When we are busy judging people, we have no time to love them  -  Marshall Rosenberg

When interacting with others, we often find ourselves emotionally triggered and then we communicate in ways that hurt or harm - ourselves, the other, or the relationship between us. We have not learnt how to use mindful and authentic communication. The principles and practices we will explore on this retreat are drawn from Non-Violent Communication And Insight Dialogue, and held within a framework of yoga and mindfulness, in order to increase awareness, compassion and ease with ourselves and others. We will explore both intra-personal and inter-personal mindfulness in order to cultivate skills of empathy, compassion and a better understanding of self and other. Contemplative dyads are increasingly being taught in retreat settings as a way to promote social connectedness, something that we are often lacking in daily life where our time is dominated by digital devices. We will practise deep listening in this retreat setting, in order to learn skills that can increase feelings of closeness and strengthen relationships with our friends and partners. These practices will help us communicate with more presence of mind so that we learn to be aware of our feelings and needs and stay open to the feelings and needs of others.