Detailed List of Retreats

Looking at your image in a clear stream,
you answer the question by your very presence

In this workshop 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.

Some record only what has happened to them; but others record how they happened to the universe - Henry David Thoreau

The word ‘journal’ comes from Old French ‘day’. So it is our daily encounter with ourselves through the mirror, lens and window of words and silence. ‘Journal’ echoes the word journey, as we travel through inner and outer landscapes. In this retreat we write with the ear, eye and heart.

Learn why Nia is a lifestyle practice that has a vitalising impact on your nervous system and strengthens your ability to sustain body-centred awareness under all circumstances. Feel how every cell in your body can vibrate in joy and how you are connected to everything that surrounds you. It is much more than a cardio dance fitness class.  

Mindful eating can bring us awareness to our habits and thoughts around food and our bodies. This workshop is based on a combination of Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness and Intuitive Eating Principles. The focus is on creating a healthy relationship with food, using a non-judgemental and compassionate approach to re-learning internal physical and emotional cues to guide us when, what and how much we eat. The workshop covers how to deal with cravings and urges through the development of mindfulness skills. It also draws on techniques from cognitive behaviour therapy that enable us to become aware of - and manage - our sometimes destructive patterns and habits around food, eating and our bodies. We will also look at the emotional triggers that can lead to overeating and binge eating, and how these may be understood and effectively dealt with.

Chi kung is an ancient Chinese practice that boosts one’s health and longevity. Through gentle, slow and flowing movements, it integrates and harmonises one’s bodily functions and states of mind by eliminating static and toxic energy patterns. Chi kung also strengthens the internal organs and skeletal structure and encourages good posture. In this retreat, Paul will teach the Healing Sounds Short Form - a set of gentle exercises that incorporates sounds to cleanse and heal our major organs. In addition, it is fun to practise. He will also teach the ancient Taoist Brain Cleansing healing meditation.

Discover your intrinsic Nature and Nurture through the planets and stars in this informative Astrological workshop. Learn how the cycles of the celestial world affect you personally, and how your unique blueprint – your Astrological birth chart - can help you live to your fullest potential. Find your strengths, challenges and which areas of life to empower and enable us and live with greater equanimity and awareness. Astrology is an ancient, powerful, well-tested and insightful tool to foster emotional and mental growth and transformation. The retreat will focus on the role of fate and free will, the planets in their signs and houses, the aspects they make to each other, the elements and modalities they represent and the importance of the position of the sun and moon in conjunction with the cycles of life. There will be stargazing sessions and sunrise yoga.

The  ‘Pilates’ retreat will incorporate a series of core-strengthening movements. The Pilates methodology helps to stabilise your spine, improving posture and balance. Enjoy learning our ‘Mat’ routine, using your body weight as a tool and specific breathing patterns to encourage efficient movement, core stability and flexibility within the body. Included in the two day workshop are the Advanced Mat exercises to accommodate both beginners and experienced students. There will be an evening discussion on how Pilates can thread through your daily life. ‘Moving with Agility’ helps to deal with life’s stresses and discover your best self.

On returning from an extended pilgrimage to China, the 14th century Japanese Zen master, Dogen, greeted his followers with these words: "I have returned home with empty hands... I say only this: my eyes are horizontal, my nose vertical" - their position in meditation. Thereafter Dogen spent the rest of his life teaching the merits of zazen (sitting meditation), the practice which lies at the very heart of the Buddhist experience. Simply being attentive, moment to moment, can have profound consequences: reconnecting us with our deepest selves, to others and the natural world around us. Experience this intimate connection supported by a programme of sitting and walking meditation. There will also be time to enjoy the beautiful grounds of the Centre. Please note that apart from an introductory talk and a discussion period, the retreat will be held in Noble Silence. 

On a quiet evening in my thatch-roofed hut, I play a lute with no string. Its melody enters the wind and cloud, mingles deeply with a flowing stream, fills out the dark valley, blows through the vast forest, then disappears. Other than those who hear emptiness, who will capture this rare sound? - Ryokan (tr. Kazuaki Tanahashi) 

This will be a simple no-frills, "bare-bones" Zen-style retreat consisting of sitting and walking meditation, including a morning and evening dharma reading, as well as time to experience the beautiful surroundings of the Buddhist Retreat Centre while capturing the rare sound of a lute played with no string. Held in the supportive space of Noble Silence, this retreat presents an ideal opportunity to extend and deepen your meditation practice.

