2-night Heartfulness and Wellbeing Retreat

27/10/23 till 29/10/23

In person

Location

La Maison du Chemin des Roches
Centre pluraliste de méditation
Chemin des Roches 9
1370 Dongelberg

Teacher

Steve Savels

Autumn wellbeing retreat: Connecting to the warmth of kindness and compassion in your life

Small, exclusive retreat from Friday 27 until Sunday 29 October 2023, starting on Friday at 15.00. At the beautiful "Maison du Chemin des Roches" in Dongelberg.

With mindfulness teacher Steve Savels.

A semi-silent retreat for everyone who wishes to increase their wellbeing and have more kindness and compassion in their life. It is ideal for people who have done a mindfulness or follow-up course and want to refresh or deepen their practice – and for everyone who would like to take a rest and connect to their own warm heart and inner peace. This retreat qualifies as a prerequisite for the mindfulness teacher training.

Developing inner kindness

Since you were a child, you may have learned that in order to be successful in life, you need to be strict on yourself. We are taught that being self-critical is the best way to improve ourselves. And though this attitude may have indeed brought you some success, we at the same time often develop an inner harshness towards ourselves.

Over time, our inner critic becomes so strong that our achievements never seem to be good enough and something always pushes us forward to the next goal. This can be exhausting and blocks us from fully enjoying our life. The inner critic may even turn into an inner bully, repeating the message over and over again that you are not good enough, that something is wrong with you. This can have a paralysing effect, keeping you from actually doing the things you would like to do the most.

The practice of heartfulness – in addition to mindfulness – helps to develop an inner kindness to counterbalance the inner harshness.

Heartfulness meditations and mindfulness practices

One of the biggest misunderstandings is that this would make you soft or passive. The contrary proves to be true: kindness and compassion often provide a much more fertile ground that allows you to be more active and do the things that truly matter to you.

In this retreat we will:

explore specific heartfulness meditations, together with other mindfulness practices
tap into our own sources of inner healing so that we can feel refreshed afterwards
take silent periods
have moments during which you can have mindful conversations with others
share in smaller groups, or in the bigger group.

There may be a possibility for a special add-on for those who'd like a deeper experience: Ayurvedic massages for deep healing with our beloved Katrien Maes.

At this mindfulness retreat, you will be enjoying:

Mindfulness and heartfulness meditations
The alternation of formal practices such as sitting and movement meditation
Daily energizing, mindful yoga sessions
Practices for deep relaxation
Teachings on how to cultivate kindness and compassion in your life
Practical exercises and sharing in small groups
A beautiful location in the countryside to unwind
Time to simply be and to rest
Delicious organic vegetarian food that will support and nourish your body and mind
The power of a group of like-minded people willing to learn and practice together
Opportunities to walk in the beautiful countryside
Small exclusive group allowing for deeper connection with each other and the teacher

Scientifically proven benefits of self-compassion practices

Reduced feeling of anxiety, stress and rumination
Increased sense of self-worth and confidence
Greater sense of wellbeing and calm
Increased happiness
Increased feeling of social connection
Improved emotional resilience and decreased risk of burnout
An improved ability for positive ageing

A heartful retreat - what you walk away with

A set of mindfulness and heartfulness meditations for more kindness and compassion in your life
A renewed ability to connect to your own sources of deep joy, love and calm
An ability to grow resources within yourself helping you to become more resilient
New ideas and inspiration on how to deepen your mindfulness and compassion practice
Some new friends who are interested in personal growth and compassion

Who can benefit from a mindfulness retreat?

This retreat is ideal for:

Regular meditators who would like to deepen or boost their practice
Irregular practitioners looking to reconnect with mindfulness
Beginners interested in an immersive mindfulness experience
Those looking for a pause from the busy-ness of every day life
Mindfulness teacher trainees, or those interested in starting the program (this retreat fulfils the 2-night retreat requirement)

Would this be your first retreat? Have a look at our article about what happens on a mindfulness meditation retreat.

The location of this wellbeing retreat

The retreat will take place in the beautiful "Maison du Chemin des Roches" in Dongelberg, about 30 minutes from Brussels.

The location is a haven of peace and calm, surrounded by many beautiful walks through the fields and woods. The cook will provide us with delicious vegetarian meals and refreshments will be available throughout the retreat.

The accommodation is in simple, but comfortable double rooms with shared bathrooms.

Carpooling will be facilitated before the retreat. Please note that we can only accept car pooling requests until one week before the start of the retreat and we simply try to put participants in touch with one another.

The food at this mindfulness retreat

You will enjoy a complete new experience of vegetarian food with our cook's original and artisanal kitchen. It is a real feast for your senses -let yourself be surprised!

Please note that we cannot cater for any other diets or allergies except of lactose and gluten free meals. Should you follow another diet or have any other allergy or intolerance, you might need to bring your own food. Please contact us should this be the case. Please note that we are not able to partially refund for any meals that you might miss.

