When: 12 Sep 2025 - 14 Sep 2025 Finding peace and harmony within ourselves and in the world around us. About the retreat: All religions and wisdom traditions view forgiveness as a path to greater harmony with ourselves and the world around us. In addition, contemporary research confirms that the willingness to forgive promotes health and well-being. However, forgiveness is not always an easy process. Joyce Cordus and Frits Koster have developed the Mindfulness-Based Training in Forgiveness (MBTF) to support people in this process. In this online retreat, we will explore different forms of forgiveness such as forgiving ourselves, asking for forgiveness and forgiving others. We will do this on an individual level, in relation to groups and communities and in the context of the increasing polarisation in the world around us. Dilemmas and challenges in practice will also be discussed and we will explore how we can and may respond to them in compassionate ways. The MBTF welcomes people in all their diversity. The training is secular in nature. Participation can contribute to a more peaceful and harmonious life - in relation to ourselves and the world around us. This retreat is for those with an existing mindfulness practice, including mindfulness teachers, health care professionals, coaches and other professionals who work with people. This hands-on exploration of the practices and key elements of the MBTF will take place online. We hope this will make it supportive and accessible for people to participate. The weekend will include periods of silence and participants are encouraged to maintain silence or minimal verbal contact during the breaks and in the evenings in order to support a deepening of the practice. This weekend could form part of the retreat requirement as part of the BAMBA Good Practice Guidelines for Mindfulness Teachers. Objectives: We will explore forgiveness in theory and practice in different ways: At the end of the retreat, we will explore how we can develop our willingness to forgive and integrate it into our daily lives. Scientific background: Many religions and ancient wisdom traditions recognise forgiveness as a quality needed to cope with life's imperfections and to promote harmony in relationships. In addition, scientific research indicates that forgiveness also contributes to e.g. better physical health (Cheadle & Toussaint, 2015), better mental health (Griffin, Worthington, Lavelock, Wade, & Hoyt, 2015), improved well-being (Witvliet & Luna, 2018) and reduced stress (Larkin, Goulet, & Cavanagh, 2015). Suggested reading: Who is the Retreat for? The MBTF retreat weekend is suitable for anyone who has completed a mindfulness-based programme such as MBSR or MBCT, or who has been practising mindfulness regularly in some other way for at least a year. All MBP teachers, as well as healthcare professionals, teachers, coaches and other professionals, who wish to deepen their practice of mindfulness and compassion are welcome. Pre-requisites: Please ensure you are able to attend the entire event. If this is not possible, please contact us to discuss before submitting an application. Preparing for the event and what you’ll need: To attend the retreat you will need: The trainer: Frits Koster has practised Vipassana meditation since 1979 and spent five years as a monk in monasteries in South East Asia, where he meditated and studied Buddhist psychology. He leads meditation retreats in the Netherlands and abroad, works as a mindfulness and compassion teacher and trainer in the psychiatric field and teaches at various mindfulness institutes in Europe. Together with Erik van den Brink, he developed the Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living or MBCL compassion training. Together they have written two books on MBCL, which have been translated into several languages. Together with Joyce Cordus, Frits developed the Mindfulness-Based Training in Forgiveness (MBTF). He lives with his partner Jetty Heynekamp in the north of the Netherlands. Websites: www.fritskoster.com and www.traininginforgiveness.com/ Online information: The retreat will take place via Zoom - a web link and instructions for joining will be sent to you before the weekend retreat. Please add mindfulness-network.org to your safe senders list and check your spam/junk folder for communications from us. Timings: The weekend will include periods of silence and participants are encouraged to maintain silence or minimal verbal contact during the breaks and in the evenings in order to support a deepening of the practice. All times given are UK, BST (British Summer Time). If you are attending from a different time zone, please check equivalent timings in your time zone. Our rates: Our rates have no hidden extras. Standard rate – £229 Bursary-assisted places are available on this event until 6 weeks before the event starts, we encourage early applications. If you would like to apply for a bursary-assisted place less than 6 weeks before the start date of the event please get in touch to discuss if an application is possible. When applying for a bursary-assisted place, please first register on the event and select the fee ‘I’m applying for a bursary-assisted place’. Once you have registered for the event you will also need to complete and return a bursary application form. To find out more about our bursary schemes, criteria for bursary applications and to complete the bursary application form please visit: https://home.mindfulness-network.org/bursaries/ Employer’s rate: Recognising the large administrative overhead of dealing with employers, we will be adding a £50 non-refundable surcharge if the employer is paying directly; where possible we would advise applicants to pay themselves and reclaim on expenses to avoid the charge. The application and payment process: Our application and payment process involve the following steps: Payment and cancellation policy: Please read our Terms and Conditions for information regarding payments and cancellations. Other information: Please see the British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches (BAMBA) for good practice guidelines and other information for mindfulness-based teachers. Contact us: Please feel free to email us at retreats@mindfulness-network.org to discuss any questions you may have about the course or whether it is appropriate for you at this time. We will ensure that your query reaches the correct person.
Where: Online Event
Tutor: Frits Koster
The MBTF has been screened scientifically, results will be available soon.
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