Calendar of upcoming events and retreats

Seeing things differently with Mark Ovland

When life is so full and seems to demand so much from us all the time, where and how can we find peace? Is it even possible, without escaping into a convent or up a mountain?

Equanimity: Dancing with Uncontrollable Life with Stephen Fulder

The last words of the Buddha to his disciples as they gathered to say goodbye included:  ‘Be an island to yourself’. This sense of autonomy, quiet and steadiness are certainly needed in times of uncertainty, anxiety, conflict and difficulty. But how can we stay quiet and yet speak our voice and go out and make change in the world?

Ground, body, breath, space – the art of knowing support with Kirsten Kratz

During our day together we will explore creative ways to perceive ground, body, breath, space and gesture as possible resources, as means to support, hold and nourish us in our practice and in life.

Love in the time of extinction: dharma practice, non-violent civil disobedience and Extinction Rebellion

Love in the time of extinction: dharma practice, non-violent civil disobedience and Extinction Rebellion. How practices of awakening and compassion converge with conscientiously choosing to break the law in the face of the climate emergency. A talk by Yanai Postelnik.

Table Mountain & Pen Cerrig-Calch, Black Mountains Sunday 5th May

This 6-mile walk climbs northwards from the centre of Crickhowell (near Abergavenny) to the flat-topped summit of Table Mountain, crowned with an Iron Age fort. Continued…….

The heart of mindfulness with John Peacock

Metta is both the literal and metaphorical ‘heart’ of mindfulness. Without Metta at its heart, mindfulness can fall into being the mere practice of attention with a ‘cold’ contemplation of what we discover in experience. The presence of Metta within the practice of mindfulness turns it into a caring practice.

Sangha Walk – North Stoke & Kelston Round Hill

This 3-4 mile walk starts from the picturesque village of North Stoke between Bitton and Kelston on the A431 from Bristol to Bath. Taking a footpath behind the church we head uphill to join The Cotswold Way and then head south towards Kelston Round Hill, taking in the fantastic view at Prospect Stile…….Continued

Sangha Walk – Gray Hill & Wentwood Forest

The next Bristol Insight sangha walk will be a circular 3–4 mile walk up and around Gray Hill (near Caerwent, Monmouthsire) on Sunday 4th August. Gray Hill stands next to Wentwood Reservoir (near Caerwent, Monmouthshire) and the top of the hill offers excellent views of the Severn Estuary and surrounding countryside including the Brecon Beacons, and is a good spot for kite flying. This is a 2 hour walk at a gentle pace, with one brief but steep ascent of Gray Hill…..Cont.

A Path of wisdom and love with Jake Dartington

In this silent day retreat we will explore our potential to bring wise and loving responses to each moment in our lives. Through sitting and walking meditation, we will learn ways to respond creatively to the obstacles that appear to block our capacity to live in a wise and loving way.  We will explore what it means to bring these beautiful qualities to our meditation practice and to our everyday lives. 

Bath Skyline Walk

The next Bristol Insight Sangha Walk will be the Bath Skyline Walk, led by Lee Coombes, on Sunday 22nd September.

“Only a short stroll from the city centre, enter another world, onto the skyline hills above Bath and beyond, through 6 miles of meadows and ancient woodlands to secluded valleys.”

The walk is about 6 miles and should take about 4 hours at a gentle pace……….Cont.

Dharma for our times with Suvaco

This daylong retreat offers the chance to develop practices that move towards a recognition of the systemic levels of suffering we co-create. We will explore how Dharma-based perspectives and practices can inform and resource life-affirming action in these times of great ecological destruction. We will develop the deep resources of courage, insight, clarity and emotional resilience……Cont.

Sangha Walk – Twyn-y-Gaer Hillfort, Black Mountains

The next Bristol Insight sangha walk will be a circular 5 mile walk taking in the Twyn-y-Gaer Hillfort (near Cwmyoy) in the Black Mountains, led by Gordon on Sunday 27th October.
“From the car park, a steady ascent leads to a wooded promenade along the southern side of the Vale of Ewyas. An Iron Age fort caps the summit of Twyn-y-Gaer, with panoramic views over three valleys Cont……

Sangha Walk – Bradford-on-Avon to Bath – Saturday 14th December

This is a lovely, virtually completely flat, 8 mile walk from Bradford-on-Avon to Bath, following the tranquil and idyllic Kennet and Avon Canal. Walking time will be about 3-4 hours, with a break for lunch at The George Inn at Bathampton. Cont……

Wild perception: Ways of looking and listening, that open the heart, call forth the sacred and restore a sense of ground in a chaotic world. Julia Wallond and Andrea Hosfeld

On this day we will introduce and cultivate a variety of ways of looking and listening that deepen, enliven and open up our relationship with ourselves and the Earth. We will be playing with practices that build on mindfulness of the body while exploring how views, held lightly, can create a sense of meaning and purpose in our times.