BRC Newsletter - August/September 2026

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The Buddhist Retreat Centre
Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa		For people of all religions
BRC Newsletter: August/September 2026 Dear Friends,
We invite you to attend the 46th AGM of the Buddhist Institute of South Africa The 46th Annual General Meeting of The Buddhist Institute of South Africa takes place on 25th August 2026 @ 6pm via Zoom OR At Pam and Chris’ house at 47 Alamein Avenue, Kloof, 3510 RSVP or

Fruitful days and the BRC’s big welcoming Buddha		Image: Wanda Hennig
Wanda Hennig, journalist, retreatant, teacher and friend of the BRC for many years, has recently written an inspiring article about the BRC which was published in the BATW Magazine. We thought you would enjoy it as it celebrates the Centre, its spirit of place and people and its innovative vegetarian cuisine. Hopefully, Wanda’s reflections on the BRC’s dreamily light shepherd’s pie and the tenderly crisp roasted veggies or Nicholas Mclean’s upcoming retreat “Slowly, Deeply, Nourish” will pique your interest to visit us, if not for the meditation, then for the food! If you are not able to retreat with us right now, please consider booking ahead to keep the Centre viable and open. Our full range of retreats is published on our website up to February 2027. In our 46th year of operating, we are still here because of YOU - our friends and supporters - who keep the Dharma seeds flourishing. Chrisi Off the beaten track “When you visit Durban, there’s surf, sunshine, scenery, close access to wildlife (game parks with the Big Five), cultural and heritage adventures. Then if you tire of the typical tourist scene, there’s Buddha, dharma and sangha. The Buddhist Retreat Centre (BRC), perched on a ridge at the head of a valley in the Umkomaas river system, which has its source in the Drakensberg Mountains, is a haven of tranquility and beauty where mindfulness and kitchen magic connect in a vast, poverty-stricken, harshly beautiful landscape in rural KwaZulu-Natal.

The stupa is set back from the scenic view of rolling hills that recede like waves		Image: Wanda Hennig
From the imposing white stupa (symbol of the enlightened mind), you look out over a vista of indigenous valleys, forests and rolling hills that recede like waves to the blue of the horizon. About two hours by road from the Indian Ocean port and resort city of Durban, the BRC has been ranked among the top 10 on a CNN list of world’s best meditation retreats. Contemplating your navel Few people would expect to find, in a remote part of Africa, a place where you can sit on a rock in a raked Zen Garden to contemplate your navel or life’s mysteries, then wander through a creative bamboo labyrinth, pondering the twists and turns of existence. You’ll come to feel, perhaps, that traversing the twists and turns, with gratitude and equanimity, are quite simply what the meaning of life is about.

One can wander the labyrinth pondering the twists and turns of existence		Image: Wanda Hennig
When he built the elegant outdoor “Buddha Boma”, Louis van Loon (1935–2024), the dearly departed Dutch-born founder of the BRC (who was born in Holland and moved to South Africa at age 20), planted eight trees. “All of them significant in Buddhist teaching. The idea is that one will be able to do a kind of Indian Buddhist pilgrimage here in South Africa,” he told me at the time. You might go for a long and lazy afternoon hike (or an energetic one) along pristine walking paths, through sheltering forest and park-like gardens. These are an Impressionist’s dream when, seasonally, splashed with the biggest and brightest pink and red azalea “trees” you’re likely to have seen, plus patches of orange clivia and luxuriously abundant assorted protea.

The Zen garden, a cool spot — but for those who like it hot, a bowl of red chilies		Image: Wanda Hennig
Maybe, just for a moment, you will focus on the sights, the sounds — the fresh-and-dry country smells — and notice that, as thoughts disappear, your mind briefly empties and you feel at one with the world. Experience a profound sense of peacefulness and well-being. Buddhism in South Africa The BRC is the unofficial headquarters of Buddhism in South Africa. The centre hosts teachers and attracts students from various Buddhist schools: Tibetan, with its elaborate and colorful rituals and visualization; the stark simplicity and rigors of Zen; the more gentle and contemplative practice of Theravada, or insight meditation. Teachers, both local and international, visit to run workshops. Way back, for instance, I attended a 10-day silent “What is this?” retreat, with Steven and Martine Bachelor. Many other teacher names would resonate with serious practitioners. The BRC also attracts and welcomes a myriad of non-Buddhists to courses that range from writing, cooking and sketching, to t’ai chi ch’uan, chi kung and yoga. Check out the list of upcoming classes.

