Caring for Gaia: An Introduction to Global Ecology
This retreat explores the links between spirituality, meditation, compassion and courage practices that are the heart of Shambhala Training, and the care for our planet that is now an inescapable part of our existence.
Deepening our practices and extending them to the world
Explore the countless ways we can include these practices, rituals, and cultivation of the beauty and health of our environment in our everyday lives.
This retreat will include periods of meditation and compassionate practice, nature walks and sharing circles on our ability to extend our compassion to the non-human world.
During the week, the teacher will introduce the Shambhala notion of “dralas”, the benevolent energies that we can connect with in our environment and will offer a panorama of the evolution of ecological thinking, from the Deep Ecology to the Collapse view that is with us today. At the heart of this evolution, we see the growing power of the values of compassion and love.
“The door of Dharma does not close behind us to secure us in a cloistered existence away from the turbulence and suffering of samsara, but it draws us into a life of risk for the sake of all beings….. Our mission is not to escape our world but to fall in love with it. We are meant to do this, for we coexist with the world in a dance where we are constantly discovering and losing ourselves.”
Joanna Macy, “The world as a self, the world as a lover.”
Daily schedule:
7:15 Meditation and body exercises
8:00 Breakfast
9:15 Meditation and exercises
12:30 Lunch in the Meditation Room
3:00 Workshop
7:00 Dinner
8:30 Talks and various activities
We will celebrate New Year’s Eve together.
The retreat will have several components. The morning will be dedicated to meditation and
silence practice, accompanied by instructions, daily Tai Chi exercises and meditative walks in
the park.
The afternoon will be devoted to rituals, talking circles and truth mandalas designed to create
new habits of connection with the phenomenal world and living beings. In the evening, the
teacher’s talks will alternate with a silent practice.
Practical
Arrival day (Monday, December 26): Orientation talk at 8 pm. You’re invited to come from 4 pm in order to register and settle in your room. Dinner is served at 6.45 pm.
End of programme (Sunday, January 1): Closing circle in the evening.
Departure day (Monday, January 2): You may leave anytime (no programme). You’re welcome to stay for lunch.
This programme is taught in French. The program will be translated in English. Request for interpretation in other languages need to be made in advance and confirmed (please indicate your are requesting interpretation on the registration page).
