When: 11 Oct 2022 - 16 Oct 2022
Where: The Nightingale Centre, Buxton
Tutors: Rebecca Crane, Jaya Rudgard
This in person retreat provides a wonderful opportunity to practice in a supported and sustained way within community. The retreat structure, teaching process and learning community of fellow participants and teachers provide a scaffold to engage in an individual and collective exploration of human experience, supportive of a deepening understanding of mindfulness as a way of being in the world.
The theme of this retreat will be an exploration of the teachings and practices within the 4th way of establishing mindfulness. The first three foundations of mindfulness offer teachings on specific areas of experience to attend to – the body, feeling tone, and mental state. In this 4th foundation we are invited to bring all this together as an integrated awareness of the flow of the mind-body-heart experience. Teachings will be offered on cultivating the beneficial qualities of mindfulness, inquiry, energy, joy, calm, steadiness, and equanimity, and how we can nurture the conditions in our lives for these qualities to sustain. These qualities are expressed in the early Buddhist tradition as the “Seven Factors of Awakening” and form a key part of the traditional instructions on the practice of mindfulness. We will also relate these qualities to contemporary theoretical frameworks. We will explore the creative dynamic between these “Seven Factors” and the habit patterns that tend us towards constriction, dis-ease and distress, and how these patterns can become doorways to awakening when we meet them with steady, friendly, and discerning awareness.
We will consider how these teachings and practices can resource us both personally and collectively, and how the contributions we each make through our work in the world can be nourished by this sustained engagement with practice.
Whilst having their roots in Buddhist psychology, the themes, teaching, practice guidance and explorations will be presented in terms of their application to contemporary mindfulness programmes such as MBSR and MBCT.
The retreat will include:
- periods of both guided and self-directed practice
- talks on practice themes
- sustained periods of silence to enable participants to connect more fully with their inner experience
- short periods of carefully held mindful talking and listening (drawing on elements of insight dialogue practice) in dyads and small groups
- time to practice mindfulness informally between the scheduled sessions
- opportunities for group inquiries with the teachers
- regular gentle mindful movement (qi gong and yoga) to understand how body, heart and mind can support one another in the cultivation of the qualities we are exploring. No particular level of health or fitness is required for this.
The teachers will also be available to talk to people individually if needed.
Who is the retreat for?
This retreat is suitable for people who have attended an eight-week MBSR/MBCT (or similar) course and who have a personal practice of mindfulness. It is open to anyone who meets these requirements and is particularly intended for people who teach or are training to teach Mindfulness Based Programmes and others who are integrating mindfulness into their professional work.
This retreat will enable mindfulness teachers who wish to be included on the BAMBA Listing of Mindfulness Teachers to fulfill the requirement to attend an annual mindfulness retreat. It also fulfils the TTP retreat requirement at Trained Teacher level.
Requirements to attend:
Attendance at an 8-week MBSR/MBCT (or similar). In addition, attendance of at least one day of guided silent mindfulness practice is recommended but not required.
Please ensure you are able to attend the entire event. If this is not possible, please contact us to discuss before submitting an application.
Timings:
The retreat will start at 4pm on 11th October 2022 and end at 12.30pm, followed by lunch, on 16th October 2022.
All times given are UK, BST (British Summer Time).
What to bring/wear:
There will be a small amount of equipment at the venue so you are advised to bring equipment to support you in your formal practice (such as cushion, stool, yoga mat, blanket).
Location:
Although seeming “away from it all”, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and the Midlands are all nearby. Along the ridge above Hucklow you can see five counties on a clear day! There are few places more central to the country as a whole.
https://www.thenightingalecentre.org.uk/location.php
We strongly advise that you visit the venue website to review their Covid-19 policy as the event approaches. You must ensure that you comply with all health and safety, licensing and other rules and regulations of the venue or applicable to the venue. It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with any rules and regulations that apply.
Rates:
Our full rates have no hidden extras and include deposit, teaching, room and board.
Full rate for SINGLE accommodation: £955.00 (includes £100.00 non-refundable deposit).
Bursary-assisted places are available on this event until 3 months before the event starts. Bursary applications need to be submitted and decided prior to booking onto the event. To find out more about our bursary schemes and to apply, please first visit our website here: https://home.mindfulness-network.org/bursaries/
Employer's rate - Recognising the large administrative overhead of dealing with employers, we will be adding a £50 surcharge if the employer is paying directly; where possible we would advise applicants to pay themselves and reclaim on expenses to avoid the charge.
Please note: The majority of our venues have shared bathrooms, including for SINGLE rooms. Please contact us if you have any specific needs that we need to be aware of.
The Application and Payment Process:
Our application and payment process involves the following steps:
- We receive your application form and assess it to ensure that this retreat is suitable for you. We endeavour to make assessments within a week, but if the retreat leader is on annual leave or on retreat, then this can take a little longer.
- Upon offering you a place, we will then invoice you for the deposit or for the full amount, depending which option you choose when you complete your application.
- Your place is confirmed once we receive your deposit or full payment.
- If you selected to pay the deposit only, we will invoice you for the balance four months before the retreat starts.
- We will email you the joining instructions in advance of the course.
Payment and Cancellation Policy:
Please note that we are planning for this course to be held in-person, but if this is not possible with regard to Covid-19, we will advise you as early as we can if the course needs to be moved online. More on this can be found in our T&Cs, below.
Please read our Terms and Conditions for information regarding payments and cancellations.
For more information:
Please email us at retreats@mindfulness-network.org
Click here to sign up to our waiting list - unfortunately this event is now full.
