BRC Newsletter - April/May 2026

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The Buddhist Retreat Centre
Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa		For people of all religions
BRC Newsletter: April/May 2026 Dear Friends,

Buddha Rupa		Image: Lisa de Venter
Building Better Relationships: Me, You And Us Most people spend years trying to improve their relationships, without ever being shown how relationships actually work. Over the years, my work has taken me into boardrooms and living rooms alike, and one truth continues to reveal itself: the quality of our lives is shaped by the quality of our relationships - especially the one we have with ourselves. And yet, relationships are often the place where we experience the most confusion, the most longing and at times, the most pain. My sense is that we believe the myth that we ‘fall in love ’- when a more accurate description is: “Love is not a feeling to fall into. It is a daily practice of showing up with care, intention, and integrity.” What I have come to understand is that relationships are something we are constantly building. Over our retreat from 17-19 April, Sav Goldridge and I will explore what I call The Architecture of Relationship – a practical and deeply human framework which looks at three essential territories: Me, You, and the Us we create together. Sav, my co-teacher and Enneagram practitioner believes that “Connection isn’t just about love - it’s about awareness.” Each of us brings a way of being into relationship, shaped by our history, our protections and our longings. The Enneagram helps make these patterns visible, so what once felt automatic can become conscious. From this place, we move from reacting by habit to relating with intention and this is where real change begins. We will move beyond surface-level conversations and into the real work of relationship understanding compatibility and what truly matters to you; expanding your capacity for intimacy across emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual connection; recognising your patterns and how they show up when you are under pressure and learning how to consciously build a partnership that is not left to chance. Whether you participate on your own or with a partner, this is an opportunity to step back and redesign how you relate to yourself, to others and to the life you are creating. If you are ready to stop repeating patterns and start building relationships with intention, this retreat is for you. Warmly, Shelley Lewin

Me, you and us		Image: Gavin de Kock
An Appeal For Help Over February and March, the BRC experienced serious challenges with a series of severe lightning strikes causing extensive damage across the property. Trees were split, borehole motors and pumps were destroyed, and other essential infrastructure required urgent repair. Heartfelt thanks to those who have already responded generously - your help has made an immediate difference. Yet, the unexpected costs of replacing equipment, purchasing generators and hiring contractors to fell the damaged trees have left the Centre under financial strain. For more than forty-six years the BRC has been sustained by the kindness of its Sangha. Time and again your support has enabled the Centre to continue serving people from many walks of life. Now we ask for your help once again. If you are able, please consider contributing to help cover the repairs and keep the Centre running while we restore the grounds and infrastructure. Every gift - large or small - will help. With Metta, Chrisi and the BRC Team Contact: \| \| 066 395 4682

Hope and joy		Image: Tsunma Tsondru
Dr Ian Weinberg Is Offering PNI Online Many of you have asked over the last two years when Dr Ian Weinberg will be offering his memorable retreat “Psychoneuroimmunology: Enhancing The Mind-Body Connection”. As he is completing his doctorate in neuroscience at the moment, he is unable to lead a residential retreat in Ixopo. By popular request Dr Weinberg’s original BRC retreat “Enhancing The Mind-Body Connection” is now comprehensively online. The online program is now available through the BRC at an exclusively reduced price of R3,500.00 (the current selling price online is R14 000.00). The purchase price includes the 5 modules program, online diagnostic, workbook and slides as well as access to the three-monthly Zoom webinar. For a description of the course (similar to the original three day Retreat) see www.neuronostic.com/courses/expanding-consciousness/ “ Should you wish to enrol, please contact the office at and we will send you all the information.

Night stupa		Image: Andrew Brown
There are still a few spaces left on the following April retreats: The Architecture of Relationship Shelley Lewin and Sav Goldridge \| Weekend \| 17-19 April This retreat is for individuals (regardless of relationship status) and couples who are ready to transform how they relate - to themselves and others. Through a carefully curated blend of guided teaching, reflective exercises and experiential group practices, you will begin to design your relationships more consciously – creating greater health, fulfilment and resilience - rather than repeating patterns by default. Grounded in Shelley’s Uncomplicated Love framework and enriched by the wisdom of the Enneagram, Shelley and Sav will guide you into transforming how you relate - to yourself, to others, and to the life you are creating. Read more Beginner's Mind, Quiet Mind: Meditation Practice For Meaningful Daily Living Tsunma Tsondru \| 3 days \| 27- 30 April 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. The retreat is suitable for those with or without meditation experience and will be held in an atmosphere of introspection. Read more

