2-night Spring Renewal Weekend Retreat
29/04/22 till 1/05/22
In person

Location

La Maison du chemin des Roches
Dongelberg

2-Night Spring Renewal Retreat "Finding your thread"

Friday 29 April to Sunday 1 May, start on Friday at 17.00. At the beautiful farm "Het Verblijf" in the Flemish Pajottenland close to Brussels.

with mindfulness teacher Beate Trück

A weekend retreat to offer yourself to experience life as it is in the present moment – with all your senses, your thoughts and wishes, your emotions, your bodily sensations, your breath, your whole being you. 

The Way It Is

There’s a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.

– William Stafford

Pause, take a breath, come into presence – these are instructions meditators and mindfulness practitioners hear very often. It sounds simple and basic, but there is so much more to it. It can easily become mechanical and automatic, this “coming into presence” and “finding your anchor”. In this retreat, we will reconnect to the present moment with different practices so you can find your inner thread to hold on to. We all have an innate capability for inner peace and calm – sometimes we only lose the way to get there.

There are many doors to this inner space, and in this retreat you will be invited to find your unique entrance that is truly guiding you to this inner realm of calm, grounding and connection. Together we will take time to slow down, unplug, relax and become quiet. We will practice residing in our body with yoga, stretching and other ways of movement and strengthening our ability to listen inwardly. The mind is like a garden: It needs to be attended on a regular basis: first by seeing what there, then letting go of what is not helpful and planting new seeds. In this retreat we will take time for some internal spring cleaning with reflections on what you would like to let go of and what you would rather like to let in. 

We will be focussing on:

  • Finding an inner space of timeless calm and grounding
  • Practicing mindfulness of breath, body, sounds, thoughts, emotions
  • Re-embodying with all senses
  • Listening inwardly to what needs to be heard and felt
  • Allowing the doing to calm down and resting in the simple power of being
  • Reflecting on unhelpful thought and living patterns that you would like to let go of
  • Setting intentions to shift towards more helpful patterns
  • Taking in the good to cultivate inner strengths
  • Finding your own thread to hold on to in your life

What does a retreat look like?

Being away from day-to-day demands and all the external chatter means time to reflect, to reconnect with your true self and with nature. When the part of you that wants to be in control and that is afraid of change is dominant, you are cut off from your deeper wisdom and intuition. But if you rest and create space to tap into your creative energy, you can get in touch with what truly matters and what kind of life you would really like to lead.

During the retreat, there will be free time to enjoy walks through the surrounding fields, or simply relax in or around the charming farm. You will be enjoying the company of like-minded international people.

As with all our offerings, this retreat is trauma-sensitive. The retreat satisfies the prerequisite for attending our MBSR Teacher Training programme. 

What does a retreat look like?

People have reported that long after the retreat they could still feel the benefits of it, and that this nourishing feeling goes on for quite a while. The retreat will be held in English. This will be a partly silent retreat.

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.

Ideally, you already have some experience with mindfulness and/or yoga. If you are completely new to mindfulness or yoga, please get in touch with us at info@brusselsmindfulness.be to discuss your participation.

You will be enjoying

  • Different forms of mindfulness and positive neuroplasticity meditations and yoga 
  • Talks and reflections from an experienced meditation teacher
  • Exercises for deep relaxation
  • Delicious, organic vegetarian food prepared with love by the farm hosts Inge and Hugo
  • A relaxing atmosphere in the beautiful garden and rooms of the farm
  • Free time to enjoy walks or simply relax in the beautiful surroundings
  • A group of like-minded people
  • Exclusive use of the entire location
  • Beautiful rooms with private bathrooms
  • Outer silence to encourage reflection and relaxation
You will be enjoying

Some benefits of a mindfulness retreat

  • Tapping into your inner resources contributes to feeling more rested, relaxed and calm
  • Learning how to gain greater physical and psychological wellbeing
  • Powerful new insights to bring back into your daily life
  • Practical tools to establish a daily mindfulness practice when you go back home
  • A new sense of inner freedom and the ability to see more clearly what really matters to you
  • Gaining insight into how to stop some unhelpful habits in your life and how to replace them by more useful ones
  • The ability to respond more skilfully to life's challenges when they arise
  • Finding a way to peace and wholeness in this busy stressful world we live in

The venue

The retreat will take place in "Het Verblijf", a former farm in the peaceful Flemish Pajottenland surrounded by sheep and cows. There are many beautiful walks through the fields in the area.

