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After a retreat

Gaia-House-garden-oak-treeAfter being on retreat at Gaia House, you may feel inspired to come back on further retreats, join any of our online events and courses, join a meditation group,  listen to some Dharma talks – or listen again to talks you heard, explore and read more about some of the ideas you have encountered, or you may just have the intention of keeping up a daily practice of meditation.

Here are some ideas to help you make the most of your retreat experience.

  • If you hope to maintain a regular meditation practice, support from other meditators can be very helpful. Why not join us every week for three meditation sessions at our Online Dharma Hall?  Each meeting includes some meditation, Dharma teachings and time for questions. The sessions last between 1 hour 15 mins and 1 hour 30 mins and are held by Gaia House teachers, Community Dharma Leaders (CDL) and trainee teachers.
  • To continue developing your meditation practice you may consider following online courses and retreats from home.
  • If you would like to find a group of people to meditate together in person, joining a local meditation group with regular meetings is a great way to help sustain your initial enthusiasm, as well as put you in touch with fellow meditators in your community (sangha).
  • If there is no local group, you might consider starting one – see: How to set up a meditation group. A meditation group need not always involve physically sitting together; it can be virtual, or it can allow a loose network of people to stay in touch, to reflect on their practice and to feel supported.
  • Further Reading: Gaia House has a list of recommended books by the teachers who lead retreats here. There are also many inspiring and insightful books about meditation, mindfulness and Buddhism by other well-known authors.
  • You may choose to experience a retreat elsewhere, follow up ideas you have heard, or just find out more. There is a large and expanding Western community developing around Buddhism and the Dharma (the teachings of the Buddha). Some interesting websites to explore.
  • Gaia House endeavours to offer all comers the opportunity to pursue personal enquiry based on the Buddhist traditions of meditation and truth. There are several ways that you can be involved in supporting this ongoing work: See Ways to support Gaia House.

Disappointments or Complaints:

It is possible that you did not enjoy your retreat, feel disappointed in some way or even let down. If so, please let us know what happened or why you feel the way you do, by sending an email. We would like to hear from you if things did not go as you would have liked, as it could help us to improve what we have to offer.