This workshop introduces participants to the ancient tradition of tai chi and chi kung practices, which generate a profound sense of composure and balance through slow, gentle body movements. These are designed to release our Life Force - Chi - which is visualised as a current of energy that can be made to circulate, without obstruction, through our bodies and minds, bringing with it a deep sense of well-being, vigour and health. These movements have been fine-tuned over many centuries. They are performed in a relaxed, meditative manner and are elegant and exact, simple and flowing. They can be learnt by anybody, with any level of fitness. 

The aim of this workshop is to develop the tools that make us aware of the ebb and flow of our moods and emotions and to learn to be mindful instead of reactive in our interactions with others. Using the techniques presented, we learn to train our minds to be centred on the present so that we can flow with the river of life. We will explore Kundalini yoga, which is a combination of stationary and dynamic poses that include chanting, yogic breathing and chi kung techniques. These practices develop the ability to be fully present and integrated in our bodies and minds. The workshop will be varied to allow retreatants of all ages and levels of experience to derive great benefit from this very old tradition. Bring comfortable clothing and a sun hat.

According to the Buddha, we all possess the potential for mental clarity, contentment, love, and the other beautiful human qualities. In fact, he says, they are our natural state, and that the development of these qualities is the job of a spiritual practitioner. Our main stumbling blocks are the deeply held assumptions that, attachment, anger, depression and fear are innate and therefore impossible to eliminate; and, that suffering and happiness come from the outside. As long as we believe this, we will always remain victims. By understanding Dependent Arising and Emptiness as expressed in the Buddha’s Heart Sutra, as well as understanding the logic of the law of karma that says that we create our own suffering and happiness, we can slowly loosen the grip of ego-grasping and begin to experience our marvellous potential - for our own sake and the sake of others.

Shibuie is the ancient Japanese concept of Accidental Beauty in which the artist is just one ingredient in a number of dynamic interacting natural processes, the outcome of which is delightfully unpredictable, but strangely beautiful - not ego-driven or deliberate. Louis will teach the classical Japanese brush painting techniques (Sumie) as these are applied to traditional subjects, such as landscape, bamboo and flower studies, while Ingrid will introduce contemporary subjects. We will use the genuine, traditional materials: solid pine-soot ink, a hollowed-out slate to liquefy it, a deer-hair bamboo-stemmed brush and absorbent mulberry paper. Tools will be provided, but sets can be purchased (R800) from the BRC. Each retreatant will receive a bisque-fired tea bowl to sumie-decorate and glaze. Fay will then fire up the kiln after which we will watch the magic as the pots emerge from their ordeal of having been subjected to 1000ºC heat, smothered in sawdust and immersed in cold water. We will admire the pots as they emerge triumphantly from the scorching heat, after which they will be used in a traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony on the final evening.

Be here now. Rest in the moment. Catch the ungraspable moment. How do we do that, when life keeps tumbling us along like a sand grain in a river? When all is in dizzying motion, where is 'the moment’, where is ‘here’? Take time out at the BRC over Christmas to slow down into the moment. You can find your true home right here-now. With sitting and walking meditation, we will stalk the elusive moment. We will discover how to recognise our ‘home’, and we will see that we are in fact at home always. The retreat will be held in Noble Silence, with time for journaling, reflection, and fireside talks.

Life consists of things coming and going, births and deaths, decay and renewal, stops and starts. We try to juggle these as well as we can, liking some of it, avoiding the ones we don’t. But there is a deeper wisdom behind all this - one that asks us not to be so choosy and opinionated about what should and should not be happening to us. This requires us to live on the edge of the only thing that is truly real: the ever-fleeting, ungraspable moment. In this retreat we will discover how we forget to live in the here and now when we focus too much on what is past and fret about what may or may not happen in the future. This is a good time of the year to take stock and contemplate our moment to moment, here-now reality in all its fullness; bid farewell to 2018 and welcome the New Year with a renewed willingness to take life on the chin and make whatever comes along workable.  We will welcome the New Year with a lantern-lit perambulation around the Buddha and chanting, and usher the old year out with an ancient Chinese temple gong, as well as periods of meditative Noble Silence.

