BRC Newsletter - September 2025

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The Buddhist Retreat Centre
Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa		For people of all religions
BRC Newsletter: September 2025 Dear Friends,

Walking meditation		Image: Nick Halliday
Take The Backward Step And Turn The Light Inward We congratulate Odyssey Magazine on their 250 Celebratory July Edition “In the blink of an Eye”. Debra Robins, Editor and Publisher of “Odyssey” writes about what retreating means in this edition: “Meditation benefits every aspect of our being – body, mind and soul. We spend most of our lives looking for happiness, peace and fulfilment outside ourselves. During meditation we begin to explore and expand awareness, the essence of who we really are, restoring the memory of wholeness in our lives. lt is a process to rediscover the quietness that is already there, that has always been there - this silence is the thought between thoughts, the silence of pure awareness. My first retreat was undertaken in silence at the Buddhist Retreat Centre in lxopo, KZN. That was 1986. I was the breadwinner, with an almost three-year-old toddler and a 15-month-old baby and had found myself in a fast-paced job and a JSE listing, way above my business savvy and life experience. The escape from the cacophony of my life and external distractions and embracing solitude and silence for the first time in my life... I thought I would lose my mind! As the fears and the rollercoaster of emotion started to dissipate, I began to connect with my thoughts and emotions on a deeper level, gently gaining equilibrium. This coupled with a 'Work-Life Balance' retreat a few months later was the beginning of an entire new way of being.

Going within		Image: Andrew Brown
Twenty years later I experienced 'Silent Awakenings' in Monterey California, with Deepak Chopra and David Simon. This retreat moved me from the pursuit of mindfulness to deep mindful experience that felt more like a hyperawareness of everything within and around me as I witnessed the 'going within' occur in a fraction of a second. A silent retreat is an intense, life-changing experience. From a personal perspective I have received lasting transformation in my life, the most impactful, not being as caught up in my thoughts and feelings as I move throughout my day. Calm has become my 'super power'. The BRC has been my go-to space over almost 40 years... Over the years I have hosted retreats at the BRC, one that springs to mind is ‘Touch your Soul.' I have attended the most powerful retreats with some of the most incredible teachers, not always meditation. I have embraced the silence, the beautiful energy, the gardens, the birds and all of the gifts from Gaia at times when I needed them the most. lt has been a space to complete books and other works for publishing. An inspiration when faced with difficult decisions and my space of choice to feed my soul. One of the most memorable retreats I attended was a birding retreat, to experience the Blue Swallows of the BRC with Aldo Beruti.

Gifts from gaia	Image: Lisa de Venter
Aldo began birding in his youth; this evolved into a career as a research ornithologist, attaining a MSc and PhD. After 2O years, including work on albatrosses at Marion lsland, water birds at Lake St Lucia and seabirds of the Western Cape, Aldo changed to conservation, becoming the first Director of Birdlife South Africa from 1996 until 2004. He shares his experience of the BRC. "The Buddhist Retreat Centre at lxopo is a special place. Of course, most people associate the BRC as a font of Buddhist teachings and practice. For myself, the BRC played a watershed role in my life, some 35 years ago at a time of personal introspection. My involvement there included running a birding retreat, which led to a chance reconnection with a wonderful woman from university days, leading to marriage and a lifelong partnership. Birds have been a pillar of my existence from innocent pre-teen days, becoming both a passion and remunerative work, with jobs centred on birds as a researcher conservationist and birder. After nearly 60 years of birds and birding, the BRC represents to me a Kohinoor birding gem, being host to one of South Africa's rarest and most iconic birds - the Blue Swallows.” Debra Robins

Blue Swallow		Image: Richard Flack
There are still a few spaces left on the following August retreats: Nowhere Else To Be – Zen Sitting Shogan Parker \| 2 days \| 26-28 August This Zen retreat 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. Come sit with us - there is nowhere else to be. Read more Mandala Practice - A Creative Retreat Clémence Kitching-Barres \| Weekend \| 29-31 August Come and discover the profound beauty and insight that mandala practice can bring to your life! This retreat will focus on the practice of drawing freehand mandalas. As a meditation practice, the mandala reveals a "snapshot" of our inner space and allows us to create order and centeredness. No previous drawing experience is needed - just an open heart and a curious mind. Sunrise qigong and meditation will be offered. Read more

