Qi Gong is a practice which can help generate more energy and vitality - supporting well-being, balance and ease. Meditation is an integral part of Qi Gong and the two practices complement each other beautifully and can offer an experience of deeper connection with ourselves, others and the natural world. 

We will spend time practicing Qi Gong on the loch-shore and in the grounds and woodlands surrounding Dhanakosa, learning a sequence of movements which you can continue to practice at home after the retreat. 

The meditation teaching will introduce an embodied approach to practices of breath awareness and the cultivation of loving-kindness. We will also explore some traditional Buddhist teachings to get a sense of how these might be relevant in modern life. 

This retreat is suitable for complete beginners to meditation and Qi Gong as well as those who already have some experience. For more information, read the retreat information sheet. 

Are you new to Dhanakosa? Watch our short film to get a sense of the centre, landscape and what it's like being on retreat here. 

There are no single rooms available on this retreat.

“If you can live in your body and not reject any of it, then you will be guided in discovery of your own wisdom and Nature’s wisdom, guided into this vast, awesome field of spacious Presence” (Ed McMahon, Founder of Bio-Spiritual Focusing)

Combining meditation with the process of Focusing, this retreat explores a way of living from an embodied sense of Presence. 

In the 1960’s Eugene Gendlin coined the term ‘Focusing’ to give expression to an innate way of being, along with a practice to re-kindle this natural process.  In essence, the process of Focusing offers a way of compassionately listening to our lived experience.  Through the timeless, sacred act of listening, we give space for the body’s wisdom to be known and creative new life to unfold. 

Guidance in the Focusing process will be offered. As it can be amazingly supportive to have another person ‘companioning us’, we will also be practicing Focusing in pairs. Exploring how Focusing can enrich our Dharma practice will be a central element of the week.

The retreat is suitable for people who have been on retreat before and have a regular meditation practice. For more information, read the retreat information sheet. 

To find out more about Focusing, visit the British Focusing Association - recommended before booking if Focusing is new to you. 

There are no single rooms available on this retreat.

This is an intensive retreat following the popular total immersion format. Two weeks of silence and meditation – a chance to take a deep dive into your experience, to savour it and explore its true nature. 

Paramananda says: “My approach to meditation is increasingly based in trying to break down the separation we feel between our ‘heads’ and our ‘bodies’, our thoughts and our feelings. I believe that as meditators we need to relax in a profound sense. Relax into our experience of being embodied and in relationship with one another and the world. I want people to have a deeper experience of ‘being’, being themselves and being in the world. So we will be emphasising our direct experience of sitting together in the world. My hope is that we will create together a sense of ‘sangha’ where we feel mutually supported by one another and at ‘home’ in the world.”

This retreat is open to people who have been on retreat before and have a regular meditation practice. These retreat will be conducted mostly in silence, and will normally have between 5 and 7 hours a day of sitting meditation.

For more information, read the retreat information sheet. 

There are no single rooms available on this retreat.

A new 5 night version of this popular retreat - start your year with a nourishing mix of movement and meditation, connecting with yourself and others in the winter landscape of Balquhidder Glen. 

The retreat combines introductory meditation teaching with a blend of traditional yoga and contemporary approaches to embodied movement. This playful synthesis of body-based approaches to well-being in the peaceful and supportive environment of the retreat can help you find ease and balance in your life. 

We will introduce two traditional Buddhist meditations and offer a solid introduction to the principles of meditation, giving you tools and practices that you can continue at home. We will also explore some traditional Buddhist teachings to get a sense of how these might be relevant in modern life. 

No previous experience of meditation, yoga or embodied movement is assumed, so these retreats are suitable for complete beginners, and they are also a good refresher for those who already have some experience. For more information, read the retreat information sheet. 

There are no single rooms available on this retreat.

These popular retreats offer a nourishing mix of movement and meditation, giving time to connect with yourself and to experience community with others, all held in the beautiful landscape of Balquhidder Glen. 

The retreat combines introductory meditation teaching with a blend of traditional yoga and contemporary approaches to embodied movement. This playful synthesis of body-based approaches to well-being in the peaceful and supportive environment of the retreat can help you find ease and balance in your life. 

We will introduce two traditional Buddhist meditations and offer a solid introduction to the principles of meditation, giving you tools and practices that you can continue at home. We will also explore some traditional Buddhist teachings to get a sense of how these might be relevant in modern life. 

No previous experience of meditation, yoga or embodied movement is assumed, so these retreats are suitable for complete beginners, and they are also a good refresher for those who already have some experience.

