UK News & Events

Retreats 2010

A retreat with a difference: Herefordshire

Date: Friday 27 August (6pm) - Sunday 29 August
Venue: Maitreya House, Lower Mascoed, nr Abergavenny, Herefordshire
Cost: £45 (excluding food: bring food to share). Limited to 8 participants

We will have full use of this small retreat centre in rural Herefordshire, with stunning views and grounds. All devotional aspects of Mother’s Retreats will be included and, for the rest of the time, the emphasis will be upon personal time in nature, giving time for contemplation and reflection.

We suggest you bring along Swami Ramakrishnanda’s book The Timeless Path: A step-by-step guide to spiritual evolution. Also bring any of Mother’s teachings that are especially dear to you.

Maitreya House is a small retreat centre set in its own land on the side of a valley with stunning views of hills, valleys and the Black Mountains. The land has a beautiful, gentle feel to it, a place where The Divine feels very close. There are many paths across the landscape to explore, to connect with Mother in nature and to feel the pulse of the earth itself.

May retreat at Cleeve House : A personal account

Often as I approach an Amma event I feel a bit of anxiety. This can
happen to me either the night before or on the train two hours before
I arrive. Perhaps it’s the ego worrying that it may get a bit of a
bashing. My journey to the retreat was no exception. So I started the
weekend with a no option but to surrender and learn whatever lessons I might need. I came away having learnt more about the joy of
fellowship, the peace of Archana and with a further understanding of
Amma’s love and teachings.

With about 22 participants it was an intimate gathering. We all had
the chance to introduce ourselves and interact with each other at some
point in the weekend. Regular devotees and new comers mingled and
shared ,and a real sense of belonging had developed by the time we got to say our goodbyes.

There were many high points and enjoyable activities. A wonderful yoga session lead by Claire generated a sense of peace in the room; we all lingered for longer in this atmosphere This sense of self awareness deepened in the afternoon through the relaxation session lead by Bharati.

Tony led a Green friends Workshop. He updated us on the Green Friends Conference that took place in Europe, before demonstrating a method of composting that is completely natural and can break down cooked food as well as raw. He talked to us about a movement known as Transition culture www.transitionculture.org which is springing up around the country. At this point devotees shared their experiences of their own involvement in Transition town activities. It was inspiring to learn how others were getting involved in these local groups as an
opportunity to follow Amma’s teachings. We ended the session with an
Eco Meditation, in a beautiful setting surrounded by a Variety of
blossom trees.

More reflection on teachings came about when we listened to a satsang
tape from Swami Paramatmananda  called Patience and Discipline. In
group discussions we swopped tips for dealing with anger and learning
how to ‘respond ‘rather than ‘react’ to others.

I felt something comforting about the cycle of worship throughout each
day, with Archana and meditation in the mornings and singing bhajans
at lunchtime and each evening. Some of the bhajan sessions were
sublime! As the retreat came to an end I felt that my heart had been
engaged again, after a cold winter of spiritual isolation.

Many  thanks to Tom and Kaivalya for organising the retreat, to others
who helped and made it possible , and to all fellow retreatants for
being there ! And to Amma of course, for everything! -- Jane O'Byrne