Dudu and Mario		Image: Chrisi van Loon

Conducted Retreats September 2025 Discovering And Appreciating Italian Vegetarian Cooking: Delving Further Into Nonna’s Repertoire Rosetta and Mario Giuricich \| Weekend \| 5-7 September At the heart of Italian culture is food. Food represents life. Mother and son duo, Rosetta and Mario, have been passionate about Italian cooking their entire lives; a passion instilled in them from spending valuable time with Nonna Maria in her kitchen from young. In this retreat, we will share some more of Nonna Maria’s vegetarian Italian cooking: freshly made basil pesto (or roasted red pepper pesto) with light, pillowy potato gnocchi; vegetarian spaghetti carbonara; a classic panna cotta and bigne alla crema (chocolate-topped profiteroles filled with Italian pastry cream), and the torta caprese (Italian hazelnut/almond gluten-free chocolate cake, a decadent tea-time classic). Read more How Plants Heal: Medicines, Muthi and Mystery Jean-Francois Sobiecki \| 2 days \| 9-11 September Re-discover the healing and curative power of medicinal plants with herbalist and medicinal plant researcher, Jean, as he takes us on a journey investigating South Africa's wealth of traditional healing plants. His book African Psychoactive Plants: Journeys in Phytoalchemy is the first comprehensive inventory of psychoactive plants and their uses in Africa. Learn how to identify, use, and prepare indigenous healing plants on guided walks around the BRC. Jean will also introduce you the roots of holistic medicine, key principles of food as medicine, and how plant-based medicine works to help create a healthy body and mind. Read more Somatic Movement - Ease of Being Lisa Firer \| Weekend \| 12-14 September Join Lisa for a deeply relaxing and nourishing weekend of mindfulness-based Clinical Somatic Movement. Exploring the communication between the brain, nervous system and muscular-fascial systems, we will learn about pandiculation, nature's way of releasing built-up tension from the body. Slow down and learn gentle practices to help release chronic muscle tension that underlie pain and stress in body and mind. Develop your inner awareness and bring comfort and ease to your body. Basic Mindfulness practices and meditations will be woven throughout the retreat. This weekend is suitable for everyone and will meet you where you are. All bodies welcome! Read more Nowhere Else To Be – Zen Sitting Shogan Parker \| 2 days \|16-18 September 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. Read more Somatic Movement Relaxation Lisa Firer \| Weekend \| 19-21 September This weekend offers a blend of practices for body, mind and heart: Gentle somatic movement to release muscle tension, dance sessions to cultivate vitality and mindfulness meditation to hold all of our experience in loving awareness. If you need to move, feel more connected and at ease in your body, cultivate vitality, connection and joy, this is the weekend for you. No experience is needed; all bodies are welcome! Read more Qigong - Gently Nurturing Life Di Franklin \| 4 days \| 21-25 September 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. Read more Travelling Light: Words To Lighten The Load Along The Road Dorrian Haarhoff \| Weekend \| 26-28 September 2025 Writing and Mindfulness are close travelling companions, walking ancient paths. As they step through the natural world of wonders, they communicate sometime in silence, sometimes in words. They offer healing of body, mind and spirit. Come and practise how to release stress onto the page or screen amid the natural splendours of the BRC hills. Read more Writing In The Twilight: Leave A gift, Leave A Legacy Dorrian Haarhoff \| 2 days \| 28-30 September Cultivating the world within, as we age can be a source of blessing to us and others. Come and practise how to turn ageing into sage-ing though the silence and sounds of words. Share the richness of your story down the line to generations living and yet unborn. Read more Step Into Spring With A Personal Retreat 15% discount mid-week We invite you to take a break and join us for an unstructured personal retreat at the BRC. During your stay, you can participate in meditation, yoga and qigong. Or, simply enjoy the tranquillity of the space - doing nothing seriously. A self retreat offers a slower rhythm, allowing you to step back from the busyness of life and find peace within. Read more

Ease of being	Image: Andrew Brown
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 forty-five 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. 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. 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-two 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. We have been very touched by your appreciative letters, emails and friendship towards the BRC - your spiritual home from home. How you can help to keep the Dharma wheels turning at the BRC and continue its legacy for the future: Become a Spiritual friend by: Booking for a retreat – we have a broad range of retreats on offer until the 8 January 2026 Offering a donation Pledging a monthly contribution of R50 or more Joining our Paid Up Yogi scheme which involves paying a contribution forward whereby your credit can be used at any time in the future towards a retreat, with a 10% discount Gifting a voucher to a friend or family member Supporting our film “Bodhi Is Light” Purchasing our popular recipe books Organising a group visit midweek Supporting our GoodMoodFood take-away prepared meals Booking a mid-week self-retreat with the option of qigong, yoga and meditation The continued existence of the Centre as a sanctuary for healing is dependent on the goodwill and support of our Sangha. Chrisi Visit our website for further information, directions, image gallery etc.
www.brcixopo.co.za \| 066 395 4682 \| 082 579 3037 Share: \| Follow us:
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