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 like you need a gentle, uncluttered space to tune into what lies ahead in 2019, this largely unstructured weekend will prove useful. Experience sunrise chi kung or yoga, followed by meditation, after which the centre is yours to enjoy, walking or birdwatching in three hundred acres of rolling hills and indigenous forests. Circumambulate the labyrinth, meditate in the Zen garden or Buddha Boma, and spend solitary time in the deer park and at the dam stalking the light or listening to the windchimes and gazing at clouds. The BRC provides an ideal opportunity to be in a sympathetic space to reflect on the things that crowd one’s life: to just be. Deborah Don, a qualified Self-esteem Coach, and massage therapist, has been involved in the “Health Retreats” offered at the BRC over the last three years. She will be offering sound therapy and energy balance treatments, aromatherapy, back, neck and foot massages. If you would like to include a treatment on your retreat, please arrange with the office on booking.

Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence because only when the mind is silent can we realize our true nature, which is unbounded consciousness. The practice of Vinyāsa yoga unites our mind and body and through conscious movement aligned to the breath constituting a dynamic flow. It stills the mind and allows us to become more internally focused and mindful in everything we do. It supports a healthy lifestyle and results in long-term health and well-being for mind and body. This practice reminds us that everything is impermanent and in flux. Yoga is accessible to everyone and it is not about how flexible or strong you are or about mastering a “difficult” pose - though even that will follow with regular practice. It is rather about how mindful and present you are - on and off the mat. It is a practical discipline; a way of looking at the world from a new perspective, allowing one to release old and limiting beliefs and habits in order to experience the truth of who we really are. Some previous yoga practice is recommended; however, beginners are welcome. Please bring your own yoga mat.

Lucy has been running New Year Intentions retreats for many years, in which participants take the opportunity to reflect on the year gone by and set intentions for the future. Intention-setting does not need to be difficult. We can simply connect with what brings us joy and makes us feel energetic and alive, and commit to focusing on these activities over the year. The retreat is inspired by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu’s book The Book of Joy. We will explore what it means to lead a life of joy, where anything is possible, and contemplate the Buddhist ‘Four Thoughts’ of the preciousness of human birth, impermanence, karma and samsara, and find out how to create a meaningful life within whatever shifting circumstances we find ourselves. We will integrate our body, heart and mind in a gentle, unfolding process of yoga and mindfulness, providing the opportunity to reflect on what inspires and energises us. By trusting our ability to tap into our own talents, we can lead our lives in a way that also brings benefit to others. Yoga and mindfulness practices will tune us into both our supportive and sabotaging patterns, while compassion practices will provide us with skilful ways to accept ourselves just as we are, in order to create the conditions for transformation to take place. Please bring a yoga mat, a journal and pen or pencil, as well as stretchy, comfortable clothes for both yin and yang yoga practices.

Thoughts are about what is not happening - Paul Hedderman

Vipassana (Insight) meditation is based on Mindfulness, which is always available, everywhere, without limits or cost. The challenge is how to realise it. The answer was provided by the Buddha more than 2500 years ago. He taught the method of Vipassana meditation as a way to cultivate Mindfulness. This retreat is an invitation for beginner and experienced meditators to practise Vipassana using the traditional Buddhist method of Mahasi Sayadaw and Achan Tong. For beginners it is a good technique to start with and for experienced meditators, it is a way to deepen their Insight. In this retreat, Mindfulness is developed by regular walking and sitting, and by maintaining awareness during normal activities, such as eating, showering, dressing etc, and by daily interviews with a teacher. The weekend will be held in an atmosphere of Noble Silence.

Sustain awareness at every moment in every posture, whether standing, walking, sitting or lying down. This is the way to establish mindfulness in the heart. - Ajahn Chah

"You may find that the cell is an ideal place to learn to know yourself, to search realistically and regularly the processes of your own mind and feelings ... it gives you the opportunity to look daily into your entire conduct to overcome the bad and develop whatever is good in you. Never forget that a saint is a sinner who keeps on trying.”

- Nelson Mandela - Mandela The Authorised Biography by Anthony Sampson

Vipassana (insight) meditation uses mindfulness to search for the mental and emotional patterns that cause all humans to suffer. The aim is to learn how to overcome suffering and to be fully alive. This four-day retreat is an opportunity to deepen meditation practice using the traditional Buddhist method of Mahasi Sayadaw and Achan Tong. Meditators are encouraged to stay for the entire course but you may also stay for a shorter time and beginners are welcome to learn how to start Vipassana meditation. Mindfulness is developed by regular walking and sitting practice (both in the meditation hall and outside in the forest), by maintaining awareness during normal activities such as eating, showering, dressing etc. and supported by daily interviews with the teachers. The retreat will be held in an atmosphere of Noble silence.

