Awakening and Opening the Heart: A 5-Day Silent Retreat

Our motivation to relieve suffering, deepen our meditation practice, and offer ourselves to the world in ways that may increase well-being and human flourishing means that we have before us a great challenge: the embodiment of these intentions. This is a lifetime labor, necessitating our willingness to be completely undone and transformed through constant intimacy with suffering and sorrow, joy, beauty, and love.

Four decades into the adventure of integrating meditation and mindfulness into mainstream medicine, healthcare, and the broader society, makes resoundingly clear that the most vital work of human beings is to become apprentices of the heart. Fierce and tender, fiery and loving, training in the awakening and opening of the heart is what is called for if we choose to serve in this difficult and beautiful world.

Mercifully, we are not alone in this labor of love. In the company of heartfelt companions, the retreat is structured to support you as we join in a daily schedule of sitting and walking meditation, yoga and movement, morning and evening talks, and group and/or individual practice meetings. Embedded in silence and infused with the spirit of befriending, this retreat is an invitation for you to become intimate with your heart and make it accessible and vibrant in your daily life and work.

This retreat is open to all with prior meditation experience. Attendance for the entire retreat is a prerequisite for participation.  This retreat is approved as one of four required silent retreats within the MBSR professional teacher training path at the Danish Center for Mindfulness, Aarhus University.

Due to the intensity of the daily schedule, we ask all participants to book accommodation in Nørre Snede or close to Nørre Snede. Find a list of accommodation here: https://vaekstcenteret.dk/logi/

Food: Includes tea, fruit, lunch and dinner. All meals are vegetarian. During the retreat, all participants will be assigned a few practical tasks (karma yoga) in the kitchen. Please bring your own breakfast as this is not included. There will be tea, cow’s milk and plant milk as well as fruit in addition to what you bring for your own breakfast.

During this retreat translation into Danish language will be provided when needed.

This retreat will have a maximum of 30 people. Please bring your own meditation cushion.

Daily schedule – slight changes may occur

Tuesday October 3

19:30     Evening program

Wednesday October 4 – Saturday October 7

06:30     Early Morning Practice

08:00     Breakfast

09:30     Morning Session

                Guidance and practice instructions. Questions and comments

12:00     Lunch + helping in the kitchen

15:00     Afternoon Session

16:00     Tea/Walking

16:30     Afternoon Session continued

18:30     Dinner + helping in the kitchen

20:00    Evening Session

                Dharma Talk/Sit

21:30     Good night

Sunday October 8

06:30    Early Morning Practice

08:00    Breakfast

09:30     Morning Session

12:00     Closure/Goodbye

12:15-13:30   Lunch + helping in the kitchen

Undervisere: