Detailed List of Retreats

Participants will experience 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. Included will be an in-depth discussion on 'African cosmology' and the understanding of ancestors, plant medicine and dreaming. Retreatants will learn one of the most ancient and misunderstood cultures in South Africa today - the Sangoma medicine people, the monks and nuns of Southern Africa. The retreat will focus on educating people about South African traditional spirituality and also lead participants on a spiritual journey to rediscover their own ‘soul’ or what is termed ‘umoya’ in Xhosa/ Zulu culture. This is a unique opportunity as there are very few places in South Africa today where people can learn from this mystical tradition. '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. John will be assisted by his colleague Makhosi Nomusa who is the resident Zulu Sangoma. 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.

Explore this ancient Chinese practice that boosts one’s health and vitality. Participants will learn the key techniques of how to master qigong and incorporate it into their daily lives, effortlessly. These techniques are easy to learn, are useful and powerful. The healing power of qigong 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 some 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 qigong previously.

Following on the success of their first 'vegan venture', Debbie and Sascha are offering an updated version. We are all in need of paying close attention to our health, especially now. This retreat is ideal for those who want to make the change-over to a plant-based, wholesome and healthy lifestyle. Learn how to make nutritious superfood treats and vegan ice creams that are bursting with flavour and one hundred percent healthy, coconut condensed milk and a delicious chocolate cake. Debbie will demonstrate all the assorted vegan ‘milk’ options, ultimate dressing for any salads and a summer soup rich with flavour. She will also share her confidential “guilt free” chocolate recipe and variations of this.  If you want to learn about wholefoods and veganism, this is an opportunity to find the 'creative foodie' in you. Included in this retreat will be sunrise yoga and meditation as well as pilates, the yin-yang of health, where "belly strengthening is a perfect balance to belly-nourishing". A "sound bath" meditative experience will also be offered using healing instruments such as gongs, singing bowls, percussion, chimes, rattles, tuning forks and chanting.

Di will be offering two sessions of qigong daily. Qigong can be loosely translated as the movement of energy. Qi is the energy derived from nature that is always around us. Using 6,000 year old movements, we can tap into this energy and thereby energise ourselves. Qigong exercises are slower than aerobics, but faster than tai chi. There will also be free time to relax and rest, and to take in the beauty of the BRC.

Join 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. Wake up to birdsong and walk the verdant hills and meadows close to where the Blue Swallows nest. The BRC has been awarded “Private Nature Reserve” status by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife for its conservation of the Blue Swallow and the pristine mistbelt grasslands. Included will be talks, slide shows, chi kung, meditation and some quiet time communing with nature. Bring your binoculars and a sunhat.

Di will be offering two sessions of qigong daily. Qigong can be loosely translated as the movement of energy. Qi is the energy derived from nature that is always around us. Using 6,000 year old movements, we can tap into this energy and thereby energise ourselves. Qigong exercises are slower than aerobics, but faster than tai chi. There will also be free time to relax and rest, and to take in the beauty of the BRC.

Join Margot for a yoga retreat where we explore our innate strength and vitality in order to deepen and develop serenity in our minds. We will connect them with the flow of breath and mindful awareness. Enjoy a progressive sequence of extended yoga classes, comprising dynamic vinyāsa, yin yoga, yoga nidra, mantra and more. Working in sequence to unlock and expand, we will explore arm balances, hip openers, backbends and twists to challenge your body to release, and then restore vitality, riding the wave of your breath as a way to surrender into postures and cultivating calmness of mind. We will work in Krama (progressive stages). The retreat is suitable for all levels of fitness, but be prepared to be challenged. Please bring a mat, water bottle, blanket and a strap. 

"When you are busy judging people, you have no time to love them” - Marshall Rosenberg

When interacting with others, we often find ourselves triggered and then communicate in ways that hurt or harm - ourselves, the other, or the relationship between us. Our conditioned ideas of what it means to communicate, especially during times of conflict, frequently results in a loss of connection. Judgement and defence, as well as the strategies of criticism, insults, blame or put-downs are commonly used in our attempt to be heard or to meet our need to be “right”, “good” or “winning”. Despite our best efforts and intentions, we habitually become “violent” with our words and then feel the pain of disconnection.
This retreat explores the principles and practices of mindfulness and nonviolent communication (NVC), to foster connection and minimize the suffering of outmoded ways of engaging. We will practice both intra-personal and inter-personal mindfulness in order to cultivate skills of empathy, compassion and a better understanding of self and other. Contemplative dyads are a way to promote social connectedness, something that we are often lacking in daily life where our time is dominated by digital devices. Together, these practices will help us communicate more consciously so that we learn to be aware of our feelings and needs, make requests to meet these needs and stay open to the feelings and needs of others.
You can expect daily mindful meditation practice to support the empowering and enriching teachings of NVC, gentle exercise, and some down time for rest and relaxation.

