A Gesture of Awakening (fortnight retreat)

To attend this retreat you will need to have been regularly meditating for at least two years and regularly attend retreats, a centre or a group within the context of the Triratna Buddhist Community. You must also be comfortable with extended periods of sitting meditation, Buddhist devotional practice and spending most of the retreat in silence.

According to myth, the Buddha confirmed his enlightenment by making the gesture of touching the earth. We can extend this idea of "mudra" to the whole body where the posture becomes an expression of our intention and an affirmation of our faith.

In this longer retreat we will be exploring how meditation can be understood and practiced in a psycho-energetic way, placing emphasis on our physical experience as opposed to our conceptual experience.  

Along with sitting, the retreat will include some gentle body work and will take place largely in silence. The retreat will also include ritual practice. 

Paramananda has been teaching meditation and leading retreats around the world for over 30 years and is also a poet and author of four books on meditation: Change Your Mind, A Deeper Beauty, The Body and The Myth of Meditation.

Covid-secure requirements

We are no longer asking each retreatant to take a lateral flow test before travelling to Rivendell, but we are asking that they bring a test with them in case they fall ill whilst here.

We want those that come to Rivendell to be confident that we are making their stay here as safe as possible.

Concession information

Rivendell has a concessionary rate available for most of its retreats. If you are in need of further financial assistance to help enable you to come on retreat here, please do consider writing to our office team via bookings@rivendellretreatcentre.com explaining your circumstances.

Cancellation policy

All deposit amounts are non-refundable and non-transferable in all circumstances. 

If you wish to cancel your place on a retreat, we require a minimum notice of 4 calendar weeks before a retreat is due to take place.

If you cancel more than 6 calendar weeks before a retreat is due to take place you will receive a refund of all but the deposit amount, if you have paid in full.

If you cancel between 6 and 4 calendar weeks before the retreat is due to take place and we can't replace you, you will be required to pay half the total cost of the retreat.

If you cancel less than 4 calendar weeks before the retreat is due to take place then any refund will be at Rivendell’s discretion, depending on the circumstances.

Please let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel, as there may be other people waiting for a place on the retreat to become available. The refund amount will still depend on whether we can fill your space.

Retreat Leaders: 
Paramananda
Single Room Availability: 
Sorry, but the single room is not available on this retreat now
Date: Friday, July 25, 2025 to Friday, August 8, 2025

Prices for this event are: £799 - £769 (Conc)

Selected Price: 
£799.00