Program of Retreats

April to September 2008

11 - 13 April	OPEN Weekend
18 - 20 April	AWAKENING TO SELF, OTHERS & SPIRIT - Rene Stevenson A retreat for women R680
25 - 27 April	TENDING & CLEARING SPACES Maren Bodenstein & Mervyn Croft A weekend of gardening and weeding No Charge
30 April - 4 May 4-days	INSIGHT MEDITATION - Mervyn Croft Seeing into the nature of our mind R1200
9 - 11 May	CLOSED
16 - 18 May	THE PEN AND THE SWORD - Eddie Jardine A Tai Chi retreat with calligraphy and sword R650
23 - 25 May	OPEN Weekend
30 May - 1 June	THE IMMENSITY OF THE MAGALIESBERG - Vincent Carruthers Listening to the stories told by the mountain R650
6 - 8 June	OPEN Weekend
13 - 16 June 3-days	I WANT IT ALL & I WANT IT NOW John Strydom/Mervyn Croft Living simply in a materialist world R900
20 - 22 June	OPEN Weekend
27 - 29 June	IN SEARCH OF INTEGRATION & WHOLENESS - Sharon Benatar Exploring and creating Mandalas R650
4 - 6 July	OPEN Weekend
11 - 13 July	WHO DIES? - Mervyn Croft Facing our death: Making friends with life R600
18 - 20 July	OPEN Weekend
25 - 27 July	A GLIMPSE OF THE INFINITE - Ann Cameron & Moyra Keane Exploring the vastness of space and the natural environment R650
1 - 3 August	OPEN Weekend
8 - 10 August	WALKING THE BUDDHIST PATH - Mervyn Croft Deepening our understanding of the Buddhist teachings R600
15 - 17 August	OPEN Weekend
22 - 24 August	DRAWING THE INSIDE OUT - Gill McDowell Freeing our creativity through drawing R650
29 - 31 August	OPEN Weekend
5 - 7 September	QUIET YOGA FOR BUSY LIVES - Monica Fairall Finding balance for body and mind R680
12 - 14 September	OPEN Weekend
19 - 21 September	A SOFT STRONG HEART - Annie Leatt Living through fear with kindness R650

AWAKENING TO SELF, OTHERS AND SPIRIT

A retreat for women

Rene Stevenson

April 18 - 20 Weekend ~ R680

"In befriending ourselves, we make space in our hearts for others; in loving others, we come to know ourselves."

This workshop explores how, as women, we dance with life - how we connect with ourselves and others, our earth and what we love, and value. We will journey inward, to deepen self awareness and self-acceptance, spend time alone and in nature, and explore together the expression of our unique voices and visions, our creativity and aliveness. Our mediums for this adventure will be silence, myth, movement, clay, writing, mindfulness exercises and conversation as we unfold what it means to live awake in each moment, express ourselves with integrity and connect with intimacy. The retreat is held in a spirit of loving-kindness and contemplation, and draws on Buddhism, Jungian psychology, poetry and images of the archetypal Feminine.

CLEARING SPACES

A weekend of gardening and weeding

Maren Bodenstein & Mervyn Croft

April 25 - 27 Weekend ~ No Charge

Over the past five years, the 1-hour work period after breakfast has brought about a huge transformation at Emoyeni. In the early days it was clearing up scrap metal, hundreds of metres of barbed wire and piles of klipdrif bottles. Next was the head-high fields of kharkibos and blackjacks, and establishing the vegetable garden. Our focus this year will be on meditative tending and weeding. Amongst the weeds that we wish to tackle are the invasive Lantana bushes which are increasing their numbers in our beautiful bushveld environment. They have thorny stems and tasty berries which the birds distribute far and wide.

Many retreatants have enjoyed these work periods and we often get suggestions that Emoyeni hold a working weekend. This is it! We will be spending the mornings mindfully gardening and in the afternoon will take a gentle stroll up the slopes of the Magaliesberg. There will also be periods of meditation practice. Here is a chance to get out of the city and ground yourself in some lovely sweaty, mindful weeding!

