Residential retreat

 

Thursday, 28 July – Monday, 1 August 2022 (4 nights)

With Katrin Auf Der Heyde, River Wolton and Bernat Font-Clos

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Limited places available

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

Join the Waiting List

Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to register your interest 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.

We welcome anybody who self-identifies as lesbian, gay, bi, trans, non-binary, gender fluid, bi-gender, gender diverse, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, agender….. and more.

 

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.

To listen to some of River's previous talks and meditations please click here.

 

BERNAT FONT-CLOS 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.

 

Retreat description

This retreat offers an opportunity to connect with others in ways that affirm our identity as a community of shared intention and practice, allowing us to make greater peace with ourselves and our lives, and to grow our capacity for freedom.

We hope to co-create a space of acceptance, reflection and support in which to cultivate mindfulness, embodied kindness and wisdom through meditation.

The retreat will offer guided sitting and walking practices, movement, optional small groups, dharma talks, and Q&A sessions.

Accommodation will be in single rooms for this retreat.

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).

Standard Rate:	£348	Includes a donation to the General Fund, which will help sustain Gaia House into the future
Basic Rate:	£264	Covers the very basic costs of running the retreat
Supported Rate:	£220	A subsidised rate to support practice
Young Persons Rate:	£79	For more details please see the Financial Assistance page
FAB Fund Rate:	£132	For more details please see the Financial Assistance page
Camping	£198	Limited places are available, please ring to book

Camping

In addition to our in-house accommodation, we can offer a few camping places during the warmer months.

• Limited number of camping places available, please call to check availability and to book (booking is not possible online).
• Each retreatant needs to bring their own tent (small one/two person tents only).
• Toilet and bathroom facilities are shared with the in-house occupants.
• Please note: In poor weather we cannot accommodate campers in the house.

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 service team and Gaia House’s General and FAB Funds. 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.

Many aspects of the retreat set-up and retreat environment will be familiar and well-known, and others may be new. As the conditions and guidelines are constantly changing, we are remaining flexible and will be reviewing what is needed at the time of each retreat. Prior to your retreat, we will send some more information about what to expect whilst at Gaia House.

Please see the retreat description for this retreat's accommodation arrangements.

Please click here for more detailed information on how we are creating as supportive and safe a retreat environment as possible under the covid regulations that may still be in place.

Please note:

• If you have covid-19 symptoms during your retreat you will be able to stay in isolation for a limited period. However, we need you to have a plan in place to enable you to continue your isolation away from Gaia House, if you have travelled by public transport you will need a friend or family member to collect you.

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; early or late arrivals won’t be possible at this time. Extra nights will also not be possible.

Building work during 2022

To support more socially-distanced retreats in the short term and our development into the future, we are excited to have completed our new shower block, while work on our new Dartmoor Wing is progressing well. These two new buildings will double the number of single rooms and shower/toilet spaces we can offer to group retreatants, enabling our site to catch up with the vast numbers of people now visiting Gaia House each year, and help us increase accessibility. We will take all possible care to minimise disruption by scheduling noisier work to take place between retreats. However, there may be some noise at Gaia House during this time.

Cancellation terms & conditions

If you find it necessary to cancel your booking because of a positive covid-19 test, a full refund will be available. Please note this does not include any travel costs you may have incurred. In all other circumstances, our standard cancellation terms and conditions apply. If there is an outbreak of covid within the residential staff community, the retreat may be closed early, however, a refund will be offered for the remaining days of the retreat if this occurs.

 

Well-being guidelines - please click here to read before booking