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Preceding Day
Sunday 23 February 2025
Following Day

  • Getting To Know The Birds At The BRC: 160 Birds Of A Feather

    Teacher: Aldo Berutti
    Cost: 2 days accommodation + R350 surcharge
    Dates:

    aldo berrutiJoin Aldo for an enjoyable weekend of identifying some of the BRC’s 160 species of birds - including the summer residents, the rare Blue Swallow, Knysna Turaco and Emerald Cuckoo. Wake up to birdsong and walk the verdant hills and meadows close to where the Blue Swallows nest. The BRC has been awarded “Private Nature Reserve” status by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife for its conservation of the Blue Swallow and its pristine mistbelt grasslands. Included will be talks, slide shows, meditation and some quiet time communing with nature. Bring your binoculars and a sunhat.

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    Aldo Berruti began birding as a young boy, an interest which evolved into a career in ornithology, attaining a MSc and PhD in ornithology. After 2O years as a publishing scientist, including work on albatrosses at  sub-Antarctic Marion Island, waterbirds at sub-tropical Lake St Lucia and the coastal seabirds of the Western Cape, Aldo became the first Director of BirdLife South Africa in 1996. He currently lives in Underberg with his wife Sharron, where his guiding business focussed on the iconic Sani Pass. He turned to running on-line birding courses (Birding with Aldo) as COVID shut down tourism. He retains his amateur enthusiasm for birds 55 years later and loves sharing birds with people.

  • Self Retreating Mid Week

    Teacher: Krishia Schilz and William (Shogan)
    Cost: Number of days' accommodation
    15% discount offered on March mid-week bookings
    Dates:

    krishia schilzwill parkerFind meaningful solitude on a Self-Retreat.  One can do as much (or as little) reading, walking, meditation or resting as one chooses. Enjoy walks and bird watching in 300 acres of beautiful rolling hills and indigenous forests. Savour our delicious vegetarian food prepared with love by our wonderful cooks; or browse our well-stocked library. Visit the stupa and the raked Zen sand gardens and walk the labyrinth. Massage treatments, guided walks, qigong and meditation are offered by resident staff, Krishia and William mid week. Self-Retreats are an ideal opportunity to be in a gentle, sympathetic space where one can be still and get in touch with oneself.

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    Krishia Schilz is a qualified Bereavement Counsellor specialising in Grief and Loss, as well as Trauma Containment. Her spiritual path led her to Yoga in which she is certified in various styles. Krishia completed her training in the beautiful Bali, before locating to Thailand in order to teach. Her practice includes: yoga , pranayama (breath work), meditation, Yoga Philosophy and healing massage treatments.

    William (Shogan) has been practising meditation for nearly 20 years, cultivating stillness and inquiry. He took precepts with Dae Chong, Osho at Poplar Grove and now leads morning and evening zazen at the BRC, weaving verses from the Dhammapada into meditation for reflection and insight. With a keen interest in how the Dharma might evolve in an AI-driven, multiplanetary future, William embraces both tradition and possibility. He also guides qigong in the mornings and offers tai chi in the afternoons, integrating movement into mindfulness. His practice is an invitation - to sit, to move, and to explore the ever-expanding nature of awareness.