 Sustain awareness at every moment in every posture, whether standing, walking, sitting or lying down. This is the way to establish mindfulness in the heart- Ajahn Chah

Join Chris and Steve for an enjoyable weekend of identifying some of the BRC’s 160 species of birds (including the summer residents, the rare Blue Swallow, Knysna Turaco and Emerald Cuckoo) and getting to know the indigenous trees and many of the wild flowers that grow there. You will also have a chance to be part of the indigenous forest by planting your own tree. The weekend includes learning how to identify the most common trees in KwaZulu Natal, how to dig and plant a tree, how to maintain it, and what butterflies and birds are attracted to these trees for nectar or fruit. Walk the verdant hills and meadows among the wild flowers, close to where the Blue Swallows nest, and enjoy the rare orchids, tree ferns and yellowwoods, pink watsonias in their summer flurry and the orange Christmas Bells. Included will be talks, chi kung, meditation and some quiet time communing with nature. Bring your binoculars and a sunhat.

John will lead participants in a traditional South African healing ceremony over three days during which they will learn to connect to their Ancestors (bones), Dreams, 'Umoya' (spirit) and one another. 'Ubuntu' means 'I am what I am because of who we all are'. It is a circle of interlinking relationships connecting the seen and unseen worlds. The ceremony will involve a plant cleanse, using medicinal plants to cleanse the spirit and open the heart. John will lead an in-depth discussion on 'African cosmology' and the understanding of ancestors, plant medicine and dreaming to create 'Ubuntu'. Retreatants will learn one of the most ancient and misunderstood cultures in South Africa today - traditional healing from a sangoma perspective. 'Ubuntu' in essence represents harmony and is similar to the Zen circle. Linking the past and present, it is an evolving state of co-operation and compassion whereby every human being is linked to their own families and communities as well as the unseen world of ancestors. Please bring a plastic basin which will be used for medicinal foot healing, a dream journal, pen and paper to take notes, a meditation blanket and an open mind. This retreat is suitable for all therapists, healers and those with a desire to heal South Africa.

We all have inner guidance and knowledge, but we don't always know how to access it and use it as the incredible gift it is. We are constantly trying to keep up with the ever-increasing pace and demands of our lives which leaves us with high stress levels and exhausted. On this retreat we will fortify our spirit, embrace our personal power, and allow our light to shine brightly again, the way the universe intended. Through talks, meditation, group work, transformational exercises, relaxation and conversation, we will journey back to our centre - to our most natural and balanced state of being. Deepening our connection with our inner self allows us to stand strong in our own personal power in the here and now. We will learn to listen less to the limiting, fear-based voices of our mind, and start aligning with our intuition, to our core that already knows that we are born as an unstoppable and magnificent force.

In the beautiful surroundings of Ixopo, enjoy a revitalizing, relaxing weekend of gentle yoga, breath work, meditation and reiki. Reiki is the ancient Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation which promotes healing. It is administered by " laying on hands" and uses the " life force energy" that flows through us. The word 'reiki' comprises of 'rei' which means 'God's higher power' and 'ki' which is ' life force energy'. It is a simple, natural and safe method of healing and has great beneficial effects. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to promote recovery. This practice reduces stress, awakens deep relaxation, peace and self-awareness, improves sleep, eliminates depression, enhances your immune system, prompting contentedness and balance in your life. Reiki healing can be extended to all areas of your life, including your children and animals.

As we travel deeper into the 21st century we experience more and more acutely - if we are awake and aware - the unravelling of the interconnected cycles and systems which make up this miracle of life on this Earth which is our only home. Increasingly, we humans don't seem to care for anything other than ourselves. The chasm that is separating human beings from the natural world and from one another is widening, with society encouraging ever more alienation. Even the very words for wild and natural things - flowers and creatures and landscapes - are being erased from the great dictionaries, to be replaced by technology-speak. And yet the words we choose become the world we live in - so we are diligently engaged in making an un-natural and hyper-me world. It is our connection, our relationship, with something that moves us to take care of it. So the key to our future lies in re-connecting ourselves to the Earth, to one another, to our true nature. We cannot survive independently from the Earth and her natural cycles and systems. No matter which strand we try to isolate, we will always find it hitched to a myriad others. Indeed, we are made of the elements. We are made of the same stuff as the stars. We and they have come from the same singularity. Yet a long time ago, before physicists had ever even theorized about the Big Bang, Dogen, the great Zen master, already knew.  I came to realize that the mind is nothing but the sun and the moon and countless stars. Can we also come to this knowing, like Dogen? How can we come to know that the sun and moon and stars are within, that the wilderness is within, that we are the whole of it? The Buddha showed us how when he awoke to the Truth while sitting under the Bodhi tree. He had found through his practice of meditation that we are the sun and the moon and the stars, that the wilderness is within, and is home. He had seen the great interdependence of all things. Taking advantage of the wilderness around the BRC, we will explore the meeting place of the outer and inner worlds to uncover our connection with ourselves, all beings, the sun and moon and the stars. The retreat will combine meditation practice with silent contemplative walking in the wilderness, as well as some of the spiral practices from Joanna Macy's Work That Reconnects.