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.

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.

Kenshō Therapy is a comprehensive, acceptance-based approach to healing the nervous system and easily accessing the part of the mind that is naturally blissful, clear and spacious. This goes beyond simply managing your anxiety or neuroses. It starts by working on the chronic contractions in the body through physical methods like neurogenic tremoring and Myoga. A specific type of yoga nidra then forms the bridge from body to mind, expanding into an easy process of meditative inquiry.Kenshō Therapy is informed by Western perspectives in transpersonal psychology, neuroscience and trauma healing, as well as the Eastern traditions of Advaita, Dzogchen/Mahamudra and Zen.

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.

Reiki Level 2
At this level of reiki practice, you will learn to apply the healing effects of reiki on others. Two more sacred symbols will be passed onto you: the Distance Healing Symbol and the Emotional Healing Symbol. You will learn how to use reiki as a means of empowering others.

Reiki Level 3
At this level you will make a commitment to reiki in your life and progress to become a Reiki Master. You will receive the Master Symbol and the Tibetan Fire Serpent Symbol which are used during the Master attunement process. You will learn how to pass this attunement to others, and to take on students of your own. Some Reiki Masters never teach reiki, but they are able to use the Master energy on others and apply it in their own lives.

Be kind to yourself, recharge your energy and reconnect with friends. Enjoy the peace and healing energy of the BRC. The weekend will be adjusted to suit everyone; if you want to go hiking - that is an option - if you want to be silent, catch up with your reading and breathe in the restorative air – that is OK too. Elizabeth will be available for meditation sessions (either guided or silent) and Di will be offering qigong. Bask in the spirit of generosity and friendship upon which the BRC has been based for the last 41 years. We invite you to bring a tray of seedlings or an indigenous tree to plant in lieu of Dana.

Qigong can be loosely translated as the movement of energy. Qi is the energy derived from nature that is always around us. Using 6,000 year old movements, we can tap into this energy and thereby energise ourselves. Qigong exercises are slower than aerobics, but faster than tai chi. There will also be free time to relax and rest, and to take in the beauty of the BRC.

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.

This silent 7-day Open the Heart and Still the Mind Compassion Retreat will provide an opportunity to integrate the experiences of grief and gratitude that we all have been confronted with during this time of uncertainty.

Drawing on the wisdom of Buddhist psychology and the inspiring teachings and practices of Kuan Yin, the bodhisattva of Compassion, who "Listens to the cries of the world at ease" we will strengthen our capacity to be with things as they are unfolding. After establishing a calm and grounded body, heart and mind, we will focus on the practice of loving-kindness (metta) meditation and the deepening of compassionate wisdom. These practices connect us with our authentic presence, strengthen our boundaries and provide us with a secure foundation of courage and trust. In a contained and nurturing atmosphere of contemplative (Noble) silence, we will learn how to transform the viciousness of the inner critic, so that we can end the habitual cycle of self-abandonment and fear. As we discover how to internalise the archetypal good-enough mother, represented by Kuan Yin, we will develop the courage and trust which allow us to honour our vulnerability without fear or shame. When we can embrace our humanness with kindness and compassion, we can live more authentically and more courageously, so that healing and awakening can occur.

This retreat includes guided sitting and walking meditations, short individual sessions with Sue and daily sessions of qigong (chi kung) movement meditation to enhance the integration of body, heart and mind. There will be time for silent, mindful walks in nature when you can explore the beauty of the Centre. Additional optional yoga and massages will be offered - details to be confirmed nearer the time.

A pre-retreat individual session via Zoom/Whatsapp is requested and highly recommended for newcomers or if you have not attended one of Sue’s residential retreats before. The fee for this is R975 for 50 mins, fully covered by medical aid and can be reduced if necessary.Please contact Sue on or see www.stillmindretreats.com for cost of course and further details.

CPD accreditation for psychologists and other HPCSA registered professionals: to be confirmed in 2022.

‘Home’ is a feeling of safety, belonging, completeness, and rest. Difficult times, the rocky pandemic road especially, may have left many of us feeling - or realizing that we feel - disconnected, perhaps lonely, anxious, lost and far from ‘home’. How to find our way home again? A detailed map that leads back home is to discover that the world is both lover and self. Using The Work That Reconnects of Joanna Macy, the weekend will explore heart-opening practices of active hope that reveal our deep belonging to and connection with the world, and the Universe. Active hope is waking up to the beauty of life on whose behalf we can act, through meditation, walking, journaling, and work-shopping. We belong to this world!

