The Silent Day Retreat is the ultimate way to get you away from from the pandemonium and stressful lives we lead and provide an opportunity to de-stress fully. It is a moment’s respite, when we can come off the hamster wheel and take some time out to rejuvenate and re-connect with our Selves.
Our Day Retreats in 2017 will be lead by my Mindfulness teacher, Suvaco who is originally from Denmark, living in Devon, UK. Suvaco holds an MA in Mindfulness Psychotherapy Practice from Middlesex university and is a reg UKCP Core Process psychotherapist and regeristered Cranio Sacral practitioner. He trained in the Thai forest tradition of Ajahn Chah for 17 years as a Buddhist monk and currently teaches meditation, mainly to activists committed to make social or environmental changes. He is part of the teaching staff at Gaia house, Devon.
Included in the day’s programme will be a dharma talk, Qi Gong or Tai Chi, all of which facilitate re-connection with our inner selves. We will also be treated to a nutritious home cooked vegetarian lunch. We conduct ourselves mostly in silence. Whilst this might at first seem a bit daunting, the general consensus from past retreatants has been that they found it therapeutic. One retreatant even went so far as to say she didn’t want to speak when silence ended.
If you would like to come to the Day Retreat but aren’t sure what to expect, then you might like to attend one (or more) of our bi-monthly FREE Guided Mindfulness Practice Sessions. This will give you a true feeling of the practice and hopefully you will also see the benefit of practicing in a supportive group, a sangha as it is known in Buddhism. Like most processes involved in learning, to get the maximum benefit, it is best to practice Mindfulness regularly and in a step wise fashion.
PLEASE NOTE: there is no requirement for you to subscribe to Buddhism to benefit from Mindfulness meditation. However, to practice it in isolation will bring you only half of the rewards – ignoring its origin is like appreciating the heat of the sun whilst being blind to its light.
Comments from the first Retreatants include the following:
Lovely peace and quiet for a while…really enjoyed the long meditation..will do it again: CM – Property Developer
Enjoyable few hours chilling…helped me clear my mind and relax: SK- Estate Agent
Really good! I feel calmer and loved the silence and long meditation: AG- Barrister
Very good Retreat…feel more centred and relaxed…it was nice to spend time out of my head and recognise where I hold stress: GK – Solicitor
Dates for Day Retreats in 2017 are as follows:
Saturday 1 July 2017 – NOW FULL
Saturday 21 October 2017 – Places available – please email me
If you have any questions about our Silent Retreats, please email me and I will do my best to answer them