LAND & HEART: CULTIVATING GROWTH
Cultivating the land, cultivating mindfulness
19 - 24 May 2024
This is the first in our Land & Heart series of retreats, bringing us into deeper connection with nature and the seasons. We will be caring for the land as it changes and grows while bringing awareness to the changes and growth in our own hearts.
Join us in celebrating the vibrancy of spring! During this retreat, we invite you to practise mindful awareness as we tend to our walled garden and nurture the land. In the walled garden, we will be preparing and maintaining vegetable and flower beds; sowing seeds and planting out seedlings; weeding and mulching. Out on the land, work may include maintaining newly planted trees, clearing and general maintenance.
Sowing our own inner seeds for growth, we will be practising meditation and Buddhist ritual (open to all levels of experience) together throughout the day, both in the shrine room and on the land. There will also be periods of silence, giving space for reflection. The wild beauty of Alfoxton Park offers a unique setting to engage with the nature connection practices held during the retreat.
“Once in a rare while you find yourself in a place that is not only environmentally but also socially and spiritually inspiring. This was my experience. I connected with old soul friends, learned important lessons, and realised there were skillsets I had that I hadn't previously appreciated. "
- Keone
There is a breadth of opportunity to engage with work of varying levels of intensity and appropriate to different physical abilities. We will spend 4 hours working on the land or in the garden each day. Please contact us before booking with any information or queries regarding accessibility, to ensure that this retreat can meet your needs.
timings & travel
TIMINGS
Please arrive between 3pm and 5pm on the first day. Dinner is served at 6pm. The retreat will finish by midday on the last day.
TRAVEL
The nearest railway stations are Bridgwater and Taunton. We are about 1h 15min from Bristol by car.
The 15 bus leaves Bridgwater at 16:50 during college term dates and stops at the Plough Inn in Holford. We are a 15min walk from there.
Please get in touch for further advice with public transport, or for help arranging lifts / carpools.
Make sure to put "Coach House 2, Alfoxton Park" into Google Maps. Other variations will take you to Alfoxton House nearby which is not us. Otherwise use grid reference 51.165187, -3.220080.
The What3Words for our car park are ///soup.candy.huddling
Accommodation & Food
ACCOMMODATION
This is a camping retreat - bring a tent or live-in vehicle. Toilets, showers and a sauna are available. Warm and waterproof clothing are advisable, along with gloves and boots or wellies. You may also wish to bring a torch and hot water bottle.
We have limited accommodation indoors for those with specific needs. Please let us know when you book if this is the case for you.
FOOD
Delicious vegan meals will be provided throughout the retreat.
Accessibility & Diets
We are committed to Alfoxton being a fully accessible venue and are working hard to achieve this. However, while the renovation work continues, visitors with specific mobility or accommodation needs may experience barriers to accessing all areas of the building and land.
If you have any questions or concerns, just get in touch, and please inform us of any significant dietary or accessibility requirements before submitting your booking request.
Costs
Alfoxton Park is a charity and works on the principle of Dana or a 'gift economy'. Read more about Dana here.
A £75 deposit will secure your place on this event. You will be invited to make a donation to Alfoxton when you attend.
If you are an Triratna Order member and need financial support to pay a retreat deposit, you can apply for a grant from the Abhayaratna Trust.
TECHNOLOGY, ALCOHOL & DRUGS
All of our events are alcohol and drug free.
During the meditation retreats we ask you to turn off your mobile phones and other devices and not contact people outside of the retreat.
For all other events and workshops we ask you to be mindful of the use of devices and stay present, in order to make the most of your time here.
Any Questions?
Check our FAQ page or send us an e-mail at events@alfoxtonpark.org.uk