Dirt and dharma		Image:Amanda Mitchell
Conducted Retreats May 2026 Cultivating Hope And Joy In Adversity Tsunma Tsondru \| Weekend \| 1-3 May 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. The weekend will be a time of meditation practice, deep-time walking and creative imagining, with a touch of morning yoga. Read more Dirt And Dharma - A Nature Retreat Shogan Parker \| 2 days \| 5-7 May 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. The retreat includes periods of zazen and gentle ritual grounded in the turning season. Come as you are, and leave more rooted. Read more The Awakened Man – Tame Your Mind: A Men’s Retreat John Homewood \| 2 days \| 8 May-10 May Are you a man whose very identity, relationships, career and beliefs are in transition? Is your heart yearning for a more meaningful and soul-centred vision for your life? Are you doing everything “right” by societal standards - yet still feels like something’s missing? This retreat will assist you to find new focus, vision and purpose. By shifting self-limiting perceptions and attitudes, you will release that which no longer serves you and become open and receptive to the potential that life has for you now. Read more Staying In The Flow - A Gentle Yoga And Meditation Retreat Keelan Naidoo \| 2 days \| 12-14 May This mid-week retreat will offer gentle hatha yoga and guided meditation and will help find more balance, and develop more attunement with the present moment. Beginners to yoga and meditation are welcome. Read more The Alchemy Of Presence– Transform Through Conscious Co-Creation - Part One John Homewood and Michelle McClunan \| Weekend \| 15-17 May Step into a life‑changing journey of renewal and awakening. This powerful retreat invites you to experience the alchemy of true transformation and fresh beginnings. Through their wisdom, intuitive guidance, and over forty years of combined experience in transformational workshops, John and Michelle will lead you into a space where profound change becomes possible. Together, they weave a rich tapestry of: - Deep meditations that quiet the mind and open the heart - Process art sessions that are both profound and joyfully creative - Energy body movement practices to restore flow and vitality - Immersive nature walks that reconnect you with the Earth’s rhythms This retreat is not about chasing life – it is about receiving the keys to live it fully, effectively, and soulfully. Read more The Alchemy Of Presence: Integration And Deepening – Part Two John Homewood and Michelle McClunan \| 3 days \| 17-20 May Following the transformative journey of Part One, these 3 days are a continuation, going even deeper. They offer a more intimate and personalised experience where John and Michelle will guide you into the deeper meaning and integration of the teachings in practical ways, helping you to embody presence in everyday ways. This second retreat is about moving beyond inspiration into application, integrating the alchemy of presence into your relationships, work, health, and daily choices. Through: - Focussed counselling and guidance on your personal challenges and life issues - Practical tools, nature immersion, and exercises to anchor presence in real‑world situations - Deep meditations and energy practices to sustain inner balance - Creative and reflective processes that open new pathways Read more Recovery To Self - How Free Do You Want To Be? Warren Shaw \| Weekend \| 22-24 May 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). This retreat will be helpful to people in need of recovery and speaks to any aspect of ourselves that needs to heal. Read more Baby Steps To Living Your Brilliance: Neuroscience, Gratitude, And The Art of Sustainable Transformation Patti Good \| 2 days \| 26-28 May This two-day gratitude retreat is designed for people who want real change, not through force or fixing, but through gentle, steady, sustainable transformation. Blending contemporary neuroscience with grounded spiritual practice, this retreat focuses on micro-habits that gently rewire the nervous system while deepening your capacity for presence, gratitude, and self-trust. Rather than aiming for dramatic breakthroughs, we work with small, precise shifts that the brain can actually integrate, changes that continue unfolding long after the retreat ends. This retreat is for those who sense their brilliance isn’t something to achieve, but something to remember, patiently, kindly, and step by step. Read more Why Does The Buddha Smile? Stephen Coan \| Weekend \| 29-31 May 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 - the weekend will place an emphasis on meditation - simply breathing in and breathing out – doing exactly what the Buddha did. *Please note this retreat will be held in Noble Silence. Read more A Personal Retreat : Rest, Reflect, and Restore – 10% discount mid-week Join our qualified resident staff, Keelan, Robyn, Dirk and Tracy on a personal mid-week retreat for some gentle yoga, meditation, breathwork and healing treatments. Enjoy the tranquillity of the space and embrace the art of doing nothing – seriously. This time out offers a slower rhythm, allowing you to step back from the busyness of life and find peace within.

Presence		Image: Odette Ryan
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-six 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 and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife proclaimed part of the estate as “Nirodha 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 - six 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 deeply touched by the many generous gifts received in the form of linen and towels, furniture, indigenous trees, a Kenwood mixer and food processor, vacuum cleaners and Buddha statues. How you can help to keep the Dharma wheels turning at the BRC and to 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 end of January 2027 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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