INSIGHT MEDITATION

Seeing into the nature of our mind

Mervyn Croft

April 30 - May 4 4-days ~ R1200

A four-day Vipassana or Insight Meditation retreat gives us the opportunity to develop and deepen our practice. Within the framework of silence, we will be able to explore the three central practices of Buddhist meditation: calming the mind, training in mindfulness and developing insight through inquiry. We will investigate the question “Who am I” in our meditation practice and see how this inquiry provides the key to freeing ourselves from a narrow, self-centered way of living in the world.

There will be an emphasis on practising within an atmosphere of openness, kindness and acceptance. By bringing a quiet sense of humour into all aspects of our meditation we can learn to practice in a relaxed and natural way. There will be evening discussions and time to walk and reflect in nature.

THE PEN AND THE SWORD

A Tai Chi retreat with calligraphy and sword

Eddie Jardine

May 16 - 18 Weekend ~ R650

Tai Chi Ch'uan is an ancient Chinese system of exercise that helps to bring the mind and body into harmony. Its slow and graceful movements can show us how to live a healthier and more tranquil life. This workshop combines the short, delicate strokes of the calligraphy brush with the expansive movement of the sword to help us explore the principles of yin and yang.

THE IMMENSITY OF THE MAGALIESBERG

Listening to the stories told by the mountain

Vincent Carruthers

May 30 - June 1 Weekend ~ R650

“The Magaliesberg, almost 100 times older the Everest, has near the top of its long ridge, large corrugated slabs of rock which are fragments of a fossilised shoreline rippled by a tide that ebbed more than 2000 million years ago in…... Here is a mountain range which has witnessed the whole span of life on earth from the first plants and the first creatures.” James Clarke in his foreword to The Magaliesberg by Vincent Carruthers.

On this retreat we will drive up the mountain and walk on the high ground. We will discuss how the Magaliesberg was formed, the immense age of the rocks and the forces that created them, the impact that their shape and structure has had on the flow of water and the development of life. Later we will walk on the lower slopes and discuss the natural history, the extraordinary diversity of life and the power that nature has to restore itself. In addition we will explore the role of humans in the Magaliesberg, the marks they have left and the ways in which the mountains impact on human life and vice versa.

In our meditation practice we will reflect on the immensity of the story these rocks can tell, and how this story helps us to put into perspective our personal dramas and to see how easily we complicate our lives by holding tightly onto a self-centred view of engaging with the world.

I WANT IT ALL & I WANT IT NOW

Living simply in a materialist world

John Strydom & Mervyn Croft

June 13 - 16 3-days ~ R900

The title of this retreat is based on a luxury car advertisement which ran a few years ago. “I want it all and I want it now“ is an evocative statement of the materialist worldview that we live in. The Buddha used the metaphor of Mara, the tempter, who holds out to us the lures of power, romance and money as the route to happiness. The question is whether we take the bait, or do we look for an alternative path that equips us with a more grounded and simpler way of living in the world. The Buddhist teachings help us to understand that while the temptations of Mara appear in the world, they are truly in the mind, where Mara poisonously whispers, “Are you good enough? Do you have enough? Just get this then you will be happy”.

In this retreat we will explore the many guises of grasping and self-doubt, which, when we face them clearly, help us to cut more effectively through the seemingly endless series of choices and needs with which we are confronted. This process helps us to become more at ease and accepting of what we are.

IN SEARCH OF INTEGRATION AND WHOLENESS

Exploring and creating Mandalas

Sharon Benatar

June 27 - 29 Weekend ~ R650

“The vegetative universe opens like a flower

From the earth's centre

In which is Eternity…..” William Blake

In Sanskrit, “mandala” literally means circle and centre, and its traditional design often uses a circular design (the circle being a symbol of the cosmos in its entirety) that radiates from the centre outwards.

“Wherever you are is the entry point” (Kabir).