Yoga teaches us the ability to remain present, calm and stable no matter what situation we find ourselves in. It is not about perfecting the shape of the pose or increasing flexibility -  it is about knowing what the shapes do and how they impact our physiology, our energy and our mind. When carefully planned and sequenced, yoga helps us to thrive in the external world that is always changing, and simultaneously allows us to disconnect from our daily lives and reconnect to that aspect of being that never changes. In yoga we use the body to connect with the breath (asana), the breath to connect with the mind (pranayama) and the mind to connect back to Source (meditation). When we regularly practise meditation we train ourselves to pause before we react – often based on habitual patterns – and instead to respond calmly with  more wisdom and compassion.
Previous yoga practice is recommended; however, beginners are welcome. Please bring your own yoga mat.

It is often our personal struggles that bring us to a retreat setting. But, is Buddhism meant to serve as a form of therapy? This retreat will explore the potential meeting place between Secular Buddhist practices, Existential Philosophy and Psychotherapy. We will explore methods such as Vipassana and Korean Zen meditation as a means of better understanding the nature of our own minds and the relationships we have formed with the struggles we are facing. The retreat will include Tai Chi, meditation, philosophical reflection, therapeutic discussion and short periods of essential noble silence.

The feast of Wesak is the most important day on the Buddhist calendar, commemorating the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha nearly 2500 years ago. A moveable feast, Wesak is traditionally held on the full moon of the lunar month of Vesakha (coincidental with May) which in 2022 falls over this weekend. We will mark this festival with a programme of sitting and walking meditation plus talks and reflections on aspects of the Buddha’s life and teachings and, in union with Buddhists around the world, hold a traditional Wesak ceremony, a candle-lit circumambulation. Please note: Apart from the talk and discussion periods this retreat will be held in Noble Silence.

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 not to just help ourselves, but to help the world of which we are a part. Then daily living becomes meaningful. This mid-week retreat will bring out our Beginner’s Mind through the practice of meditation. The time will be silent, quiet, and slow. There will be meditation instruction and guidance, formal sitting, and time for walking, writing, or staring into the distance.

Stories and story-telling are what make us human. We have stories about health, wellness and well-being. Often, we are informed by the should, could and would of life. These stories, or programs, inform our view of the world - whether it is a world-view and story of scarcity or one of abundance. Sometimes these stories, or the programs from the past can entrap and restrict us from living a full life. How have other people’s stories of the world in health and wellness, scarcity and abundance - informed your own? This retreat is an invitation to look at our own personal stories as part of a much larger story of world, health and well-being; to look at the programs that run automatically and prevent us from living freely and being in the present moment. It is also an invitation to seek alternate stories as we explore new possibilities of being well and being present; to be curious at how and where certain stories come from and to seek alternate meaning through engaging with new ideas and research, and to be enlivened as we open up to the possibilities. Through learning and practising Ho’oponopono we can learn how to release ourselves from restrictive stories and live in the fullness of each moment and to see how transforming this can be. The weekend will be informative, with practical workshopping real-life examples of how to shift our lives into the fullness of the present moment.

Systems Constellations, including Family Constellations and Organisational Constellations, is a powerful therapeutic process that seeks to reveal hidden familial or collective dynamics impacting current experiences and relationships. Often a system may be out of balance due to exclusions, historical trauma or energetic entanglements that cause disorder or dysfunction. When these hidden dynamics - which may be trans-generational - are revealed, it may offer pathways to acceptance, healing and healthier functioning. The effects of trauma can become powerful forces that weaken a system’s health. As balance is restored those patterns that bring new creative life and energy must therefore be strengthened. On this retreat we will look to reveal and include these life-giving, creative forces in the constellating process. Expect a combination of systems constellating - learning about healing from trauma-related symptoms, creative art-making and reflection with time to restore and nourish ourselves.

A typical constellation takes place in a workshop setting made up of a group of unrelated participants. Participants represent members or aspects of the system being constellated and through this representation, dynamics can be revealed and released, and healthier patterns can be included.

Would you like to connect more deeply with Life?
Reunite with the simple joy of being?
Open to the flow of creative abundance?
Shift your life to a new level?

Join two of South Africa’s top transformational facilitators, John Homewood and Michelle McClunan on a powerful, transformational experience that will awaken, shift and nourish you. This retreat will integrate powerful spiritual teachings of Presence, Awakening and Flow with different creative art processes, to help you to clear blockages that may have prevented you from living a healthy, joy-filled, peaceful and abundant life. The creative experiences are process-driven, as opposed to being outcome-based, so no artistic experience or skill is required. Through wisdom teachings, guided visualisations, meditations, time spent in nature, heart-opening music and a variety of experientially creative processes, you will be led gently into your inner landscape, where you will rediscover your own deep wisdom and reason for being here, on this planet, right now. You will also be provided with valuable tools to help you navigate our quickly changing world.

