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Programme Calendar

With a château and farm buildings nestled among grand trees on peaceful cow-grazed meadows, with views over our lake and to a wide horizon, Dechen Chöling provides an ideal environment for meditation, yoga, retreats, and study. We are dedicated to hosting authentic lineage teachers whose teachings can have a positive impact on your well-being and personal development, and help create a kinder, saner world. We invite you to participate in our programmes, schedule some time for your personal retreat and renewal, and enjoy the serenity of this place.

NOTE: Find our regular online practice offerings here!


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Spring  |  Summer  | Autumn  | Winter

  • April

    • Smile at Fear

      With: Barbara Märtens, John Rockwell

      Ten days to reconnect with your heart and move beyond fear, using ancient Shambhala and Buddhist teachings. Open to all!

       

    • Let us shine Dechen Chöling

      Come and join us for a week of volunteer work at Dechen Chöling to help prepare our beautiful center for the season ahead. Together, we’ll celebrate the arrival of spring by rolling up our sleeves and bringing out the best in Dechen Chöling.

       

      • Kado-Ikebana: 5-day course

        With: Marcia Shibata

        This course includes the Kado-Ikebana two-day programme, adding an extra three days to deepen your practice.

         

      • May

        • Kado-Ikebana: A two-day introduction

          With: Marcia Shibata

          A two-day programme open to all. Discover the Way of Flowers through the contemplative floral practice of Kado-Ikebana! No experience or equipment necessary.

           

        • Traditional Chinese Qigong Retreat • Levels 1 & 2

          With: Damien Sauvezie

          Cultivate strength of body and calmness of mind through the practice of Qigong as presented by two distinct Taoist schools. Open to all. Taught in French.

           

          • Combined Qigong programme: Exploring Energetic Terrain AND Stoking the Warrior and Scholar Fire

            With: Eva Wong

            Register here if you would like to attend both programmes!

             

            • Exploring Energetic Terrain

              With: Eva Wong

              This programme is open to all who have completed Qigong levels 1 & 2. It is also required for graduates of Level 6 before continuing to Level 7.

               

              • Stoking the Scholar and Warrior Fire

                With: Eva Wong

                This programme is only open to advanced students of Eva Wong (graduates of Level 6) and a pre-requisite to Qi Gong Level 7.

                 

                • Diamond Sky Dancer – Vajrayogini Retreat

                  With: Sarah Coleman, Lama Brian Hilliard

                  A 10-day retreat for advanced Vajrayana practitioners (see prerequisites below).

                   

                • June

                  • Abiding in Peace: A meditation retreat for all

                    With: David Hope

                    Discover the art of meditation in the serene beauty of Dechen Chöling. This retreat is designed especially for beginners, offering a gentle introduction to mindfulness, contemplation, and cultivating our innate wisdom.

                     

                  • This Sacred Earth: An Engaged Eco-Dharma Gathering

                    With: Adam Lobel, Alex Swain, Ilaj Zaremba, Gee Guyapati

                    Honouring the creative tension between self transformation and ecological engagement as a catalyst for liberation.

                     

                  • July

                    • Buddhist Foundational Studies: A Buddhist Studies Retreat

                      With: Otto Pichlhoefer, Tessa Racine

                      The mind is the working basis for meditative practice. This one-week retreat introduces fundamental Buddhist teachings on mind, consciousness, and the development of wisdom through meditation and study.

                       

                    • Festival of the Shambhala Terma

                      With: Daniele Bollini, Alfonso Taboada, Sabine Rolf, Eve Rosenthal

                      Join us in a celebration of the precious and profound teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Let us celebrate our profound teachings and strengthen our confidence in contributing to the world in these challenging times.

                       

                      • Kyudo: The Way of the Bow – Combined

                        With: Max Baltin, Kanjuro Shibata Sensei XXI

                        Instructor training for Kyudo practitioners combining the advanced and public programs led by Onyumishi Kanjuro Shibata XXI, Sensei.

                         

                        • Kyudo: The Way of the Bow – Advanced

                          With: Kanjuro Shibata Sensei XXI

                          Instructor training for advanced Kyudo practitioners. The programme will be led by Onyumishi Kanjuro Shibata XXI, Sensei.

                           

                          • Family and Community Camp

                            With: Sophie Maclaren

                            For families, single parents, and children aged from 3 to 10. Activities for children are organized in the mornings, giving adults the opportunity to meditate, read or just relax.

                             

                            • Shambhala Sun Camp

                              Sun Camp is an outdoor, sleep-away summer camp for children aged 10-16. A whole week of offline fun, it's a chance to make friends from around the world while learning to take responsibility for oneself and one's world in a gentle and playful environment.

                               

                              • Kyudo: The Way of the Bow – Open to all

                                With: Kanjuro Shibata Sensei XXI

                                Open to all - a living tradition of contemplative archery.

                                 

                              • August

                                • Abiding in Peace: A meditation retreat for all

                                  With: Valérie Limon, Adrienne Chang

                                  Discover the art of meditation in the serene beauty of Dechen Chöling. This retreat is designed especially for beginners, offering a gentle introduction to mindfulness, contemplation, and cultivating our innate wisdom.

                                   

                                • Aikido and Mindfulness

                                  With: Ivan Tröscher, Jörg Kretzschmar

                                  In this program we will bring together the living Warrior traditions from the lineage of Aikido practitioners with the Shambhala Warrior culture brought to the west by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Join us for this unique offering.

                                   

                                • September

                                  • The Healing Power of the Mind – How to Transform Suffering into Strength (ONLAND)

                                    With: Alain Beauregard

                                    During this retreat, we will delve into the journey of healing from both a spiritual and emotional viewpoint, drawing on Alain's personal experience of overcoming terminal cancer. How can our mind support our own healing?

                                     

                                    • Traditional Chinese Qigong Retreat • Level 3

                                      With: Ute Schneider

                                      Cultivate strength of body and calmness of mind through the practice of qigong as presented by two distinct Taoist schools. Prerequisite Level 1 & 2

                                       

                                      • Kado-Ikebana Instructor Training 2025

                                        With: Marcia Shibata

                                        This teacher’s training continues to cultivate a mind/heart that is always open. The programme is by invitation only.

                                         

                                      • October

                                        • Maitri: The Five Wisdoms and interpersonal relationships

                                          With: Tessa Racine

                                          An exploration of how the Tibetan Buddhist teachings on the Five Wisdoms can be put into practice in all our interpersonal relationships. Open to all, no meditation experience necessary. Offered in French only.

                                           

                                          • Silent Mindfulness Retreat

                                            With: Mathias Pongracz

                                            Open to all who are ready to commit to a transformative week of mindfulness in silence.

                                             

                                            • Discover Lucid Dreaming

                                              With: Robert Eckstein

                                              In this immersive lucid dreaming retreat join us for the experience how to transform the third of our lives that we spend asleep by learning how to dream lucidly and develop a nocturnal practice. Open to all!

                                               

                                            • November

                                              • Anchoring in wakeful presence of body and mind

                                                With: Barbara Märtens, Friederike Tröscher

                                                Join us for an exploration of mindfulness and awareness through simple meditation and movement practices from the traditions of Body-Mind Centering® and Shambhala Buddhism. Open to all.