In a series of talks and Mindfulness meditation sessions, we will explore the chemistry which mediates the effects of mind states on the body: psychoneuroimmunology or PNI. The talks and demonstrations will show that we can attain optimal wellness and performance by getting to know our temperament and personality traits; by being more present-minded; and through sensible, informed ways of living and behaving.

Explore this ancient Chinese practice that boosts one’s health and vitality. Participants will learn the key techniques of how to master chi kung and incorporate it into their daily lives, effortlessly. These techniques are easy to learn, are useful and powerful. The healing power of chi kung works on both the physical and spiritual level - if it is done correctly. These techniques include breathing, timing, warm ups, postures, movement and mind projection. Dr Hu will also introduce Chinese medicine for detoxing, lowering cholesterol, decreasing body fat and relieving water retention. This retreat is designed to suit beginners, as well as those who have practised chi kung previously.

This 4-day 'Open the heart and still the mind' retreat facilitated by clinical psychologist, Sue Cooper, offers an integration of body, heart and mind and is held in a contained and nurturing atmosphere of contemplative (Noble) silence. Inspired by the wisdom of Buddhist psychology, with its profound understanding of the truth of Impermanence, we will explore ways to integrate change and loss in our lives, so that we can learn to bear the unbearable. Through sitting and walking meditations, compassion practices, chi kung and short individual sessions, we will strengthen our capacity for courageous presence. This allows us to embrace life and death with an open and compassionate heart, one which can rediscover joy and lightness of being, in the midst of life's challenges. There will be time for restorative rest, as well as for silent walks in the beautiful gardens of the BRC. Beginners as well as experienced meditators are very welcome.

CPD accreditation for psychologists and other HPCSA registered professionals: 32 General and 2 Ethics CEU's are applicable. See: sue.stillmind@gmail.com and www.suecooper.co.za

Join us for a joyous celebration of chanting and enjoy the wonder of your singing voice. François and Sally will help you uncover your natural voice and lift it to new heights of expression and beauty. By combining correct breathing techniques with chanting and stillness, and discovering the origin of speech, your 'body-mind' and voice will be refined. We will focus on sacred chanting, incantations and mantras which form an integral part of most religions, including Buddhism. The healing power and expressive nature of singing appeals to and affects every aspect of our being, including our intellect and emotions. Such harmonious sound opens the heart to joy and can be transforming. By Sunday, the Ixopo hills will truly be alive with the sound of chanting. Daily sessions of chi kung and meditation will take your experience even deeper.

This is an interactive retreat designed to help the “beginner” to understand and experience the basics of meditation practice. Meditation is a tool to transform the mind so that one’s life and experiences become more meaningful. This is achieved through simple, yet effective Mindfulness techniques as well as analytical meditation practices. Different techniques will be experienced so that retreatants can take with them tools to assist the transformative process in their daily-life. No prior knowledge of meditation is necessary. The retreat will be held in an atmosphere of silence and contemplation.

Tune in and allow Nature to flow through your heart and lens. The lens of your camera is an extension of your eye, your eyes are an extension of your heart. This weekend workshop is guided by Master Fine Art photographer, Marlene Neumann. She will take you on a journey deep into the forest where you can explore the light through your camera lens as you listen to the ancient wisdom whispered by the trees. This is not a technical workshop on how to use your camera, but rather an opportunity to learn to follow the light and allow the spirits of Nature to shine through you. Marlene’s contemplative approach will teach you new insights and a new way of seeing. See www.marleneneumann.com.