PLEASE NOTE: This retreat is further extended to include Monday and Tuesday 30 and 31 May

The Heart And Art Of Awakening Part 2 - GOING DEEPER

This is a follow-on from the weekend’s retreat for those wishing to deepen the process of Awakening and aligning with Presence and Flow.

Please book this extension separately.

This is a follow-on from the weekend’s retreat for those wishing to deepen the process of Awakening and aligning with Presence and Flow.
It will be structured in a way to allow newcomers to attend - so all welcome!

Would you like to connect more deeply with Life?
Reunite with the simple joy of being?
Open to the flow of creative abundance?
Shift your life to a new level?

Join two of South Africa’s top transformational facilitators, John Homewood and Michelle McClunan on a powerful, transformational experience that will awaken, shift and nourish you. This retreat will integrate powerful spiritual teachings of Presence, Awakening and Flow with different creative art processes, to help you to clear blockages that may have prevented you from living a healthy, joy-filled, peaceful and abundant life. The creative experiences are process-driven, as opposed to being outcome-based, so no artistic experience or skill is required. Through wisdom teachings, guided visualisations, meditations, time spent in nature, heart-opening music and a variety of experientially creative processes, you will be led gently into your inner landscape, where you will rediscover your own deep wisdom and reason for being here, on this planet, right now. You will also be provided with valuable tools to help you navigate our quickly changing world.

In this empowering weekend for women, gentle Yin-style yoga will be offered as an invitation to expand, open and release tightly-held emotions and stress, focusing on the hips and heart. Evening "Moon" themed meditations will help participants to get in touch with this powerful Lunar Body to connect with your inner Feminine. Included will be talks on the Astrological Moon which will help women to navigate their emotional styles, and that of others. Body and Mind will be nourished over a weekend that promises to be nurturing for women - mothers and daughters, sisters and best friends - in a moment by moment openness to each other and to the beautiful, tranquil surroundings of the BRC.

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.

The past two years have highlighted the volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous and unequal world we live in. To understand this world and resolve its problems, we must understand ourselves and our relationships; after all, the world is a projection of ourselves. The Buddha, Aristotle, Krishnamurti, among other great thinkers, have claimed that understanding ourselves is the beginning of wisdom. Over this weekend, you are invited on a journey of really getting to know thyself, starting with confronting your conditioning which has created who you are today. As Jungian psychologist  and author, James Hollis, observes: “What we have become is frequently the chief obstacle to our journey - an assemblage of defense mechanisms and anxiety management systems” or as Rumi, the 13th century Persian poet, wisely counselled: “You are the unconditioned Spirit trapped in conditions. You fill it with yourself, or it dies”. In this journey we will probe the state of our mind, heart, body and spirit (as indigenous cultures have done for thousands of years) towards finding balance and harmony, particularly, in understanding the dominance of the mind over the other three domains of the Self. Our interactive exploration will be supported by a range of Eastern and Western theory and practice in cultivating mind-heart resonance, specifically through understanding emotional intelligence and mindfulness, and applying these in our personal development journey in navigating our rapidly evolving world. May this weekend deepen ways of living in full consciousness of self, others, nature, and society through supporting wholeness, oneness, integration, resonance, and renewal.

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 yoga 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. It is an introduction to the Iyengar method. For those who wish to consolidate their practice to a deeper level, the additional 5-day retreat is strongly recommended (26 June to 1 July).

For those who wish to consolidate and deepen their yoga practice, this 5-day intensive retreat is highly recommended. Apart from increased levels of fitness and vitality, you will reap the benefits of being in the tranquil, natural environment of Ixopo. You will leave feeling stretched, relaxed and fit for life.

We have a choice in the way in which we meet the many difficulties with which life inevitably presents us: we can be defensive and erect barriers to pain, or we can choose to approach discomfort and uncertainty with an attitude of friendliness and curiosity. Being open to what is challenging requires courage and practice as it is not in the nature of the human brain to remain calm in the face of difficulty. In relaxing into what is painful, we are making friends with ourselves and with our world, and we develop maitri – the unconditional self-acceptance that is the basis of compassion and well-being. Having faith in God, the teachings of Jesus, the Buddha, Krishna, Lao Tzu, and the great prophets of other spiritual paths can give us courage and provide us with great support in navigating this human life that can be so difficult at times. Faith can do a lot of things in our life if we let it. It will grow us and allow us to do things we never thought ourselves capable of. It will turn us into a dreamer who really believes that with faith, all things are possible. In the Gospel of Matthew, it is written Jesus looked at them said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

In this interfaith weekend retreat, we will have the opportunity to say yes to life in all its forms, delightful and painful. We will embark on a journey into the minds and hearts of the great prophets of our world, a journey that presents the building blocks of world spirituality and helps us find the divinity within ourselves. Drawing on the writings of, among others, the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hahn that provide a Buddhist perspective on the teachings of Jesus, we will begin to discover the affirmation of the sacred in all religions and spiritual paths, and the infinite merits and common humanity they share. We will also draw on the writings of Pema Chodron, Ajahn Brahm, and other wise teachers to inspire us to live fearlessly by giving up control and waking up to everything we experience in and around us. Loving kindness meditations will support us in our journey, as will the exquisitely tranquil and containing environment of the Buddhist Retreat Centre. The weekend will include sessions of sitting and moving mindfulness practice, as well as walking the labyrinth and group discussions.

