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Preceding Day
Friday 12 April 2024
Following Day

  • Beginner's Mind, Quiet Mind: Meditation Instruction And Practice For Meaningful Daily Living

    Teacher: Tsunma Tsondru
    Cost: 4 days accommodation + R400 surcharge
    Dates:

    tsunma tsondruIt is important for us to take time out from the incessant demands and fast pace of daily life. The BRC gives us a space to step off the wheel and the time to come home to the quiet, strong refuge which lies at our centre. Cultivating the natural state of peace and ease that lies there reveals our true nature - which enables us to not only help ourselves, but to help the world of which we are part. Then daily living becomes meaningful. This mid-week retreat will bring out our Beginner’s Mind through the practice of meditation. The time will be silent, quiet, and slow. There will be meditation instruction and guidance, formal sitting, and time for walking, writing, or staring into the distance. The retreat is suitable for those with or without meditation experience and will be held in an atmosphere of introspection.

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    Tsunma Tsondru is a nun ordained by Tai Situ Rinpoche in the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. She met Buddhism through Louis van Loon at the BRC in the 90's. After working as a lawyer and environmental scientist, she left for Spain for a traditional Kagyu three-and-a-half-year retreat, followed by a second retreat of four years. Returning to Cape Town, she  served on the Board of the Southern African Faith Communities Environmental Institute - a multi-faith NGO - for 6 years and as  its Executive Director. She later spent a 10-day intensive retreat with Joanna Macy, engaging with Macy’s “Work That Re-Connects”, which she teaches at the BRC and other places, Her particular interest is deep ecology, eco-philosophy and wilderness work, and the role that spirituality, ethics and connection/interdependence can play in transforming us and our economic and social systems in protection of the Earth.

  • Finding My Voice - A Mindfulness Retreat

    Teacher: Annika Nicol
    Cost: 2 days accommodation + R400 surcharge
    Dates:

    annika nicolDo you struggle to speak your truth? Feel scared to say or sing what is in your heart? Many of us hold back and listen to the critical voices in our heads. Over time, we may start to feel blocked in our throats, scared to speak what we feel, to make sounds, or to sing. We make ourselves small and hide our voices - fearing rejection or judgment. Can you listen to yourself and appreciate the unique sound of your voice? Can you bring consciousness to the way you express yourself?
    On this Mindfulness retreat we will deepen awareness of our voices and bodies. We will work with movement and the sensations in our bodies to help us open our throats and give voice to our experience – in the here and now.
    You are invited to come and explore your unique expression - to connect with your voice, to speak and sound from your heart, to sing regardless if it is in tune or not... No previous singing or sounding experience needed to benefit from this retreat. This non-judgmental process, held in the safe container of a group, will support you to find your own authentic voice.
    There will be periods of silent and sound meditations, singing, sharing and enquiries. In between sessions the retreat will be held in silence.

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    Annika Nicol has been practising as a Clinical Psychologist since 1997. She is a trained singer. Her original degree was in Music and Psychology and her Master’s dissertation in Music Therapy. She worked as a Psychologist in the NHS while living in the UK for 10 years. Her work included Music and Movement groups for Mental Health patients. She has been involved in meditation and Mindfulness practices since 1999. She trained in Mindfulness Psychotherapy at the Karuna Institute in Devon(UK) from 2000 to 2009. Annika feels passionate about supporting others to be more present and connected to their bodies and voices - to be alive in the here and now. She currently lives and works in Cape Town and runs a private practice as well as leading Mindfulness retreats.