Family Retreat - Opening the Family Up

Our annual Family Retreat is a celebration in mindfulness, joy and peace! Many families has been coming for many years already to this retreat and many families come for the first time. This retreat is a time when the community comes together to practice as a large spiritual family. We help each other out through coming to the activities, supporting washing up after meals, playing with the children at the retreat. Our minds and bodies slow down, relax and open up. Where does my family end and yours begin? Mindfulness, joy and peace will bring us together and makes our lives more colorful and fragrant.

hike during family retreat 2009

With the practice of mindfulness as the base, we shall learn to practice deep listening and loving speech to nourish true harmony within our families. During this retreat, we shall learn to practice together as an extended family and to support each other at home, in the work place, and in school. At times, the parents and children will be together and at other times, they practice separately. It is a precious chance for the whole family to be in a practice setting and learn new ways of being with one another. We encourage both parents to join the whole duration of the retreat with their children. No partial attendance.

There will be a program for children (6-12 yrs old) and teens (13-18 yrs) during part of the day. Monastic and lay staff will help lead the program and we will ask support from parents to assist the groups during the retreat. 

For more information about our basic practice, please read this pamphlet.