Rest and Renewal

Teachers

JAYA RUDGARD began meditating in the 1980s and practised for eight years as a nun in the Thai Forest tradition in England with Ven. Ajahn Sumedho as her teacher. She is a graduate of the IMS/Spirit Rock Teacher Training and teaches Insight Meditation and mindfulness in the UK and internationally. She also studies and teaches qigong.

Listen to one of Jaya Rudgard's Talks at Spirit Rock Meditation Center on 24.11.2015: Seeing Through the Net of Illusion (Duration 47:55)

NATHAN GLYDE has been practicing and studying meditation since 1997, and sharing teachings on retreats since 2007. In 2004 he co-founded SanghaSeva whose retreats emphasise wisdom and compassion in ecological and humanitarian service.

Listen to one of Nathan Glyde’s Talks given at Gaia House on 15.12.20: Anattā and Mettā (Duration 45:31)

 

SUMEDHA became interested in spiritual practice in her teens and, after studying Comparative Religion at university, practiced as a nun in the Thai Forest Tradition in the UK. After disrobing in 2010 she co-founded Ekuthuleni retreat place in France with Noon Baldwin, bringing together ecology, simple living and meditation.

Listen to one of Sumedha's talks given on the Rest and Renewal retreat at Gaia House January 2023: The Beauty of Renunciation, Aligning w Life (Nekkhamma Pāramī) (Duration 43:52)

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

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

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