This is a largely unstructured self-retreat with meditation, chi kung, walks and healing therapies

Join us for Easter in the hills of Ixopo where you will be left alone in the beautiful surroundings of the Centre, to meditate in the Buddha Boma  and relax with healing therapies. Wake up to the sound of the gong, followed by meditation and chi kung in the dell. Experience the profundity of Noble Silence in the morning and what it is like to eat your breakfast quietly and really be present in that moment. Tune into the sound of the windchimes and birdsong, and the beat of one’s heart in this tranquil environment. Healing therapies such as aromatherapy, reflexology and sound therapy will be offered during the day. This retreat will allow you to rest, relax and reflect in the Easter tradition. Meals will be their usual delicious “Plentiful” best. We will also offer a Meditation On Tea, the ancient, meditative Chinese Tea Ceremony.

Yoga asanas (postures) massage the internal organs, nerves and glands, improving their performance. They enhance energy levels and stamina, flexibility and agility of the body and mind, enabling you to lead a more active and creative life. Sleep and digestion are improved.  Yoga’s focus on the body and correct breathing improves energy levels and the immune system.  As you let go of resistance and allow the muscles and tendons to release into the postures, you also learn to let go of resistance in other areas of life, accepting what is and what cannot be changed, helping you to make better choices. Wear comfortable clothes and bring a yoga mat.

Sometimes getting away from it all for a short while and being gently guided through a process of soul reintegration and healing, is all that is needed to shift your life to higher levels of love and fulfilment. Until you discover your true life purpose, your life may appear rudderless and uncertain. This retreat includes finding your  inner purpose; the power of forgiveness; the power of acceptance; the power of surrender; and above all: the power of presence. Participants will be guided to answer three vital questions: Who are you? What do you really want? What is your life's purpose?

During this workshop participants will discover how to still the mind and access the power of presence, opening them up to greater levels of happiness and creativity. By stripping away the layers of the unconscious mind and discovering a deeper innate sense of being, participants will gain a clearer sense of purpose and direction. The Awakening Shift Experience is based on John Homewood’s own deep wisdom and insights and takes retreatants through a  shift from head to heart. He draws  not only his own experience and understanding, but also on enlightened teachings from Eckhart Tolle’s A Course in Miracles. The retreat combines wisdom teachings with practical exercises, guided meditations, simple yogic breathing and stretching, quiet stillness interludes and question and answer sessions. Participants can extend this experience by continuing with "Going Deeper Into The Awakening".

This retreat is only open for participants of Awakening Shift retreats.

Going even deeper into the process of awakening, this extended retreat takes participants further into the powerful creative space beyond mind and will include wisdom teachings, intimate question and answer discussions as well as counselling sessions with John. He will also deal with individual life challenges and questions and provide tools and techniques to break through various blockages in life, allowing  joy and abundance to flow again, often in miraculous ways. The retreat also includes both guided and silent meditation and chi kung sessions.

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 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 weekend 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.

The full moon of May - Wesak - is the most important day on the Buddhist calendar, commemorating the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha 2,500 years ago. Wesak is traditionally held on the full moon of the lunar month of Vesakha (coincidental with May) which in 2019 falls over this weekend. We will mark this festival with a programme of sitting and walking meditation with talks and reflections on aspects of the Buddha’s life and teachings and, in union with Buddhists around the world, we will hold a Wesak ceremony including pertinent readings, a candle-lit circumambulation and traditional chanting. Please note: Apart from the talk and discussion periods this retreat will be held in Noble Silence.

Drumming and music-making are ancient ways of transcending our routine lifestyle, opening ourselves to spiritual realms of healing and creativity, which is experienced as liberating and rejuvenating. The  universe is a flux of pulsating rhythms. Drumming connects us to these rhythms, facilitating a change in consciousness that leads to a sense of beonging and well-being, which promotes deep relaxation and healing. In this retreat we will be learning basic drumming techniques and exploring rhythmic creativity which will be combined with meditation practice and contemplation.

Mindfulness is defined as knowing what is happening, while it is happening, with an attitude of kindness and curiosity. In the beginning, we notice how our attention is like a butterfly flitting from one thought to the next. So we start by slowing down and settling our mind. We then introduce practices that ground us, allowing our attention to drop out of our heads and into the sensory awareness of the body. We learn to rest in the present moment getting used to disengaging from our habits of compulsive doing. During the retreat we will be “coming home” to our body, heart and mind; applying curiosity and compassion to whatever we notice. This attitude of openness, kindness and acceptance to whatever is there helps us to live with greater clarity and resilience. The weekend will be experiential and is designed as a helpful first step in developing your own personal Mindfulness practice or as a way of refreshing your existing practice.

