Retreat

Two Day
Non-Residential Retreat

Retreat offers a valuable opportunity to step back from your regular daily routine and to deepen and refresh your mindfulness practice.

 A two day non-residential retreat is particularly suitable as an introduction for those who have never been on a retreat before and also for more experienced practitioners, whose home commitments make it difficult to go on residential retreat. This retreat is suitable for anyone who has attended an eight-week mindfulness-based course, or for those with equivalent experience of meditation.

The retreat is held in the beautiful rural setting of Newton and Bywell Community Hall, near Stocksfield, just 15 miles from Newcastle.

Over the two days, we will practise together in silence, stillness and movement using the transitions of arriving and leaving, eating, and resting as part of the retreat, helping to bring practice right into the experience of everyday life. The retreat will include guided and silent practice, with periods of walking out in the beautiful rural setting of Newton and Bywell Community Hall. There will be sustained periods of silence to enable increased connection with inner experience. There will also be opportunities for group exchanges and the teachers will be available to talk to people individually.

 

For details of the next 2 day retreat,  please go to the Course Dates page.

Five Day Silent Residential Mindfulness Retreat

I co-lead a 5 day silent residential mindfulness retreat once a year at Shepherds Dene Retreat Centre, near Riding Mill in Northumberland.

A five day silent, residential mindfulness retreat is suitable for experienced mindfulness practitioners, with an established practice and some previous experience of silent practice days, who wish to deepen and integrate their practice further.

Mindfulness practice has at its heart the simplicity of just being. In the dedicated time and space of retreat we can we can remind ourselves of what has inspired us to practice and the value of simply paying attention and noticing just what is here in this moment, without striving to make it something different. We can deepen trust in our mindfulness practice and rediscover how each moment unfolds into the next. We can develop kindness and compassion for ourselves.

Renewing a commitment to intentionally being alive to our experience, moment by moment, over the course of a retreat, deepens the courage to work with the grit of our lives, benefitting ourselves and others. We can open to the vividness of life with all its changing qualities and possibilities. This can help us to deepen and sustain our practice in our daily lives beyond the retreat.

Shepherds Dene Retreat Centre offers a spacious, comfortable, tranquil and supportive environment for retreat. All participants can be accommodated in single occupancy rooms. There is a fully accessible bedroom for wheelchair users.

Note to mindfulness teachers: This 5 day silent retreat fulfils the UK Network’s Good Practice Guidelines regarding attending an annual retreat

For details of the next 5 day retreat, please go to the Course Dates page.

The effort we make in meditation is a willingness to be open, to come close to what we have avoided, to be patient with ourselves and others and to let go of our preconceptions, our projections and our tendency not to live fully.

~Sharon Salzberg

I felt a flow throughout, moving from arriving to departing on the final day. Content was appropriate and clear, relevant and supportive of the process. The opportunities for 1:1 reflection were invaluable. Skilled, compassionate and open-hearted. What more needs to be said? Other than thank you.

Beautifully led practices – well balanced leading – not intrusive. Thoughtful and inspiring reflections. Felt incredibly safe and well supported. Extremely well held, but also flexible and permissive. Thank you so much Gwennie and Susannah for a tender and gentle experience.