Ufafa Valley children draw water near the Woza Moya project headquarters		Image: Wanda Hennig
You might even go volunteer at nearby Woza Moya, a project focused on poverty alleviation, empowerment and HIV-Aids program, which serves as a lifeline for some 8,000 sometimes forgotten Ufafa Valley residents. Woza Moya was collaboratively established in April 2000. The Cake the Buddha Ate The BRC has unarguably one of the best vegetarian tables in South Africa. Their three recipe books, Quiet Food, The Cake the Buddha Ateand Plentiful, are best-sellers in South Africa. Beautiful, and the inspiration for all the meals.

A cheesecake to thrill the tastebuds		Image:Wanda Hennig
In the dining room you will see at least one of these books propped open at every meal. It might show, for instance, the picture of a delectable cheese cake and in front of it, the real thing. Or at lunchtime, a different book might be opened at a page that shows the recipe of a dreamily light shepherd’s pie made with brown lentils, sweetly spicy caramelized baby onions, tenderly crisp roasted veggies and a sprout salad ablaze with orange nasturtiums. Many of the ingredients will be picked fresh from a bountiful organic veggie garden. What’s not home-grown is brought in from farms in the area.” For the full feature, please see the link: https://medium.com/batw-travel-stories/mindfulness-meditation-in-south-africa-b4b15e62b6eb