The mandala has healing, meditative and integrative potentials. We will create some “personal” and “universal” mandalas, exploring themes of balance, rhythms and patterns, on our journey towards wholeness and integration. We will draw on the mediums of nature, art materials, poetry, deep guided relaxations and “quiet” moments to guide us on this inner and outer journey.

You only need to be able to hold a paint brush to participate !

Wear comfortable clothing you can relax, paint and play in.

WHO DIES?

Facing our death: Making friends with life

Mervyn Croft

July 11 - 13 Weekend ~ R600

Generally we do not like to talk about death. Whenever the subject is raised we tend to feel uncomfortable. After all, it is a disturbing reminder of our own mortality! And yet, it is just this discomfort that makes a healthy and robust reflection on death so full of potential. It wakes us up to the fact that life is short and can end at any time. It challenges us to question what we are doing with our lives, and to confront the central questions of our existence, which we avoid so skillfully. … What am I doing here? … Is there any purpose?

What is truly remarkable, as we come to make friends with death, is that we naturally also come to make friends with life. We can explore what it means to live and to love well.

A GLIMPSE OF THE INFINITE

Exploring the vastness of space

and the natural environment around Emoyeni

Ann Cameron & Moyra Keane

July 25 - 27 Weekend ~ R650

On this retreat we will have the opportunity to get in touch with sky and earth and plants and ourselves. We will learn the basics about the life cycle of stars and our solar backyard, as well as the environment around Emoyeni. At the same time we will explore how the contemplation of this vastness can help us to gain perspective on our lives and be less caught up in our daily drama.

This will be a social, gentle, hopefully fun introduction to our natural world both inside and out. Bring along a pair of binoculars for looking at the night sky.

WALKING THE BUDDHIST PATH

Deepening our understanding of the Buddhist teachings

Mervyn Croft

August 8 - 10 Weekend ~ R600

The Buddha's teaching is extraordinary in that he was able to convey the most profound truths in a way that are so straightforward and direct and easily understood. And yet as we begin to explore these teachings a bit deeper they open us up to a transformation …. We begin to glimpse the chasm that exists between having an intellectual understanding of some aspect of reality and a deep unshakeable realisation of that truth deep within oneself. During the retreat we will investigate some key Buddhist insights, and see how they point the way to living with more wisdom and compassion towards others.

DRAWING THE INSIDE OUT

Freeing our creativity through drawing

Gill McDowell

August 22- 24 Weekend ~ R650

Drawing is a learnable skill that requires basic hand-eye motor skills and simple tools. This workshop is aimed at those who would like to learn the basics of drawing and to widen their appreciation of this ancient craft. It is based on a series of practical activities that will build up a repertoire of perceptual skills that have been practiced by artists through the ages. We'll explore the art of drawing as a means of expressing ordinary life, and how extraordinary this personal experience can be.

QUIET YOGA FOR BUSY LIVES

Finding balance for body and mind

Monica Fairall

September 5 - 7 Weekend ~ R680

Coping with the pace and pressure of modern living requires us to change rhythm, to slow down, to value subtlety and calm - and the ancient path of hatha yoga still offers a powerful means to do this. Combining breathing, stretching and relaxation with mental focus can release tension and transform body biochemistry - and bring us into the here and now with benefits that ripple through mind, body and spirit. This retreat is suitable for yoga beginners and blends gentle practice with meditation and opportunities to discuss and reflect on the mind-body connection. Bring loose comfortable clothes - and a yoga mat if you have one.

A SOFT STRONG HEART

Living through fear with kindness

Annie Leatt

September 19 - 21 Weekend ~ R650

Nearly 2500 years ago, some of the Buddha's monks were terrified to live and practice in a forest full of bandits and demons. They approached the Buddha for help, and he taught them the metta bhavana or `loving kindness' meditation to transform themselves and their environment.

How are we to live with our fear and insecurity, our bandits and demons? This weekend retreat will explore basic Buddhist teachings that help make sense of fear, and we will learn this gentle and powerful metta bhavana meditation practice. The programme will include meditation practice, talks, walks and the peaceful silence of Emoyeni.