5-day Secular Silent teacher-lead Mindfulness MBSR Retreat.

This silent retreat is specifically designed to meet the good practise guidelines for Mindfulness teachers on the teacher training pathway and is also highly suitable for more experienced teachers wishing to deepen their connection to the core underpinnings of mindfulness as it is taught in the eight-week course. It is also suitable for those who have taken an 8-week mindfulness course and who wish to deepen their practice. No previous retreat experience is required as full teacher support is available.

The theme for this retreat is Investigating The Ānāpānasati Sutta, “Breath-Mindfulness Discourse,” and will be led by Bodhin Philip Woodward.

IN-PERSON AND ONLINE (HYBRID) RETREAT, LIVE PARTICIPATION.
29th May – 2nd June 2024

Wednesday 29th May at 18.00h CET – Sunday 2nd June at 20.00h, 5 days

The In-Person retreat will finish after breakfast on the 3rd of June at 10.00h

Price Online: 330€,
Price In-person 840€

THE THEME:
Investigating the “Mindfulness of Breath” as expressed within the Ānāpānasati Sutta. Whilst having their roots in Buddhist psychology, the themes and explorations will be presented in terms of secular mindfulness programmes such as MBSR and MBCT.

The Ānāpānasati Sutta, “Breath-Mindfulness Discourse,” is a discourse that details the instruction on using awareness of the breath (anapana) as an initial focus for meditation.
The sutta includes sixteen steps of practice, and groups them into four tetrads, associating them with the four satipatthanas (placings of mindfulness).

We propose to complete the Retreat in 3 live sessions per day online, live and interactive, via the Zoom platform. You will need a stable internet connection and flexibility to create the space you need to engage fully with the programme.

THE PROGRAMME WILL BE AS FOLLOWS:
First day: Wednesday 29th May 18.00h – 20.00h

Then Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday:

8.00 Guided Mindfulness practice

9.00 Personal time for preparing and eating breakfast

10.30 Morning of guided Mindfulness practices, sitting meditations, mindful movement, body scan, mindful walking.

13.00 Time to prepare and have lunch followed by free time to rest

16.30 Gentle Mindful Yoga

18.00 Further Teacher Guided Mindfulness practice

20.00 Finish

Last day: Sunday 2nd June 08.00h – 20.00h

So finishing on Sunday 2nd June at 20.00

This teacher-led silent retreat offers a safe and supportive environment for experienced Meditators, Mindfulness Teacher Trainees and Established Teachers in which to deepen and extend secular mindfulness meditation practice. It provides an opportunity to deeply tune in to our inner processes, exploring the ways we react to experience and how we might practise kindness towards our moment to moment experience and cultivate wisdom.

In general, our retreats include meditation instruction and guided sessions of mindfulness meditation practice including mindful movement. We will be engaging in times of guided silent practise – sitting and walking meditations with sessions of Mindful Movement, Mindful walking and all combined with a spirit of Kindly Awareness. They provide a safe and nourishing environment for the cultivation of a deep and grounded mindfulness meditation practice.

SILENCE:
Silence is a main supportive feature of the retreat and we will be practising a warm friendly silence and, at all times, there will be the possibility to speak to the retreat leader or organisers should this be needed. There will also be an option to talk briefly with the retreat leader about your practice. The first evening we will be talking and getting to know each other, outlining the program etc. The last evening we will be breaking the silence and sharing aspects of the experience if we wish to.

Online Participation

Online participation shares much of the same conventions as ‘in-person’ participation: You are joining an immersive retreat and you will be as visible in the virtual classroom as you would be in-person. Our virtual classroom will use Zoom, a free video-conferencing tool that is the platform of choice for courses like this one. Zoom is very user friendly whatever your level of experience or comfort. Be assured – if you can click on a link then you can use this tool. Just as we have preparations to make to attend in-person retreats, there are preparations that we need to make in order to ensure we can maximise the immersive experience of this Retreat.

YOUR INSTRUCTORS:-
Bodhin Philip Woodward Bsc. SYT, CMT, Certified Mindfulness Teacher, MBSR Supervisor, and Senior Trainer, with more than 20 years experience in leading retreats, he is accomplished and skilled at creating a safe, supportive, and deeply engaging experiential learning environment. Bodhin is Founder and Director of Training for Mindful Academy Solterreno. He has been practising Mindfulness on a daily basis since 1985 and he has extensive experience of mindfulness practices and teaching. He runs Mindfulness Teacher Training programs, Train the Trainer programs and teaches Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Stress Reduction Approaches (MBCT/MBSR/MBAs) to help prevent relapse into depression and to manage stress and anxiety. He also meets the requirements of the Good Practice Guidelines for Trainers of Mindfulness-based Teachers published by the UK Network of Mindfulness-based Teacher Trainers

THESE RETREATS WILL OFTEN INCLUDE:
Periods of both guided and self-directed practice
Sustained periods of silence to enable participants to connect more fully with their inner experience
Time to practice mindfulness informally between the scheduled sessions
The teachers will be available to talk to people individually.
A core teaching intention for this retreat is to offer a structure and atmosphere within which we can deeply look into the experience with the freshness of beginner’s mind, enabling new insights and perspectives to emerge.

ARE RETREATS SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE?
Although our mindfulness retreats are suitable for most people, they are not suitable for everyone. Retreats can be quite intensive, and we do not advise attending a retreat if you are suffering from certain conditions or have had a traumatic event which is interfering with your everyday life. When filling out the application form for a retreat, we advise that you provide us with as much information as possible so that we can make sure the retreat you select is suitable for you.

TESTIMONIAL
I have attended two retreats at Solterreno so far and found both among the most valuable experiences I’ve ever had, with all aspects carefully designed to facilitate positive change. The content was rigorous and very clear; the teaching gentle, yet authentic and effective; the hikes in the mountains refreshing and reinvigorating; the nature life-affirming; and the silence of the place magical. It really is a space for healing and growth, and great care has been put in all details. Bodhin and the team are leading by example, something that I am particularly grateful for.

I have benefited greatly from the MBSR+yoga course, but I especially enjoyed the silent retreat, which I think is a rare chance to be ‘on your own, but not alone’, providing safe conditions for inner work and plenty of opportunity for reflection. I am also grateful for the amazing group of fellow meditators, from different parts of the world and at different points of our lives and practice, but all ultimately looking for a way to live more consciously and more in harmony, inner and outer. I left feeling infused with kindness, uplifted, inspired, and trusting the practice even more than before. And I have learned much about myself. Gratitude to all!

Best wishes,
Andreea

More testimonials
https://mbsr.website/testimonials

APPLICATION FORM
https://training.mbsr.website/silent-retreat-sign-up/