Take advantage of the beautiful natural setting of the Suffolk countryside to support your practice and to develop more spaciousness in your heart and mind.

A retreat is a great opportunity to take a break from our regular routine and create more space in both our inner and outer lives. Spending time in the countryside, we can connect with nature and enjoy the positive conditions that arise as we come together as a community, practising together, sharing meals, sharing talks and sharing walks with others on the retreat.

The programme will include talks, meditation, reflection and discussion as well as some chanting and ritual. Weather permitting, we will also do some meditations outside, including periods of walking meditation and standing meditation. There will be plenty of free time to go for walks or chat over a cup of tea with others on the retreat.

The retreat begins with supper at 7pm on Friday, 1 September and ends at 3pm on Sunday, 3 September.

FAQs

What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event?

Vajrasana is located at Potash Farm, Walsham le Willows, Suffolk, IP31 3AR.

If you can offer a lift to Vajrasana or are seeking a lift then please get in touch: info@westlondonbuddhistcentre.com

Regular trains also run to Stowmarket from London Liverpool Street. If you are travelling from the North, Thetford might be easier to get to and if you are coming from Cambridge, the nearest convenient station to Vajrasana is Elmswell.

Taxis: Stowmarket Taxis: 01449 677777 or Gold Star Taxis: 01449 676 767
Elmswell is the nearest train station but it is very hard to get a taxi from there, the taxi will probably come from Stowmarket.

What's included in the cost?

The cost of the retreat includes all food, accommodation and bedding. Meditation mats, cushions and blankets are provided (you could also meditate on a chair) and there are some yoga mats and blocks available to borrow. Travel is not included in the cost of the retreat.

What if I can't afford to come?

If you cannot pay the concessionary rate, a limited number of reduced price bursaries are available. Please fill out this request form and we will contact you.

Do you need to be a Buddhist?

Although this is a Buddhist retreat, you don’t need to consider yourself a Buddhist to come on retreat.

Living Communally

Living communally is an important and enjoyable element of the retreat. We will eat together as a community and accommodation will be in multiple occupancy rooms within single-sex blocks, with regularly cleaned shared amenities. We require couples to stay in separate rooms. If you identify as non-binary/trans, make your booking according to whether you would prefer to be accommodated in a room in the men's or women's block.

The team leading the retreat are volunteers who are on retreat as well, not paid staff. In order to enable us all to live together comfortably and to keep the retreat running smoothly, we ask everyone to help out with some simple chores. Our retreats are known for being friendly and harmonious; we ask retreatants to cooperate with one another and to refrain from harsh speech or anti-social behaviour. It is also important that retreatants commit to attending the full period of the retreat to maintain the integrity of the community and atmosphere.

Diet

The food on the retreat will be vegan. Please don't bring any meat or fish with you. We can only cater for specific dietary requests if there are medical reasons for them. If you do need a special diet then we must be notified as soon as possible, ideally when booking, and at least one week before the retreat starts.

What's the refund policy?

if you decide to cancel, we will refund the full cost of your booking minus a deposit of £40 up to seven days before event. With less than seven days before the event we are unable provide a refund, unless we are able to refill your space from the waiting list or the cancellation is due to testing positive for Covid or having to self-isolate.

Is my registration fee or ticket transferable?

We can transfer your place to another person up to seven days before the retreat, if accommodation permits. Because of the complexities of running a large retreat we will not be able to transfer retreat bookings with less than seven days to go before the event.

Is there disabled access?

Vajrasana has disabled access facilities. For more information please contact mindfulness@westlondonbuddhistcentre.com