Alfoxton Park - Coming Home to an Animate World

Coming Home to an Animate World

12th - 15th August 2027

This retreat offers a taste of a body of work that Nagadipa has developed by bringing together my experience in Eugene Gendlin’s somatic practice of Focusing, Wilderness Rites, and Buddhist practices. Animism is a way of seeing the world as a living, breathing community where all life is participatory and inherently relational.

When we re-animate our sense of inner and outer aliveness, we see that perception is not a one-way process where we are passively observing the world. We come to see that we are steeped in a living world, engaged in participatory perception - and there’s a conversation to be had.

Reconnecting to a view of the world that our ancestors carried in their very bones is no easy task. But if we are to adapt to ecological change, we must learn once more to look out upon a landscape crowded with ancient, breathing presences, rediscovering the sense that to be human is to be part of nature.

Suitable for those with an experience of meditation within The Triratna Buddhist Community.

Facilitation Team

Nagadipa

My work life is dedicated to guiding Vision Quests - as nature-based rites of passage - and facilitating Focusing, as well as training others in these modalities. Alongside this I have been practising meditation and Buddhism since 1997.

My main practices are loving-kindness, insight, śamatha (calm spaciousness), and sādhanā. My current curiosity is exploring how sādhanā and Nature of Mind meet vision questing.

The Nature of Reality and the Nature of Perception are territories I hold close to my heart. These phrases can sound a little dry, yet they point toward ways of seeing that re-sanctify existence - bringing a renewed sense of the sacredness of things.

I’m drawn to ways of working with mind and body that invite shifts in perception and a deeper sense of reality - not somewhere else, but here and now, beyond the surface of an apparently humdrum physical world. The reawakening of awe and how to keep it aflame are central to my personal practice.

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

We serve a vegan menu using mostly organic fruit and vegetables, from Riverford and our own walled garden. We are able to cater for most general food intolerances, such as gluten free, but not for all diets. See 'Accessibility and Special Diets' below.

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. Please get in touch about any significant accessiblity requirements.

It is not possible to cook for people with highly sensitive allergies: if you are a coeliac or have any other medical condition which could seriously jeopardise your health or your experience then please get in touch to discuss a potential self-catering plan with our Kitchen manager.

Please contact us about either of these 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 £108 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

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