The Awakened Heart is an intensive residential retreat for those who want to go deep. The aim is to awaken insights into awareness, compassion, love and freedom. This meditation retreat combines modern, western techniques of non-judgemental listening and honest communication through dyads (partnered communication exercises) with the self-inquiry method of Indian Hindu sage Ramana Maharshi. Self-Inquiry is one of mankind's most powerful psycho-spiritual tools to break through the maze of the mind and return to the Heart.

This retreat is a profound opportunity to look deeply within; earnestly and honestly, with complete loving attention centered around one of the fundamental questions facing humankind: “Who am I?”. You will be carefully guided step-by-step through simple techniques of inquiry that allow you to experience embodied, authentic, intimate presence – an ecstatic, primordial, natural state of bliss. The retreat seeks to offer a framework to connect with the  peaceful,eternal core of your being; the source of all inspiration, love, and beauty.

This retreat provides a safe and supportive framework within which you are encouraged to ease into an honest, authentic and deep period of  self reflection to discover the Truth within oneself through meditation. The vow of Noble Silence is practiced throughout the retreat except during the communication phase of the Dyad practice and occasional voice activation exercises. The Dyad practice aims to help you experience the power of witnessing through open, non-judgemental communication and relating. This practice is based on traditional Zen techniques that seek to nurture a direct experience with the truth of one’s being and are understood to accelerate the contemplation process.

The retreat includes activities such as:

• Inspiring lectures crafted from a variety of spiritual traditions

• Q&A sessions to support you in overcoming and integrating psychological, emotional and spiritual barriers

• Voice activation

• Contemplative hatha yoga

• Sound healing 

• Breathwork 

• Dyad (partnered communication exercise)

All activities are offered with the intention to spark curiosity, insights and assist the integration process back into one's daily life.

Following the retreat there is an optional eight week online course to guide the incorporation of this awakening process into one's practice, with further ongoing training options in our somatic practices and self-inquiry, deepening our sense of embodied presence and relationship with all of ourselves and finding ever greater rest within the space of the Heart.

There are basic ground rules that apply to the residential time of the retreat, designed to minimize any distractions from the contemplative state. These include no smoking, alcohol, caffeine or any other consciousness alterants, no sex and no gossiping. The food provided is simple and vegetarian.