They say that 'your life begins the day you start a garden'. If you are looking for some green thumb inspiration and motivation, join Christopher Dalzell for a fun-filled weekend of basic gardening tips where you will learn the practice and art of gardening. The weekend will entail plant identification and plant selection of trees, shrubs, ground covers and bulbs. He will show you how to prepare a flower bed and how to lay out your plants, and how to plant trees and other plants and their maintenance. Chris will advise on plant propagation showing the different forms of cuttings, seed sowing and dividing large plants and the pruning of shrubs and trees. He will also highlight the importance of soil and how to rejuvenate a nutrient-depleted soil and deal with pest and diseases. Growing and maintaining indoor plants will also be covered. Experience all this - and more - and celebrate the BRC's gardens and its green spaces.

As the retreat leader drafts this summary in mid-2021, weather events around the globe have come together to demonstrate that going green is an urgent imperative, no longer a muddied issue or a nice-to-have. Many people have long accepted that we all have a duty as custodians of our planet. But they did not know how they individually could use their money to help. Or feared, incorrectly, that investing for sustainability means monetary loss. This retreat is for all people of goodwill to gain a grounding in the world of investment generally, the information they need to design a particular investment strategy that suits them, and to discover the financial power available to them to use for good.

If the little voice inside tends to remind you constantly of your mistakes and inadequacies, or you are not sure what your life is about, or you sometimes get horrible feelings of emptiness, you will discover from your fellows on this retreat how those things are all quite normal in human beings. We will explore the attitudes, habitual behaviours and choices of words you use about yourself that tend to reinforce the unhelpful thoughts, make you feel worthless and without purpose. We will create for you a space of harmony and perfect safety, and encourage you to observe, to show up, commit, and take away what you find.

Join Duncan for a weekend of reflection, rejuvenation, relaxation and restoration. The retreat is based on the ancient practices of hatha and raja yoga and is open to all levels of ability, including beginners, who wish to understand the fundamentals of yoga and develop, or deepen, their own practice. In the tranquil environment of the Buddhist Retreat Centre, we will discover how shatkarmas (cleansing techniques), asanas (postures), pranayama (control of the breath), mudra (gestures to manipulate and stimulate the energies in the body), bandhas (energy locks with the body) bring us into equilibrium. These traditional practices will help us to develop awareness of body, mind and breath. As the body gently opens like a lotus flower, and we start to release our past impressions, so the mind becomes relaxed preparing us for meditation. We will follow traditional guided meditation techniques in the meditation hall and in the labyrinth to quieten the mind, calm anxieties, recover balance in life and enhance creativity, insight and self-reflection.

Anger is a challenging emotion to feel and work with. It is so often all-consuming and destructive that many of us avoid or suppress anger, especially on a spiritual path. Yet, anger is also part of our human experience. It can ignite fierce compassion and sustain action - daring us to grow, so that we can better serve all sentient beings. This retreat offers a safe space to meet anger, to explore what lies beneath it and beyond it, and to practise responding to anger mindfully. Together we will explore:

- Gentle yoga and guided meditation to deepen our awareness and tolerance of strong sensations
- Experiential group exercises and facilitated conversations to understand anger
- Silence to integrate insights and transform emotional energy.

Why is it so difficult for us to be kind or gentle or good to with ourselves? Perhaps it is because we have grown up within the paradigm that ‘good people put the needs of others first’. In other words, we believe that we need to sacrifice ourselves in order to show we care. Or, it could just be that finding time for self-care just means one more thing on the already unobtainable to-do-list. But what if caring for ourselves wasn’t that difficult? What if, by a few simple adjustments or re-tuning of your emotions, thoughts or attitude patterns, we could find that calm place on the merry-go-round where we were at our best and could deal with and handle what life throws at us with style. The Buddha’s teachings emphasise the importance of taking care of ourselves in order to be of service to others. The wisdom of this teaching tells us that when we are kind and good to ourselves, we are automatically much more so to others.

Join Kugan for a weekend of gentle yoga to restore and rejuvenate the body and mind and for holistic health and well-being. There will be time for walking in the tranquil grounds of the Centre, for rest and meditation.

