When: 18 Sep 2026 - 20 Sep 2026
Where: Online Event
Tutors: Frits Koster, Rosalie Dores
I believe the greatest gift I can conceive of having from anyone is to be seen by them, heard by them, to be understood and touched by them – Virginia Satir
About the retreat:
This weekend retreat will support you in embodying mindful awareness in the context of relationship, whether one-to-one or in groups. We will develop experiential understanding of the six meditative guidelines of Interpersonal Mindfulness to cultivate moment-to-moment awareness within the dynamism of relationship. The content for the retreat will be drawn from western and eastern wisdom traditions. In particular we will explore the neuro-psychology of relationship, as well as actively cultivating the four relational qualities of kindness, relational joy, compassion and equanimity.
This retreat will provide you with skills to deepen and enrich your personal relationships as well as hone the professional teaching skills outlined in the Relational domain of the MBI-TAC.
The sessions will include guided meditations, large and small group enquiry as well as didactic elements. 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 weekend could be part of the retreat requirement as part of the BAMBA Good Practice Guidelines for Mindfulness Teachers.
Intentions of retreat:
- Becoming familiar with interpersonal mindfulness at the experiential level
- Deepening one's own mindfulness practice and applying it to communication in general
- Deepening competence in Domain 2 - Relational Skills and Domain 3 - Embodiment, of the MBI-TAC. Broadening understanding of how Interpersonal Mindfulness can be engaged when teaching a Mindfulness-Based Programme (MBP), such as MBSR, MBCT or MBCL.
Content:
- Practising with the interpersonal mindfulness guidelines (in pairs or in groups of 3/4) as used in Insight Dialogue: "Pausing", "Relaxing", "Opening", "Attuning to Emergence", "Listening Deeply" and "Speaking the Truth".
- Exploring life themes in meditative dialogue, e.g. the four relational qualities of kindness, relational joy, compassion and equanimity.
- Refreshing and deepening the practice of mindfulness and compassion.
Scientific background:
Empathy is an important quality in any teacher-student relationship and - as scientific studies have shown - is also very important in the therapist-client relationship (Hick & Bien, 2008; Wilson & Dufrene, 2008). Professionals who work with people are often susceptible to empathy fatigue. Here, MBP‘s can prevent empathy fatigue and other symptoms of burnout and contribute to increased self-compassion, wise self-regulation and empathy skills (Karpowicz et al., 2009; Saunders et al., 2007; Shapiro et al., 2005, 2007). In addition, Porges (2011) and Siegel (2007) have shown that attentive and careful interpersonal attunement has calming effects and leads to a deep inner resonance at the neurobiological level (Porges, 2011; Siegel, 2007). Click here for a first feasibility study on IMP.
Who is the retreat for?
This retreat is suitable for all who have followed a foundational Mindfulness-Based Programme such as MBSR or MBCT before. All MBP teachers, as well as healthcare professionals, teachers, coaches and other professionals, who wish to experientially deepen the practice of mindfulness in an interpersonal way are welcome.
Recommended reading:
- Kramer, G. (2007). Insight Dialogue - The Interpersonal Path to Freedom. Boston, MA: Shambhala.
- Koster, F., Heynekamp, J.H., & Norton, V. (editors, 2023): Mindful Communication – Speaking and Listening with Wisdom and Compassion. London: Routledge.
Preparing for the event and what you’ll need:
To attend the retreat you will need:
- A room where you can close the door and participate in the workshop away from family and other distractions. Confidentiality needs to be maintained by ensuring that those who are not present at the event will not be able see your screen or hear the audio. It may be helpful to use headphones.
- Log in using a computer that is placed on a hard surface and that is equipped with audio and a webcam. Please don’t use handheld devices.
- A place to practise, a mat, cushion, and blanket may be helpful for your comfort.
About the Retreat Leaders:
Rosalie Dores has a M.A Teaching Mindfulness Based Approaches. She is a trained Interpersonal Mindfulness teacher and Insight Dialogue Retreat Teacher. She has had a committed meditation and yoga practice since 1993. Rosalie teaches courses and retreats, supervises, mentors and teacher trains in the UK and Europe. She is an associate of The Mindfulness Network CIC and a member of the Insight Dialogue Teachers Council. She is a certified Focusing practitioner and Work That Reconnects facilitator. She has written Why meditate face to face for Lion’s Roar magazine and semi-regularly a blog post on her website www.optimalliving.co.uk.
Frits Koster is a qualified MBSR, MBCL and IMP teacher. He worked in mental health care and has taught mindfulness in psychiatric health care for many years. He has practised vipassana meditation for 45 years and lived as a Buddhist monk in South East Asia for six years in the 1980s. He leads meditation retreats internationally and is a trainer at several mindfulness training institute throughout the world. Together with Erik van den Brink he developed the Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) programme. He is the author of several books, with his partner Jetty Heynekamp and Victoria Norton he edited Mindful Communication (Routledge, 2023). Website: www.fritskoster.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:
- Friday 18th September 2026: orientation session 6.30pm - 8.30pm;
- Saturday 19th September 2026: from 9.30 - 12.30am and 2 - 5pm (and 7 - 8.30pm optionally);
- Sunday 20th September 2026: from 9.30 - 12.30am and 2 - 5pm.
Please note that all times are for UK timezone. Please adapt as necessary if you are joining from a different area.
Participants must commit to the entire weekend. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, we are unable to negotiate late arrivals or early leaving. If this is not possible, please contact us to discuss before submitting an application.
You 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.
Our rates:
Our rates have no hidden extras.
Standard rate – £240
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:
- We receive your application form and assess it to ensure that this event is suitable for you. We endeavour to make assessments within a week.
- Upon offering you a place, we will then invoice you for the full amount.
- Your place is fully confirmed once we receive your full payment.
- We will email you the joining instructions in advance of the course.
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.
Click here to sign up to this event.
