A new winter version of our popular nature and walking retreats. The landscape of the glen in winter, bare and dramatic, has an elemental beauty and you'll experience how connection with nature and landscape can support a more embodied and easeful approach to life. 

The retreat offers nature awareness practices and reflections to encourage a deepening relationship with the natural world, combined with guided walking in the landscapes around Dhanakosa. You'll also learn two traditional Buddhist meditations, giving you tools and practices that you can continue at home. We will also explore some Buddhist teachings to get a sense of how these might be relevant in modern life. 

The retreat will include three days of guided walks, spread throughout the week. We will normally offer different 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. 

An introductory retreat - no previous experience of meditation is assumed - the retreat is suitable for complete beginners, and can also be a good refresher for those who already have some meditation experience.

Come to Dhanakosa as the glen turns to autumn and experience how connection with nature, landscape and the elements can support a more embodied and easeful approach to life. 

The retreat offers nature awareness practices and reflections to encourage a deepening relationship with the natural world, combined with guided walking in the landscapes around Dhanakosa. You'll also learn two traditional Buddhist meditations, giving you tools and practices that you can continue at home. We will also explore some Buddhist teachings to get a sense of how these might be relevant in modern life. 

The retreat will include three days of guided walks, spread throughout the week. We will normally offer different 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. 

An introductory retreat - no previous experience of meditation is assumed - the retreat is suitable for complete beginners, and can also be a good refresher for those who already have some meditation experience.

Time spent in nature can be deeply restorative - re-connecting us to ourselves and to a sense of wonder and peace in this often busy world. This retreat combines guided walking in the landscapes around Dhanakosa with introductory meditation teaching and plenty of time to rest and just be, away from the pressures of everyday 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. 

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. 

An introductory retreat - no previous experience of meditation is assumed - the retreat is suitable for complete beginners, and can also be a good refresher for those who already have some meditation experience.

Where do we turn when we come up against difficulties in life?

In the space of this retreat, we will be learning about the preliminary practices of reflection on what are called the 4 mind turning verses. The subjects of these four reflections can bring us into a direct relationship with: the deeply precious opportunity afforded by our human life; the truth of death and impermanence; karma, or the fact that our actions have consequences for ourselves and others; and the many disadvantages of this conditioned, dissatisfactory, worldly existence.

All of these might be called ‘the facts of life’ from the Buddhist perspective. They are wake-up calls, jolts to our complacency, articulations of the troubling voice of reality as it impacts on our immediate experience. As we go through them we are saying to ourselves, ``Remember, reflect, wake up to the truth, turn your heart towards freedom!”

We’ll explore these reflections with guided meditations, short talks and discussions. No previous experience of meditation or Buddhism is assumed, so this retreat is suitable for complete beginners as well as being a good refresher for people with some experience. For more information, read the retreat information sheet. 

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.