Our search for meaning is the most prominent quest of our time. More and more people today are on a personal quest for meaning and a deeper sense of purpose, in the hope of enjoying a happier life. Logotherapy, as an existentialist analysis, was developed by Dr. Viktor Frankl - more famous for his book Man’s Search for Meaning. Frankl was practising as a neurologist and psychiatrist in Vienna when, as a Jew, he was sent to the concentration camps. There he refined his therapy on how to discover meaning in life despite suffering. This secular approach offers many parallels with that of Buddhist philosophy. The weekend workshop will include activities and worksheets to assist participants to discover their own unique path to meaning. It will also be infused with case studies from Tibetans who escaped from the Chinese occupation of their country, as living examples of how it is possible to live life powerfully despite severe challenges.

We all have stories to tell, but many of us don’t know where to start. In this workshop we will stop - listen - connect - write. The focus will be two interconnected, transformative practices: mindfulness (awareness, presence, “listening” ) and memoir writing (story). You will get to meet, name and kick-start a relationship with your personal muse; mine the richness of your life for “story”; explore focussed journaling practice (self-expression, self-coaching, self-growth, liberation); start a memoir. You will get to take away tools, strategies, and a “how-to” plan to move forward. And lots more. 
For the cost of the course: Contact Wanda: wanda@wandahennig.com / 072-664-3170.

Ayurveda - the knowledge of life - is a 5000 year old healing/health system that offers integrated, balanced living and preventative medicine. This ancient wisdom helps us to maintain health from deep within our systems, of which yoga and meditation are a part. In this retreat we will look at the fundamental guiding principles of Ayurveda. The daily rhythm includes a talk, followed by a class combining chi kung and simple, gentle, dynamic yoga for all levels of fitness, walking meditation, guided visualization, yoga nidra and breathing practices (pranayama). No previous experience is needed.

The upsurge of interest in the ancient practice of yoga attests to its proven physiological and psychological benefits. Our sedentary, western lifestyle has stiffened our limbs and spine to such an extent that many people find the yoga asanas (poses) difficult to perform. Iyengar yoga evolved to deal with this problem - safely, without forcing the body into harmful contortions. Iyengar uses simple, but carefully calibrated props and other supports to achieve postures that would otherwise be unattainable except after years of practice. This retreat is suitable for beginners and for those who may have practised other forms of yoga. The weekend retreat is an introduction to the Iyengar method. For those who wish to consolidate their practice to a deeper level, the additional 4-day retreat is strongly recommended (23-27 June).

For those who wish to consolidate and deepen their yoga practice, this 4-day intensive retreat is highly recommended. You will definitely feel stretched, relaxed and fit for life.

Here I am once again, disguised as myself – from About Death and Other Things   Alexander Ristovic

Life writing is not only about developing technical skills. It is also a way to reflect and grow awareness. The tools we need to write about what we know best are tools we need to live more creatively, less anxiously. Whether you are writing fiction or poetry, life writing skills can help to deepen observation. We each have life motifs or themes that are more or less unconscious. Yet an evolving pattern binds our journey from birth to death into a whole coherent piece. Getting to know more about the story we are living helps us to ride our stories, rather than our stories riding us. We will reclaim memory and imagination as means to release ourselves into awe and creativity, connectedness and purpose, awareness and pleasure. Through identifying and engaging with the images that shape our time on earth, we will find refreshing approaches to put our personal stories down on the page. Bring a notebook and pen, two objects from the period you want to write about - one that represents something you loved about it, and one that represents something you disliked about that time. Beginners are welcome.

You are invited to explore the creative information that is bound up in your persistent difficulties - your chronic illness, relationship problems, habits and addictions, artistic blocks, or spiritual dilemmas. Neuroscience confirms that our behaviour, attitudes and choices are driven by images and narrative. This explains why logic and argument are often ineffective in changing old patterns. Locked into a chronic or recurrent complaint are stagnant and blocked images. Instead of trying to get rid of the difficulty out of fear and frustration, we will explore the associated images with curiosity. This workshop will help you to identify the images that underlie the disturbances in your life and give you tools to explore them. This can release valuable information and connections about them.. Paying attention and using the tools of the artist – drawing, writing, movement, clay and  collage - encourages  unexpected resolutions to emerge.