The location is a haven of peace and calm. Its cosy living room, library, the courtyard and the meditation hall are for exclusive use for the participants of the retreat. The rooms are spacious, eco-friendly, and very comfortable with private bathrooms.

The hosts, Inge and Hugo, are passionate yogis and prepare the food with lots of love and care. The food is very tasty, organic and homemade. Tea, coffee, fruit and snacks are available throughout the retreat.

The venue

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.


The programme

Friday 29 April

16.00-17.00 Arrivals and registration (check-in)
17.00-18.00 Opening session
18.00-19.00 Dinner
19.30-21.00 Meditation, teaching, sharing and relaxation
Start of silence

Saturday 30 April (silent day)

08.00 - 09.00 Mindful movement & meditation
09.00 - 10.00 Breakfast
10.00 - 11.30 Teaching, walking and sitting meditation
11.30 - 12.30 Individual time or walking – possibility for an individual talk with the trainer
12.30 - 13.30 Lunch
13.30 - 14.15 Sitting Meditation
14.15 - 16.00 Mindful walking and sitting meditation
16.00 - 16.30 Tea/coffee time – possibility for an individual talk with the trainer
16.30 - 17.30 Walking and sitting meditation
18.00 - 19.00 Dinner
19.30 - 21.00 Meditation, teaching & relaxation

The programme

Sunday 1 May

08.00 - 09.00 Mindful movement & meditation
09.00 - 10.00 Breakfast
10.00 - 11.30 Teaching, walking and sitting meditation
11.30 - 12.30 Individual time or walking – possibility for an individual talk with the trainer
Breaking the silence
12.30 - 13.30 Lunch
14.00 - 15.30 Sitting meditation & closing session
15.30 - 16.00 Tea-time and departure

This is an indicative programme, the actual timing might change (except starting and end times). The final programme will be displayed at the location.

The teacher

The teacher

Beate Trück

Beate is a certified and experienced mindfulness (MBSR) and positive neuroplasticity teacher, authorised by Dr. Rick Hanson.  She is also a teacher trainer, supervisor and trained as trauma-sensitive mindfulness teacher by David Treleaven. She has led many retreats to an international audience over the past years.  In her retreats she likes to combine mindfulness and positive neuroplasticity meditations which have a very calming and uplifting effect. Participants like her warm and inclusive style and some of them come back regularly to her retreats.

Extra: Massages Available

Katrien Maes

Katrien Maes, experienced Ayurvedic therapist, will offer full-body massages during one day of the retreat at the rate of €70 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.

Extra: Massages Available

Rates

For the retreat of 2 nights with meals and accommodation in a shared twin room:

  • 'Early bird rate' - Until 3 April 2022: € 425 (incl. VAT)
  • As from 4 April 2022: € 475 (incl. VAT)

Included in the fee:

  • Teaching and administration fee
  • Accommodation in a double room with private bathrooms
  • All meals, coffee and tea breaks
  • Exclusive use of the entire location with its beautiful meditation hall, diner, library and gardens.

Not included in the fee:

  • The massages (€70 for one hour)

Do you require a single room?

Please get in touch with us (info@brusselsmindfulness.be) to inquire about this possibility before registering - additional fee will apply.

Join the retreat without accommodation: discount of €100

  • Email info@brusselsmindfulness.be to inquire about this option
  • All other components of the retreat are still included
  • Sleep at home of send us t a mail to ask for our B&B recommendations in the area 

Registration is now closed. For inquiries, please email: info@brusselsmindfulness.be

Cancellation policy

It is possible to postpone your registration to another activity until one month before the event (with a 75€ administration fee). As of 30 days before the event no postponing will be possible, unless you have a proof of a positive Covid PCR test. However, please mind that this does not apply for close contacts. It is possible to transfer your place to someone else (upon our approval). For more information please refer to our terms and conditions.

Meals

This retreat will offer vegetarian meals. 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, please bring your own food. In such cases, no partial refund can be granted.

Registrations will close on Wednesday 27 April or whenever the retreat is fully booked. We encourage you to register as soon as possible to secure your place and to enable us to decide in time whether there are enough participants to organise the retreat.

If you wish, you might be able to come a day earlier or stay a night longer at the location. In this case, please contact the owners of the place directly. You can reach them via the contact details on their website.

"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."

Read more testimonials here.

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.

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 Beate Trück via beate.trueck@brusselsmindfulness.be.

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