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Coming to Our Senses
29th July - 1st August 2027
What does it mean to be fully alive in a body, on this land, in this moment? Over three days among the ancient trees and gentle slopes of Alfoxton, we will explore getting to know ourselves in relation to the beautiful land around us. We will hear about the wisdom of the Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha's core teaching on the foundations of mindfulness, and learn to practise embodied awareness in stillness and in movement. We will also touch base with Shinrin Yoku, the Japanese art of forest bathing, letting the woodland itself become our teacher.
This retreat caters for a wide variety of people and backgrounds. You do not need to call yourself a Buddhist to attend. Some experience of meditation will allow you to get the most out of our time here together. There will be some Buddhist ritual, to which all are welcome, whether you wish to participate or simply watch.
If you have practised for many years, this retreat offers something too: a chance to bring a mature practice out of the shrine room and into direct, sustained contact with the living land. The Satipatthana Sutta rewards revisiting at every stage of the path, and the nightly silence, ritual and unstructured time on the land give space to go as deep as you wish. Each evening closes into silence, held until after breakfast the next morning.
Facilitation Team
Facilitation Team
Vidyamala
Vidyamala
Vidyamala Burch OBE is a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order and founded The Breathworks Foundation, an international mindfulness organisation. She is the award-winning author of Mindfulness for Health, Living Well with Pain and Illness and Mindfulness for Women, and has spent five decades exploring embodied awareness as a path to wellbeing, using the Satipatthana Sutta as one of her key guides.
Annette
Annette Schlaudraff is a doctor and longstanding member of the Cardiff Buddhist sangha, currently training for ordination into the Triratna Buddhist Order and is in the process of moving to Alfoxton to join the vibrant land based community .
" I really enjoyed the forest bathing weekend retreat. The forest bathing session itself felt very nourishing and I learnt about how my own relationship to nature is shaped by unconscious biases. Annette has a trustworthy and playful quality that makes her perfect to lead something like this"
" I really enjoyed the forest bathing weekend retreat. The forest bathing session itself felt very nourishing and I learnt about how my own relationship to nature is shaped by unconscious biases. Annette has a trustworthy and playful quality that makes her perfect to lead something like this"
- Amy, a previous retreatant.
Timings & Travel
Timings & Travel
Timings
Please arrive between 3pm and 5pm on the first day. Dinner is served at 6pm. The retreat will finish by 1pm 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 & 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
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
Costs
Alfoxton Park is a charity and works on the principle of Dana or a 'gift economy'. Read more about Dana here.
A deposit of £108 will secure your place. 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 and drugs
Technology, alcohol and 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?
Any Questions?
Check our FAQ page or send us an e-mail at events@alfoxtonpark.org.uk
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