Nasturtiums from the BRC garden transform the salad		Image:Wanda Hennig
Conducted Retreats August/September 2026 Healing Through The Chakras Rose Rapson \| 2 days \| 10-12 August This retreat offers a gentle introduction to emotional healing through the understanding and balancing of the body’s energy centres, known as chakras. You will leave feeling lighter, more grounded, and emotionally clearer to continue your healing journey, maintain balance and reconnect with a deeper sense of peace and alignment in your everyday life.. Read more Slowly. Deeply. Nourish: A Sensory Journey Of Reconnection Nicholas McLean and Minnelie Minnaar \| Weekend \|14-16 August In a world that constantly asks us to do more, move faster, and consume without awareness, this retreat offers something beautifully different: the opportunity to pause, soften, and return to yourself. Join Nicholas and Minnelie for a playful yet deeply intentional weekend celebrating self-care with beautiful food. Guided by the philosophies of FeedMeSlowly™️ and Heartbeat™️, this immersive experience gently weaves together mindful nourishment, somatic awareness, sensory movement, creativity, nature connection and authentic human connection. Together, these practices invite you to slow down, awaken presence, restore your inner rhythm, and rediscover what it truly means to be nourished. Read more Feedme Slowly - Holistic Gut Healing Retreat Nicholas McLean \| 3 days \| 16-19 August The Slow Way Retreat Part 2: Feed Me Slowly - Holistic Gut Healing Retreat This extended retreat offers a deeper journey into The Slow Way building on from the weekend retreat. It is a holistic yogic retreat uniting nutrition and gut health with nervous-system awareness, and embodied mindfulness. By slowing down and tuning in, we restore vitality, balance digestion, and are more open to feel life's immense energy. Read more How To Draw What You See: A Pen And Ink Sketching Retreat Julian Kiepiel and Terry Coleman \| 2 days \| 19-21 August You don’t have to be an artist to be able to sketch what is in front of you. Everyone can see that some things are shorter than others or to the left or right of something else. So you simply draw it like that. You don’t have to be - or become - an artist to do that. All you need is one eye and two fingers. Participants will be taken through a series of practice sessions in this type of “Seeing-Drawing” after which they will draw a variety of subjects, from still life through to landscape scenes and portraits - all in the space of two days. Sketching is one of the loveliest skills anybody can acquire. You can take your pen and sketchbook anywhere and experience what it is like to be truly present in where you are. All materials will be provided. Read more Three Treasures For Mindful Living - A Pathway To Balance Bridget Hawkins \| Weekend \| 21-23 August In this retreat, we will explore three fundamental areas of our human experience, the three treasures - a healthy body, a happy heart, and a clear and present mind - to create an awareness of and implement techniques for harmony and balance in everyday life. This relaxed retreat will incorporate blended sessions of yoga and qigong. We will practise various breathwork and meditative techniques and explore our creativity with an introduction to Neurographic Drawing, a mindful, automatic style of drawing developed by Russian psychologist Pavel Piskarev. The premise is that we are able to rewire our neural pathways when practising this style of meditative drawing. It is a simple therapeutic technique which does not require any artistic experience. We will also take an in-depth look at water crystalography and its spiritual significance by looking at the studies of people like Masaru Emoto and Veda Austin. There will be plenty of time to absorb the stillness of the beautiful surroundings of the BRC with meditative walks and sunset qigong. Read more Qigong – Find Your Way Back To Health And Vitality Chris Rooke \| 2 days \| 24-26 August Qi Gong is a moving meditation and a traditional Chinese health practice that combines slow relaxed movement, deep abdominal breathing and inner visualization using the mind to focus on certain energy centres and to guide the flow of Qi the energy that nourishes and animates all life. This retreat will focus on Shibashi 18 Forms and 5 Yin Organ Qi Gong. Join Chris for two relaxing and invigorating days of qigong. Read more Returning To Being: A Restorative Retreat Marrion Clarke and Carey Would \| Weekend \| 28-30 August When we reflect on how best to support others, we sense a clear and growing need - not only for a beautiful, nourishing space to retreat to, but also for practices that guide us gently back into the fullness of being. This retreat offers a gentle blend of mindfulness, breathwork, yoga, and compassion-based practices - all grounded in present-moment awareness. We will spend time in stillness and in movement, with guided practices to support emotional regulation, embodied presence, and a deeper sense of ease. Whether you are feeling depleted, seeking clarity, or simply longing for deep rest, this retreat is an invitation to return to your own steady centre. Read more Hello Spring - A Gentle Yoga And Meditation Retreat Keelan Naidoo \| 2 days \| 1-3 September This mid-week retreat will offer gentle hatha yoga and guided meditation and will provide an opportunity to make a new start, to change your perceptions of everyday life, find more balance, and develop more attunement with the present moment. There will be discussions on practical tools for finding greater peace, understanding life’s lessons, and following your heart. Beginners to yoga and meditation are welcome. Read more Living With More Everyday Joy Jane McIntyre \| Weekend \| 4-6 September This retreat will help you embed more Joy in your everyday life through the simple practices of Gratitude, Connection and Playfulness. It is based on the brain science of wellness and performance, the Global Joy Summit on the wisdom of the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as well as incorporating daily practices of The Artist’s Way. The objective is to leave behind a few habits that have really proved to make a difference in the way we experience the work we do, the interactions we have and our response to even the most difficult challenges. It is a genuine opportunity to make a real and lasting shift that puts that bounce back into your step. Read more Always Already: An Exploration of Mindfulness Without Effort Dr Simon Whitesman \| 4 days \| 9-13 September What if the freedom we seek is already present? This retreat offers an invitation to rest in the awareness and effortless presence that underlies all experience through guided meditation, shared inquiry and time in nature. Join Dr Whitesman, a medical doctor, psychotherapist and mindfulness teacher with over 30 years of experience at the intersection of medicine, psychotherapy and contemplative practice for a gentle exploration of meditation, softening into effortlessness, alongside enquiry as way to sense our way into this simple, subtle quality of the Awareness that is always already whole. This will be less about getting somewhere, going ‘deeper’ or changing our state, but rather seeing what is already available right where we are. Read more Somatic Movement - Ease of Being Lisa Firer \| Weekend \| 18-20 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 - Spring Zazenkai William (Shogan) \| 2 days \| 22-24 September As winter softens into spring, join Shogan for dedicated Zen practice. Inspired by the spirit of a traditional Zen sesshin, this midweek zazenkai offers an opportunity to settle deeply into stillness, simplicity, and wholehearted presence. A zazenkai is an informal gathering of practitioners who commit to sitting together with sincerity and quiet resolve. Here in the valley, we honour this tradition by returning, again and again, to the breath, the body, and this very moment. Bring your breath, your body, and an open heart as we welcome the arrival of Spring together. Read more Soft Body, Clear Mind, Open Heart : Somatic Movement For Relaxation Lisa Firer \| Weekend \| 25-27 September Richard Rohr writes: “Whenever your heart space, your mind space, and your body space are all present and accounted for at the same time, you can experience pure presence, a moment of deep inner connection with the pure, gratuitous Being of anything and everything. It will often be experienced as a quiet leap of joy in the heart.” Through somatics, movement, mindfulness, music and poetry, let’s tune and harmonize the instruments of body, mind and heart. Read more Family Systems Constellations And The Rhythms Of Nature Christel and Erik Andersen \| 3 days \| 28 September-1 October 2026 During this retreat we will experience the larger systems that shape and support human life. Through Family and Systems Constellations, we will explore how family patterns, loyalties, and inherited dynamics continue to influence our relationships, choices, and inner life. This allows us to see patterns clearly, and to emerge with a deeper sense of connection to ourselves and our ancestors. Alongside this, we will draw on nature-based systems and rhythms, the African medicine wheel, cycles, symbol, art, and music. Read more A Personal Retreat : Rest, Reflect, and Restore – 15% discount mid-week Join our qualified resident staff, Keelan, Robyn and Dirk on a personal mid-week retreat for some gentle yoga and meditation. 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. Read more

Celebrating self-care with beautiful food		Image: Angela Shaw
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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