For more information, read the retreat information sheet. 

There are no single rooms available on this retreat.

This retreat will take a playful approach to reconnecting with the body through the elemental experience of water and through movement. Each day we will have the opportunity for several swims in the local lochs and rivers as well as other explorations of water and wet places. 

We will have daily guided movement sessions to support embodiment and connection. There will also be introductory meditation teaching, daily collective meditation practice, and a practical contemporary look at some traditional Buddhist teachings. 

Swim activities will include lifeguard supported bank-based activities, swim trips (for more experienced swimmers) and the opportunity for un-supported personal swimming. There may also be the opportunity to walk by water and explore local burns and waterfalls.

For more information, including swimming ability and wetsuit requirement, please read the retreat information sheet before booking. For more detail about wetsuits, read our guide. 

This retreat will take an embodied approach to the traditional Buddhist teaching of the four foundations of mindfulness – of body, feelings, thoughts and awareness – known as the Sattipatthana.  

We’ll practice slowing down and sensing into the subtle details of arising experience in movement and meditation, weaving between and combining these two aspects of practice – movement and stillness – to explore and deepen qualities of presence and aliveness.

Developing mindfulness of these aspects of unfolding experience grows our ability to embrace life fully – the painful and the beautiful – and to loosen fixed or limiting views of ourselves and others. 

The dance sessions will usually be with music and will involve guided exploration, exercises and time to follow your own experience in movement. No experience of dance or movement is required, only a willingness to explore your experience of movement in the body you are living in. For more information, read the retreat information sheet.

This is a Going Deeper retreat, for people who have done an introductory retreat or have been attending a local Buddhist centre and are familiar with the Metta Bhavana and Mindfulness of Breathing meditation practices. 

Qi Gong is a practice which can help generate more energy and vitality - supporting well-being, balance and ease. Meditation is an integral part of Qi Gong and the two practices complement each other beautifully and can offer an experience of deeper connection with ourselves, others and the natural world. 

We will spend time practicing Qi Gong on the loch-shore and in the grounds and woodlands surrounding Dhanakosa, learning a sequence of movements which you can continue to practice at home after the retreat. 

The meditation teaching will introduce an embodied approach to practices of breath awareness and the cultivation of loving-kindness. We will also explore some traditional Buddhist teachings to get a sense of how these might be relevant in modern life. 

This retreat is suitable for complete beginners to meditation and Qi Gong as well as those who already have some experience. For more information, read the retreat information sheet. 

Are you new to Dhanakosa? Watch our short film to get a sense of the centre, landscape and what it's like being on retreat here. 

“If you can live in your body and not reject any of it, then you will be guided in discovery of your own wisdom and Nature’s wisdom, guided into this vast, awesome field of spacious Presence” (Ed McMahon, Founder of Bio-Spiritual Focusing)

Combining meditation with the process of Focusing, this retreat explores a way of living from an embodied sense of Presence. 

In the 1960’s Eugene Gendlin coined the term ‘Focusing’ to give expression to an innate way of being, along with a practice to re-kindle this natural process.  In essence, the process of Focusing offers a way of compassionately listening to our lived experience.  Through the timeless, sacred act of listening, we give space for the body’s wisdom to be known and creative new life to unfold. 

Guidance in the Focusing process will be offered. As it can be amazingly supportive to have another person ‘companioning us’, we will also be practicing Focusing in pairs. Exploring how Focusing can enrich our Dharma practice will be a central element of the week.

The retreat is suitable for people who have been on retreat before and have a regular meditation practice. For more information, read the retreat information sheet and to find out more about Focusing, visit the British Focusing Association. 

This is an intensive retreat following the popular total immersion format. Two weeks of silence and meditation – a chance to take a deep dive into your experience, to savour it and explore its true nature. 

Paramananda says: “My approach to meditation is increasingly based in trying to break down the separation we feel between our ‘heads’ and our ‘bodies’, our thoughts and our feelings. I believe that as meditators we need to relax in a profound sense. Relax into our experience of being embodied and in relationship with one another and the world. I want people to have a deeper experience of ‘being’, being themselves and being in the world. So we will be emphasising our direct experience of sitting together in the world. My hope is that we will create together a sense of ‘sangha’ where we feel mutually supported by one another and at ‘home’ in the world.”

This retreat is open to people who have been on retreat before and have a regular meditation practice. These retreat will be conducted mostly in silence, and will normally have between 5 and 7 hours a day of sitting meditation.

For more information, read the retreat information sheet.