Tai chi is a practice embracing the mind, body and spirit. Originating in ancient China, it is one of the most effective exercises for the health and well-being of our body and mind. The essential principles include integrating the mind with the body; the control of movement and breath; generating internal energy, mindfulness, song (loosening) and jing (serenity). The ultimate purpose of tai chi is to cultivate the chi or life energy within us to flow smoothly and powerfully throughout the body like water flowing in a river: beneath the tranquil surface there is a current with immense power - the power for healing and wellness. This retreat is for beginners and seasoned practitioners alike - for many, it starts somewhere and continues as a lifetime journey.

Everybody experiences tranquility from time to time, because this open quality of mind is natural to us all. Yet, often our bodies and minds tighten and freeze to life’s challenges and stresses, even though creative solutions and expansive ideas are most likely to arise from a relaxed state. Healing Relaxation - designed by the late Akong Tulku Rinpoche, a wise Tibetan Buddhist healer, and a team of western healing professionals - is a simple, highly practical, yet profound programme which helps people repair the strains and tensions resulting from the conditions of modern life, and prevents them from developing in the first place. Relaxation and awareness practices can enhance our ability to access calm, expansive states of mind intentionally throughout our day. In this workshop, we will explore the benefits of developing such calmer states of mind, and learn effective relaxation, breathing and visualisation techniques.

The five elements provide a very dynamic system of understanding life. They make up the world around us and are in all living organisms, only the proportions differ.When the elements are in balance there is balance and harmony, when they are out of balance there is disharmony and dis-ease.The balance is constantly changing within and around us. To help us learn how to work with this ever-changing balance of the elements in a positive way, we have to first get to know them. In this retreat we will use the Tibetan schemata of the five elements - earth, water, fire, air and space. We will explore and get to know them in a practical way. We will examine and become familiar with the characteristics and qualities of each, and observe their interaction. At the same time we learn to observe our mind/body states in relation to the elements. The retreat will include guided relations, gentle stretching and creative work around each element, including painting and working with clay. Please wear loose comfortable clothing.

Join Jennifer in taking it slowly, and aligning your body with your mind and emotions. During this restorative Yin Yoga retreat, we will rest and stretch, and flow calmly from one posture into another.

When we allow ourselves to move in creative and healing ways, paying careful attention to the joy, the discomfort, the desire or the agitation that arises, we may learn how trauma of everyday life can break parts of us and how we might have put ourselves back together again in less helpful ways. By finding a flow in our bodies, stretching, balancing, and strengthening our bodies - we build a relationship between the parts of our being, allowing us to reshape ourselves. Fiona will guide both gentle and flowing yoga; Jason will help us understand the language of our bodies through meditation and therapeutic reflection. Simply bring your body -  just as it is -  and a mat.

Nia is a powerful collaboration of dance, martial arts and mindfulness practices that repatterns your nervous system for body, mind and holistic well-being and joy. By dancing barefoot, we use The Body’s Way to sense the wisdom of the body - and dance in a way that feels energising and balancing. Join Susan on this transformational retreat as we weave the tapestry of joy and embrace the beauty in life. After all, life is art.

Join Lisa for a weekend of mindfulness-based-somatic movement in the tradition of Clinical Somatics. Learn gentle and mindful body-based practices to help release chronic tensions that underlie pain and stress. The retreat will offer some theory of somatic movement in general and Clinical Somatics specifically. Exploring the communication between the brain, nervous system and muscular system, we will learn about pandiculation, nature's way of releasing tension from the body. We will weave Basic Mindfulness practices and meditations throughout the retreat, develop your inner awareness and bring comfort and ease to the body through this slow and mindful approach. You will leave the retreat with some tools and practices to become your own body worker. This weekend is suitable for everyone and will meet you where you are. Begin an inner dialogue with your body, reminding it of its intelligence!

From the moment we pick up a stick to draw in the sand, the urge to write is created. In this retreat we search for tools in nature which will start us on our inventive journey. We will create a concertina book using our own textured backgrounds which will allow us to weave letters and words into lines and spaces. There will be time for silent, mindful explorations in nature and space to sit and meditate as we place pen to paper.

The songs of our ancestors are also the songs of our children. Our stories are gifts we give each other and gifts we leave behind us. For, one day we too will be ancestors. In this retreat we write our stories and place them next to those of our family, immediate, extended and chosen. The idea of family can include not only blood, but our spiritual tradition, culture and the line of those who share our passions. The retreat also touches on healing the family tree and looks at questions such as how we can change the script and create new patterns.

Ever since I heard my first love story I have been looking for you  - Rumi

Who is the who that Rumi alludes to? There is something deeply fictional about us human beings. We are the stories we tell about ourselves. Rediscover the lost art of story-telling. Experience the joy, presence, mindfulness and transformation that arrive when we engage with a tale, learn how to craft it and inhabit it. We begin to see our lives as a story, keeping pace with the rhythm of our hearts, balanced between the in and the out of our breathing. Be enchanted by Zen and other tales from many paths.

