Imagine being able to meet the world with love, no matter what life throws at us. To actually live with the intention of love towards everything, be it joy, sorrow, or the whole mix in the show of life. 

The Brahma Viharas are a set of meditation practices that invite us to engage with this territory of love in the most optimistic and hopeful way and give us clear guidance on how to cultivate not only love, but also compassion, joy and equanimity. 

Giving very practical instructions on how to work with love in all aspects of life, from what to do when we encounter suffering, to how to deal with success and joy, they also point out how we can live in a way that is less bound up with our ego-driven motives and instead go beyond likes and dislikes by dwelling in equanimity, making possible a freedom of heart we could only dream of before.

We will work with embodiment in our meditation practice and what it actually means to experience ourselves as humans, cultivating a curious and interested attention to being alive which then allows us to deeply engage with the Brahma Viharas and to open to wisdom and insight. 

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. 

“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. 

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. 

These retreats combine introductory meditation teaching with a blend of traditional yoga and contemporary approaches to embodied movement. This playful synthesis of body based approaches to wellbeing (through meditation and movement) in the peaceful and beautiful environment of the retreat can help restore physical and mental vitality and balance in our lives. 

We will cover an introduction to two traditional Buddhist meditations as well as give a solid introduction to the principles of meditation. We will also be exploring some traditional Buddhist teachings to get a flavour of how these might be relevant to our modern lives. 

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

For more information read the retreat information sheet. 

In essence, ‘simply being’ evokes the effortless flow of embodied presence. Presence is this ‘timeless moment’, where there is no observer nor observed, no subject or object. It is always unconditionally ‘here’. Yet, we remain ignorant of it owing to the deep conditioning of our self-narratives. Nevertheless, it is what we are and we can never depart from it. 

The mind cannot grasp presence - it is our mind-identification which covers it up. It is not any-thing, so it can only be evoked by terms like ‘suchness’, ‘just this’ or ‘no-mind’. Yet, it is utterly simple and direct, vibrantly awake and alive, and intimately, always, here. 

Discovering and resting in presence, there is a lightness of touch and being. Over time, our self-stories, conditionings and painful emotions begin to lose traction and can increasingly be seen and known directly as like phantoms, illusions or dreams – without any true substance. With this, we wake up to the freedom which is our birthright. 

This retreat is suitable for people with at least six months regular meditation practice and who have attended at least one full weeks retreat before.

For more information, read the retreat information sheet. 

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 unsupported 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 brief guide. 

Nature is for many of us a vital source of spiritual nourishment in an increasingly busy world. On these retreats, we will combine traditional Buddhist teachings with the simple practice of spending time walking in the rich and beautiful landscapes that surround Dhanakosa. 

We will cover an introduction to two traditional Buddhist meditations: the mindfulness of breathing and the development of loving kindness (Metta Bhavana), as well as a solid introduction to the principles of meditation. We will also be exploring some of the broader aspects of traditional Buddhism to get a flavour of how these might be relevant to our modern lives. But, perhaps most of all, we will be enjoying a reflective and companionable week in the richness and beauty of nature. Exploring how our connection with the natural
world supports us to be more fully ourselves. 

The retreat will include three days of guided walks, spread throughout the week. We will normally offer three walks on each of these days to suit a range of levels of fitness and experience. All walks are in the local area but some require a short drive to get to the starting point. For more information on the walks, recommended fitness levels and the appropriate clothing and footwear to bring, please read the retreat information sheet. 

These retreats are suitable for complete beginners to meditation, and those who already have some experience.

A film-maker, Hartley Woolf, will be joining this retreat, to create a short film about the experience of a Dhanakosa retreat. You are welcome to choose not to be filmed. See Hartley's work for Alfoxton retreat centre here.

A precious opportunity to practice meditation, build community and cultivate joy with other LGBTQ+ folks. 

How do we face our life fully? Where do we find the courage to turn towards ourselves and others, the fullness of our lives, the negative as well as the positive? When we deeply inhabit the space of our body, both somatic and energetic, it gives us a resource from which to walk through life more easefully, freely and joyfully. 

On this retreat, we will use different methods to help us find the support to witness and engage with ourselves, and others, with love, kindness, courage, and joy. Alongside meditations focusing on breath, body and heart, we will introduce exercises focused on the energy centres that lead to an increasing awareness of our energetic/somatic body. This helps to build resources both inner, outer and higher to help us find the ground of our “being-ness”. From this ground we can courageously meet life, and see the deeper truths of reality. We also incorporate working in healing circles which is a practice of deep listening, and speaking, and allows for connection and healing, and serves as an interpersonal meditation practice. 

This retreat is suitable for people with at least six months regular meditation practice and who have attended at least one full week's retreat before.

For more information, read the retreat information sheet. 

Qi Gong is rapidly growing in popularity as a practice which helps to generate more energy and vitality; promotes self-healing and inner harmony; and can improve levels of health considerably. Many people benefit from having a movement practice to accompany and support their sitting meditation practice. Meditation is an integral component of Qi Gong, and they complement each other beautifully.

This retreat offers us the chance to deepen into our experience of both practices using the breath and focused awareness to more fully experience our connection with ourselves and others in the natural beauty and healing environment that is Dhanakosa.

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. 

A retreat for people who are part of the Scottish Sangha, who attend one of the Triratna groups or centres in Scotland. 

This year's theme is 'The Subtle Vajra'. Devotional practice, meditation, reflection and sangha will come together this weekend as we explore this year’s theme of Right Effort. Through talks, meditations, ritual and communication, we will be taking a fresh look at this well-known Buddhist teaching.