner, my work, clean air etc. But I rarely am grateful for the things that didn't happen. The accident that didn't happen, the doctor diagnosis I didn't get, the drama that didn't come my way. Just getting a glimpse of all the things that didn't happen is intense. My mind can't hold it all to be honest. But even seeing a glimpse of it makes me feel like I won a lottery and lands me right in the place where I am, just as I am. Enough and content.” - Unknown |
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| Swaying in the mist with Fiona Brittian | Image: Jason Ross | |
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Sharing experiences with our fellow travellers tends to come at a time of the year when it is a tradition to do just that: to put your life experiences into a more profound perspective; to reminisce on the past year and re-envisage our lives going forward with purpose and clarity. As we reflect on this past year at the BRC, we are overwhelmed with gratitude to all our teachers and retreatants who have supported us so generously and loyally. The BRC has stayed open because of your friendship and loving-kindness. Thank you! We wish you and your families a happy festive season. Tread lightly, With affection, Louis, Chrisi and the BRC Team |
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| Re-envisage your path | Image: Chantelle Flores | |
Now And Zen: Reboot, Recharge And RetreatThere is no better place than the BRC to rejuvenate the body and mind with nature, meditation and movement to guide you into presence and stillness. All health protocols and Covid-19 regulations are in place - with social distancing, sanitizing and masks - for your safety and well-being. |
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| Restorative yoga with Phumla Shongwe | Image: Kerry-Lee Jesson | |
Conducted Retreats January 2022Time To Tune Into 2022: Gently Kickstart The New Year With Qigong, Hatha Yoga, Meditation And Healing TherapiesDeborah Don, Kugan Naidoo and Colin Kemery | Weekend | 7-9 January 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 2022, this largely unstructured weekend will prove useful. Experience sunrise qigong, gentle hatha yoga sessions and meditation. Deborah Don, a qualified Self-Esteem Coach and massage therapist, will be offering healing therapies by appointment.
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| Deanne Fouche and her summer harvest |
Image: Lien Duvenage | |
About the BRCPerched 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 Visit our website for further information, directions, image gallery etc. |
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