The Zen hermit-monk Ryokan (1758-1831) remains one of Japan’s favourite poets. An eccentric original (he is also known as the “Great Fool”) his antics have endeared him to successive generations. After his initial Zen training Ryokan spent several years of wandering before settling in a mountain hermitage. However Ryokan was no world-hating recluse and was frequently to be seen playing with village children or sharing a drink with farmers. According to one authority Ryokan's life “was a living sermon”. In an atmosphere of contemplative silence this retreat will use Ryokan's life and his luminous poetry to reflect on our relationship with ourselves, the world and all the beings who inhabit it. There will also be free time to enjoy the beautiful grounds of the centre. Please note: apart from an introductory talk and a discussion period this retreat will be held in Noble Silence.

Yoga and meditation can be experienced as a practice of cultivating well-being. The practice of yoga improves overall emotional and spiritual well-being, joint mobility, immunity and organ health - to mention just a few of its benefits. We will be exploring Yin, Hatha and Restorative yoga, breathwork, soundwork and mindfulness practices through the lense of the vagus nerve and soothing the nervous system. Yin yoga is a quiet, slow, nourishing, releasing and grounded yoga practice. Hatha yoga is practised at a slow, steady pace, supporting the strengthening and flexibility of the body, heart and mind. Restorative yoga focuses on relaxing and softening, rather than stretching and strengthening. Mindfulness is paying particular attention to the present moment with curiosity and friendship with whatever is arising from moment to moment - it is knowing what we are doing when we are doing it; it is being awake and open to this life just as it unfolds. Combining these practices of movement and stillness creates powerful possibilities for insight, transformation and healing for the body, mind, and heart.

Please note that the retreat will be trauma sensitive/informed'.

Zhan Zhuang (‘Standing like a Tree’) Qigong is unlike most other Qigong styles, in that with the exception of changing from one static posture to the next, the practitioner remains absolutely still. Regarded by many contemporary Masters as the most powerful of all Qigong practices, it opens all of the nine energy portals in the body, and encourages one’s chi (life force) to flow powerfully throughout one’s entire being. In this retreat Paul will teach the Four Posture Zhan Zhuang Form, which assists in developing a strong physical structure as well as creating a greater supply of healing chi to promote health and vitality. He will also teach the ancient Taoist Qigong meditation for inner tranquillity.

I want to share an approach to poetry
that’s taught me how to play
with rhythm and meaning, following words
and traces of feeling to make new tracks.
Acts of poetry link the tides of my body
and the world with new ways of thinking, moving
across from life to the page, and back

This course will help you to connect with themes and images that need expression and exploration. Learning to condense or distil your inquiry can help with insight and clarity. Working with rhythm and rhyme, off-and-half-rhymes, and with antonyms and synonyms, can break open meaning in new and unexpected ways. Please bring a thesaurus and a rhyming dictionary if you have one. I will bring mine to share.

In this experimental and experiential writing course, we will explore our relationship with the natural world. We have done damage to ourselves and the environment by constructing the idea that human beings are separate from nature. Even our language betrays this attitude - we speak of nature and the environment as though it is ‘out there’. Through experiential exercises and writing, we will explore how the built environment, consumerism, ideas about time, and our fears, anxieties, disgust and distrust keep us disconnected from resources that nourish and support us.

The creative mind is a natural space where we can remake connections with the source of life as inclusive and sensory. Writing into our relationship with the elements, our habitat, natural cycles and with life in all forms can help us live in a responsive and responsible way, taking better care of the two homes we inhabit until we die – our bodies and the earth.

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 3-day mid-week 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 retreat 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.

Food and eating can be a source of great joy, but it can also be a source of great suffering and struggle. This retreat is based on a combination of the principles of Mindful Eating And Intuitive Eating. The intention of this retreat is to examine our relationship with food and to start the process to create 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, also examining our rules around food. We will look at how to deal with cravings and urges through the development of mindfulness skills. Through a process of enquiry, we will explore the emotional triggers that often lead us to overeating and binge eating, and how these may be understood and effectively dealt with. Using mindfulness and examining our conditioning around food, we will gain an awareness of our habitual behaviour and begin a process towards a joyful and peaceful relationship with food and our body. 

If you feel worn out, stressed and depleted in these challenging times, then a nurturing Yin Yoga retreat is just what you need. This restorative retreat will replenish and heal you physically, mentally and emotionally. Yin yoga is a more meditative type of yoga where the postures are held while your body is supported with props, allowing you to relax, to breathe into the stretching and gravity to do its work. The slower, meditative pace gives you the opportunity to turn inwards, to breathe mindfully and to be at ease within your yourself.

Qigong 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. Qigong 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 also uses sounds to cleanse and heal our major organs.