The programme for this compassion retreat (indicative only)

Friday 27 October

14.00 - 15.00 Arrivals & registration
15.00 - 17.30 Opening session
18.00 - 19.30 Dinner
20.00 - 21.30 Teaching, meditation & relaxation

Saturday 28 October

07.45 - 08.30 Mindful movement & meditation
08.30 - 09.15 Breakfast
09.15 - 10.00 Karma yoga
10.00 - 12.30 Teaching & meditation
12.30 - 14.30 Lunch
14.30 - 16.00 Teaching & meditation
16.00 - 16.30 Tea break
16.30 - 18.00 Teaching meditation
18.30 - 19.30 Dinner
20.00- 21.30 Meditation, sharing & relaxation

Sunday 29 October

07.45 - 08.30 Mindful movement & meditation
08.30 - 09.15 Breakfast
09.15 - 10.00 Karma yoga
10.00 - 12.30 Teaching & meditation
12.30 - 13.30 Lunch
14:00 - 15:30 Closing session
15.30 - 16.00 Departures

This is an indicative agenda and is subject to change. All teaching parts involve meditative and other exercises, in small or bigger groups.

The teachers

Steve Savels is an experienced mindfulness teacher who has led many courses, retreats and days of mindfulness. People appreciate his gentle and calm style with lots of humour. He is also a certified teacher of the Mindfulness Based Compassionate Living (MBCL) programme and a licenced psychologist.

Steve will be assisted by teacher in training Ewa Litke-Bak.

Extra: massages available (to be confirmed upon interest)

Katrien Maes, experienced Ayurvedic therapist, will offer full-body massages during one day of the retreat at the rate of €75 for a session of one hour. Katrien has been offering these massage for the past years on our retreats and people are always enthusiastic about them. The massages offer a wonderful opportunity to deepen your relaxation and get more in touch with your body. You will receive more information about how to book a session in the practical mail sent shortly before the retreat.

Rates

For the retreat of 2.5 days with meals and accommodation in a shared twin room:

'Early bird rate' - Until 27 Sept 2023: € 499 (incl. VAT)

Regular fee as from 28 September 2023: € 549 (incl. VAT)

Included in the fee:

Teaching and administration fee
All meals (vegetarian and organic)
Tea, coffee and snacks throughout the day
Exclusive use of the entire location including a cosy diner, large meditation hall, and beautiful garden with many trees and flowers
The possibility for a bilateral talk with the teacher
Lifetime access to over 250 guided meditations

Not included in the fee:

The rent of towels and sheets (preferably bring your own): €20
The massages (€75 for one hour)

What participants of previous retreats said

"The retreat was truly excellent. A wonderful location, a fantastic teacher, delicious food and a great group."

"The retreat flowed. It was definitively creating inner peace. Thank you!"

"Beate is really a great instructor. She has a sense for when to intervene, is clear in her guidance and has a warm voice."

"The retreat is very good in grounding oneself in this fast-paced environment. I unreservedly recommend it!"

"The location, schedule and teacher created an optimal environment for me to get my mind set to meditation. A wonderful and intense experience which may have lasted longer - but two days is a good start!"

"The retreat allowed me to settle my mind, to feel safe and supported. The place was ideal to relax and practice."

"...Thank you for a lovely unforgettable weekend with so much action and so much inaction."

Questions?

Do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions. For administrative and practical questions, please contact info@brusselsmindfulness.be. For questions about our courses and events, have a look at our FAQ.

If you want to discuss something directly with the teacher, you can contact Steve Savels via steve.savels@brusselsmindfulness.be.

Many thanks for your registration. We look forward to meeting you in the event.

Health & Well-being Guidelines

Covid-19 Precautions

In order to ensure the health of all our participants, we will implement Covid measures according to the official regulations following the corona barometer at the time of the event. These measures will be communicated to registered participants prior to the start of the event.

Important information on your mental well-being and silent retreats

While meditation retreats can be very nourishing; they do require sustained meditation practice throughout your time there. This also demands some stability of psychological health and can be triggering for some people.

Have you experienced significant trauma or psychiatric illness, or are your currently struggling with your mental health such as with anxiety, depression, or burnout? If so, a retreat might not be the best option for you. The teacher might not be able to give you the kind of individual psychological care and support you need right now.

If you are currently under the care of a mental health professional, please discuss your attendance with them. You should be in a relatively stable period of mental well-being and have adequate psychological resilience.

Please fill in the questions in the registration form as open and honestly as possible, this will give us an idea of your current situation. The teacher of the event may reach out to you for more information

If you are unsure, or have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us directly at info@brusselsmindfulness.be.

Registration for the retreat

Please fill out the form below in order to register for the retreat. Your answers are important for the trainer to understand your motivation to participate.

All information you provide will be treated confidentially and will never be shared with third parties. We will get in touch with you if we have any questions, so please provide the phone number on which we can most easily reach you. Please check our privacy policy here.

Please check our terms & conditions about cancellations and refunds.

Registration Form

How did you hear about this activity?
What is your experience with mindfulness?
What are your reasons to participate in this activity?
Are you, (or have you been previously), experiencing high levels of stress and/or burn out?
Are you, (or have you been previously), struggling with your mental health?
Have you experienced any physical, emotional or psychological trauma?
If yes, do you have professional support (psychologist, ..)?
Do you have any physical limitations or complaints that the teacher should be aware of?
Do you have any food allergies?
If available, I wish to book a single room at an additional fee
Many participants in our courses like to exchange email addresses for organising a car pool or for staying in touch. Do you agree?
From time to time, we may take photos during the sessions (for use in promotional materials). Do you agree?

You will be asked to fill out your name and further contact details in the next page.
Once you click the registration button, you will be taken to a secure payment system (first e-act.nl and then mollie.com). Your data will be treated confidentially and will not be shared with third parties, except for the information necessary to process the payment.