Discovering Ordinary Magic - Shambhala Weekend Retreat

Open to beginners and experienced meditators alike. This weekend is in-person only.

“If we pause and breathe in and out, then we can have the experience of timeless presence, of the inexpressible wisdom and goodness of our own minds. We can look at the world with fresh eyes and hear things with fresh ears.” Pema Chödrön

This first weekend in the series of Shambhala teachings is an introduction to the good news: That we already have everything we need to live a fulfilling life regardless of all the challenges we face as individuals.

Meditation plays a part by bringing together body and mind in the present moment. Moments like this can be experienced as glimpses of ‘no struggle’ - that is, moments when we find ourselves relaxing into and trusting our own aliveness.

We can learn to relate to our own aliveness with appreciation, bringing peace and clarity through the practice of meditation. We will work on developing friendship with our mind, skill in how to work with difficulty, and a sense of humour - offering a healthy and sustaining alternative to the anxiety that often underlies our experience.

Feedback from recent courses:
"Loved the talks, and everyone was so open to each other’s opinions and experiences"

"Having done retreats before I consider this venue and organisation excellent and will definitely come again"

"I got all the answers I came for and am excited about my practice"

More info on the Shambhala Weekend Retreat Series

The Shambhala Teachings comprise a series of five successive weekends and have been with us for nearly half a century. Their success has a number of aspects. They offer a simple secular five-stage meditative path open to all, regardless of background or belief-system: Buddhist, Christian, atheist or undecided.

This path helps us understand our ordinary life on the analogy of a journey, starting with the understanding that we already have all that we need.  One source book is Chögyam Trungpa’s Shambhala : Sacred Path of the Warrior, which makes clear that the warriorship we develop here is not aggression, but is tied on the contrary to basic goodness, and to gentleness as well as fearlessness. This path introduces us to a peer-group or cohort of practitioners who can act as spiritual friends. Lastly these weekends provide an opportunity for us to relate with the older students who staff and teach the weekends.

This Shambhala teaching sequence is presented as 5 individual weekends. It is recommended that you participate in these programmes in order, if possible.

What each weekend involves:
•    Meditation Instruction
•    Time to Meditate
•    Talks
•    Discussion groups/pairs
•    One-on-one meetings
•    Regular breaks
•    Lunch and tea

If you have questions or would like to discuss in advance, please contact [email protected] 

Here is a video on the Shambhala Teachings and their relation to Buddhism. More info on the Shambhala Teachings Series aquí.

For further information please email: [email protected]

The Teachers

Vinita Joseph has been involved with Shambhala for over thirty years. She has enjoyed careers both as a family lawyer and as an academic in creative writing and brings this experience to her teaching within Shambhala. She has run meditation groups and courses for many years and currently works as a coach helping professionals lead more balanced lives. She lives with her wife in Whitstable.

Rachael Cheang has been meditating since 1997 and has studied with many different spiritual groups and Buddhist teachers. She first joined Shambhala in 2014 and is currently a trustee of the London Centre. She has an MSc. in Mindfulness and Compassion and has recently completed a PhD researching the effects of mindfulness for people with alexithymia and autism. En 2019, she had a systematic review published about the effects of mindfulness on empathy and compassion in children and adolescents. She is a British Association of Mindfulness-Based Approaches (BAMBA) registered teacher, a qualified Tai Chi instructor since 2013. She lives in Northampton with her husband and their four teenagers.

Términos y condiciones de pago
Regístrese y pague en su totalidad en el registro, Asegurando que haga clic en la opción de precio relevante para pasar a PayPal, donde también puede pagar con tarjeta de crédito/débito. Cancelación hasta 1 Semana antes de que el programa recibirá un reembolso completo, Después de eso habrá un £20 tarifa cobrada por cancelación hasta dos días antes, después de lo cual no se otorga reembolso.

La tarifa de registro de aves anticipadas de £100 está disponible hasta dos semanas antes, después de lo cual será la tarifa £120. Una tarifa de concesión de £60 is available for those earning below £25,000 per annum and a concession fee of £50 is available for those earning below £20,000.  Por favor contactar [email protected] to arrange a concession.