Are we able to commit fearlessly to the world? To each other? To the moment? What is it to be intimate? Through isolation and dependence on technology, have we numbed our aliveness and become endlessly distracted and driven by self-interest? The tools of meditation, mindful and creative movement, a connection with others and nature, and  expression through writing and music - all remind us of our essence - our Original Condition - which can never be truly  grasped, but it is what keeps us on the cushion, or in the flow, or on the path, or with the breath, or with each other with compassion and joy - quietly showing up with an open heart and mind. Join Dave on this 5-day retreat to remind you of what you already are. It's sometimes fun and sometimes it's not. An earnest commitment is how you grow.

This retreat will provide an opportunity to explore two aspects of Buddhist meditation practice - the gradual development of calmness and peacefulness in our mind; and the practise of awareness, in order to live with more clarity and more centredness in the present moment. This foundation of calmness helps us to meet our confused thoughts and emotions with more acceptance and kindness and leads to a deeper understanding of the nature of our minds. The retreat will create a gentle and relaxed space in which to explore the benefits of spending time quietly with ourselves, to allow the qualities of calmness and clarity to develop in a natural way and to enjoy the nurturing effect of being silent in a beautiful environment.

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. This is because the universe is a flux of pulsating rhythms and drumming connects us to these rhythms, thus facilitating a change in consciousness and a sense of belonging and well-being, which, in turn, promotes deep relaxation and healing. In this retreat we will learn basic drumming techniques and explore rhythmic creativity which will be combined with meditation practice and contemplation. A Sound Journey meditation using exotic instruments will also be included. The objective of this retreat is to find a balance between the hands-on experience of drumming and its more profound spiritual effects on the human psyche.

The practice of yoga brings the mind and body together, grounding us in the present, connecting us with where we are and what our body tells us about ourselves. Yoga is a process of re-connecting to our body and breath, coming back into the present moment. The ancient yogis realized that in order to be able to meditate effectively requires a healthy, strong body, so they developed yoga postures (asanas), cleansing techniques and breathing exercises (pranayama). Through regular practise of asanas, pranayama and meditation, yoga unlocks the deeper levels of our being. It is a way of moving into stillness in order to experience the truth of who we are. This retreat is open to beginners and experienced students. Please bring a yoga mat.

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.

Shibuie - When Beauty Happens Accidentally: Sumie and Raku - Japanese brush painting and pottery

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. Ingrid will teach the classical Japanese brush painting techniques (Sumie) as these are applied to traditional subjects, such as landscape, bamboo and flower studies - as well as 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 (R850) from the BRC. Each retreatant will receive a bisque-fired tea bowl to sumie-decorate and glaze. Jess 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. The pots will emerge triumphantly from the scorching heat!

Based on the Chinese philosophy of Taoism, tai chi is rooted in balance and flow, stillness within movement, and reflection during action. Just like the shape of the Taijitu - the symbol of yin and yang - every movement is based on circles. Al Huang, in Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain, suggests: “Stop the words and start the doing.” With gentle movements and focused mind, we will teach a short sequence of yang-style tai chi, complemented with simple qigong  exercises and movement-within-stillness meditation. Tai chi has been described as “learning to move with the wind and water in the course of everyday life”.

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 in the 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 an atmosphere of introspection and silence with time for journaling, reflection, and fireside talks.

The spiritual life is first of all a life. It is not merely something to be known and studied, it is to be lived - Thomas Merton

New Year is a good time of the year to take stock and contemplate our moment-to-moment, here-and-now reality in all its fullness. It’s a traditional time for clarifying our motivations, and for starting afresh with new intentions. A time, in other words, to reboot the system. Give yourself the gift of time over this New Year period to collect the Three Wise Medicines of gratitude, ahimsa and contentment, to reflect on the past year, and uncover how you can best live your life in the coming year. During this time together we will let our body, speech and mind fall silent through the practice of meditation and silence. In working with the Three Wise Medicines, there will also be time for writing and contemplation, walking and ceremony especially outside in nature. We will welcome the New Year with a lantern-lit ceremony in the Zendo, chanting, ringing out the old year with an ancient Chinese temple gong. The retreat will be held in an atmosphere of silence and introspection.

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 2023, this largely unstructured weekend will prove useful. Experience sunrise qigong, gentle hatha yoga sessions and meditation. The Centre is yours to enjoy, walking or bird-watching in three hundred acres of rolling hills and indigenous forests. Circumambulate the labyrinth and stupa, meditate in the Zen garden or in the Buddha Boma, and spend solitary time in the deer park and at the dam or  immerse yourself in the "Circle of Sound" in the Bamboo Grove. Deborah Don, a qualified Self-Esteem Coach and massage therapist, will be offering healing therapies by appointment. The BRC provides an ideal opportunity to be in a sympathetic space to reflect on the things that crowd one’s life and to experience what it is like to "just be".