Rainbow Dharma: A Retreat for the LGBTQI+ Community

Teachers

KATRIN AUF DER HEYDE grew up in South Africa where she practiced in both Zen and Theravada traditions.

A physiotherapist and yoga teacher by training she is interested in an embodied practice that integrates sitting, walking and movement.

Katrin completed her Dharma teacher training under the guidance of Martine Batchelor and teaches in South Africa and in the UK.

 

RIVER WOLTON attended her first Insight Meditation retreat in 2000, and subsequently helped to establish Sheffield Insight Meditation. She is a Community Dharma Leader authorised by Gaia House Teacher Council, and has completed Dharma Teacher Training with Bodhi College. A former Derbyshire Poet Laureate, she has led writing and arts projects for many years, and is an activist in the LGBTQI+ community. For further information please visit her website.

Listen to one of River's talks on Dharma Seed: The Story of Ptolemy the Tortoise and Mettā (Duration 46:24)

 

BERNAT FONT met the Dharma at a very young age and has practiced in Europe, India and Myanmar, gradually putting aside his artistic career. He completed his Dharma teacher training with the Bodhi College in 2022, mentored by Stephen Batchelor, and is doing a PhD in Buddhist Studies. He guides a small sangha in his native Barcelona and teaches in English, Catalan and Spanish.

Rates

Please consider paying at the highest rate that you are able to. Your generosity is vital in supporting Gaia House to sustain its Dharma offerings for the benefit of all.

We are committed to ensuring that our programme is available to everyone who wishes to participate. If our rates are too high for you, we invite you to apply for support from our Financial Assistance and Bursaries Fund (FAB Fund).

Accommodation

The remaining places available for this retreat are in shared accommodation. This retreat will be offered in a mixture of shared and single rooms. Some single rooms are available to book in advance for those that need them to come on retreat. If these are still available, you will be able to select this option. Some single rooms are also held for people to request, but these cannot be guaranteed.  These will be allocated in the days leading up to each retreat so we cannot let you know in advance. Priority will be given to those with specific medical needs.

Extend your retreat

If you have previously been on a residential retreat of a weekend or longer at Gaia House, you are welcome to join us a day earlier than the retreat start date.  All retreatants are welcome to stay an extra night at the end of the retreat.  There is an additional cost of £73 per night.

Please note, retreat conditions will still apply from arrival:

• Observe silence
• Follow the daily schedule
• Practise meditation

Dana/generosity

None of your registration fee goes to the teacher. Gaia House teachers rely on the generosity of students for their livelihood. At the end of the retreat, there is an opportunity to make a dana offering to your teacher(s), the residential community team and Gaia House. We are deeply grateful for your generosity.

Click here to read more about the practice of dana.

Gaia House and covid-19

We hope to make everyone's retreat at Gaia House as supportive as possible. Please click here for further information on how we are creating as supportive and safe a retreat environment.

Arrival and departure times

• Arrive for registration between 2.00pm-4.45pm on the opening day.
• Depart after 12.30pm on the final day (or 1.30pm if staying for lunch).

Please note:

• We will need everyone to commit to the full duration of their retreat.

Cancellation terms & conditions

We have now updated our Booking Terms and Conditions which includes cancellation information, please click here. Please take time to review these before you book.

Before booking

In support of your retreat, two weeks before you arrive, we will send a list of questions about your physical, mental health and dietary needs. This will help us to support you during your retreat. If you are unsure whether or not to book due to needing specialist support due to significant physical or mental health needs, including checking availability of our only ground floor bedroom (also wheelchair-accessible), please email retreatmanager@gaiahouse.co.uk.

For more information on our retreats please check our frequently asked questions page.

Well-being and silent retreats

This is a silent retreat: apart from during individual or group meetings with the teachers you will be invited into silence for the duration of the event. 

Before you book, please read these guidelines about mental well-being and silent retreats:

Meditation retreats can be very nourishing; however, as they require sustained meditation practice, they also need some stability of psychological health. If you have recently (within the past year or so) experienced significant trauma or psychiatric illness, or if you are currently experiencing acute emotional distress such as serious depression or anxiety, it may not be the best time for you to participate in a retreat. The teachers might not be able to give you the kind of individual psychological care you need at this time. A setting with more opportunities for interpersonal engagement may be more appropriate.

• If you are currently under the care of a mental health professional, please discuss your attendance with them. You should be in a relatively stable period of mental well-being and have adequate psychological resilience.
• If you have any questions about this, please contact Laura using the email address, retreatmanager@gaiahouse.co.uk

 

 

Join the Waiting List

This retreat has recently become full or almost full; we are operating a waiting list to prevent overbooking.

Please confirm the following and complete the checkout process. No payment is required for joining the list. We will then contact you to offer you one of the remaining places or if the retreat is full you may be offered a place if there is a cancellation.

To find out more about how we operate our waiting lists please click here.