Family Retreat 29 July – 2 August 2017
with Open Dharma’s facilitators
About the retreat:
The retreat will be held in a beautiful and very peaceful place close to Ter Apel in the province of Groningen (the Netherlands). It is not far from the border with Germany.
During this parent-child retreat you have the opportunity to combine familylife with meditation, silence with playfulness, being alone with community. You get the chance to explore the connection with yourself and life while being with your familymembers and/or children. This retreat is a way to invite daily life as a parent into your spiritual practice.
There are offered instructions in connected movement, relaxation, and the expansive approach to vipassana (insight-) and loving kindness meditation.
Next to a silent meditation program for the parents led by Open Dharma’s facilitator Gemma Polo Pujol and co-facilitated by Dieuwertje Stegeman and Nanda Huneman, there will be a parallel children’s program guided by the child expert Vicky Mateu. That means that part of the parents will attend the silent meditation program, while another part will be with the children in the children’s program. You have the chance to experiment in being present with your children in different ways and there are moments of sharing. Everyone takes turns in cooking and cleaning and taking care of the kids. We live as a big, connected family.
The retreat will be in English, if needed translated in Dutch. The kids program will be both in English and Dutch.
About Open Dharma:
In short: Open dharma stands for meditation, gentleness, contact with nature and deep rest to deepen our connection to ourselves and to the rest of live. Also look at www.opendharma.org
About Gemma Polo Pujol:
Gemma primarily draws on her own experience in diverse wisdom traditions as Buddhism, non-dual Advaita, Christian and Sufi mysticism and her own human experience.
Dieuwertje Stegeman and Nanda Huneman will co-facilitate with Gemma.
About Vicky Mateu:
Vicky is a translator, doula and family advisor (training and experience in «Attachment and Conscious Parenting» and «Rearing from Seitai»), specialized in forest and «free-active» schools, and emotional support for children 0-7 years old.
Practical information
When
The retreat starts on Saturday the 29th of July in the afternoon, it ends Wednesday the 2nd of August in the morning.
Accomodation
The spacious place of Westerweelde, with lots of nature around and a big house in which we cook, eat, meditate. It has some basic (family)rooms and plenty of camping possibilities around. If you’re not sleeping inside you can come with a tent or a van.
For whom
Parents with children in the age of 0 up to about 12. If you are a single parent, you are very welcome to take a friend, partner, grandparent, etc. to support you and your child(ren) during the retreat. If that does not work out, please contact us for other possibilities.
Cost (Full pension)
€ 240,- for 1 parent, € 80,- for the second parent / helper
€ 60,- for children between 4 and 12 years
Children under 4 years: free of charge
Program: on donation (dana)
Please note that the subscription cost only partly covers the expenses made. As for the teachers, they honor an ageless tradition of generosity (dana), and invite you to join them in supporting, and being supported by, what is beyond measure and price. In other words: It is your voluntary donations at the end of the retreat that make the whole retreat possible. Cooks and managers are also volunteering.
Subscription
- E-mail the subscription form to opendharmaholland@gmail.com
- Transfer the right amount to the bankaccountnr (IBAN) NL41INGB0007163508 / BIC: INGBNL2A
- Accountholder: Nanda Huneman, De Bilt, The Netherlands
After receiving your subscription form and payment we will send you a confirmation by e-mail and later on another e-mail with a proper route description, a what to bring list and all the other information you need to survive these days in July!
We look forward to hearing from you!
With love,
The Open Dharma Team – Holland
For questions and registration you can e-mail to opendharmaholland@gmail.com
Jaya on Open Dharma:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pV49WeEjuU