*** Please note – this retreat is now fully booked ***

If you wish to go on a waitlist , please contact the Course Manager: Mark Schrader – schrader.mark@gmail.com

Beginning Now! An Introductory Meditation Retreat

Thurs 7 January (5pm) to Tues 12 January 2021 (2pm)

Where do I start?
I’ve never done a retreat before.
There is so much going on in the world. How can meditation really help me and others?
I wish my busy mind could be more quiet and calm.
Silent for 5 days- how could anyone do that?

Want to learn to meditate? Perhaps you’ve tried and need some more skills as well as some extra encouragement? Or possibly, you wish to deepen your practice and simply drop into 5 days of meditation. If this sounds like you, then this retreat will support you to explore this.

For those new to meditation, it builds your confidence and offers answers to those questions you think everyone else knows the answer to. For those with experience, it provides an overview, context and a bunch of skilful tools that will enhance your practice and support any further retreats that you may attend in the future.

Together we will study and practice the meditation on breathing, one of the oldest and most effective practices, and one that was taught by the Buddha. It is a rich meditation that supports our experience of inter-connectedness with all of life by developing focus, calm and clarity of mind. It is designed to lead people from wherever they are, wherever they begin, to the full experience of healing and freedom made possible through meditation.

The week is predominantly silent and offers you the opportunity to learn, strengthen and enliven your individual practice of the breathing meditation. To support the deepening of practice participants will also be guided in gentle movement classes as a group, bringing relaxation and ease to body and mind. There will be opportunities for sharing and questions as well as time for individual practice; including space to enjoy just ‘being’ at the Wangapeka Centre – a truly beautiful environment.

This retreat will start you on a practical path designed for those who aspire to live in the world more wisely and compassionately. The facilitators of the course, Chani Grieve Kath Mitchell and Mark Schrader, are all experienced meditators who bring their enthusiasm, creativity, care and skills to this retreat.

Costs

Course fee – this includes food, accommodation and a resource fee
Non-members – $475 plus dana/koha
Members – $425 plus dana/koha
Camping option – $375 non-members / $360 members plus dana/koha

The Teachings are offered freely although you are invited to offer the facilitators dana/koha.
For more information contact the Course Manager – Mark Schrader: schrader.mark@gmail.com

About Chani, Kath & Mark

Chani has been a dedicated practitioner of meditation and body-centred modalities for over 15 years, sharing her experience since 2012. She graduated from the 4-year Feldenkrais Professional Training Program in Melbourne in 2013, and began to weave movement and meditation to utilise the power of working with the body to awaken our innate freedom. She works as a Feldenkrais Practitioner and Community Support Worker in Nelson, and maintains a committed personal practice under the guidance of her principal teacher Bonni Ross. Chani enjoys the collaborative approach to teaching that this retreat offers, as it celebrates the wisdom of the group and enriches the experience for all involved.

Kath has been studying Dharma for 28 years, and completed her first meditation retreat with Tarchin Hearn in 1990. She has studied with Bonni Ross over twenty years and continues to cherish this precious opportunity. She and her husband Mark share a deep commitment in the Dharma and have been practicing together for 25 years. Kath teaches meditation in a collaborative style. She offers courses and retreats regularly at Wangapeka and in Nelson. She loves to practice Dharma in community because the wisdom of the group is a powerful and beautiful path to transformation; and that’s a joy to witness and experience together!

Mark has appreciated co-facilitating Community Courses at Wangapeka Study and Retreat Centre, the introductory meditation retreats – Beginning Now & Don’t Just do something- sit there, and the Compassionate Relating course. He has an extensive background in meditation and has had a regular daily practice for many years. Mark has a respectful style of teaching that encourages each person to touch into their own inherent wisdom. He teaches with humour and kindness. He began working in the field of Mental Health about 20 years ago and currently works as a counsellor in Nelson.

Registration

To register please fill out our online registration form

Register now

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*Please consider becoming a Wangapeka member – click here for details.