Schedule

A Day of Gentle Awareness and Inner Revitalisation Nature is not a backdrop for this retreat — it is a quiet teacher, a regulator, and a companion. 9:00 – 9:30 | Arrival, Orientation & Sensing the Land Participants arrive and settle into the retreat space. The day opens with a gentle land acknowledgement and an invitation to orient not only to the group, but to place — noticing light, temperature, sounds, wind, and the quality of the land. Trauma-aware principles are introduced: choice, pacing, permission to move, rest, or step outside as needed. Silence is gently invited. 9:30 – 10:15 | Guided Insight Meditation: Rooting in the Body A guided sitting practice (indoors or outdoors) focused on breath, body, and contact with the earth. Participants are invited to sense gravity, support, and stability — allowing the body to settle in relationship with the natural environment. Emphasis is on safety, gentleness, and letting awareness arise rather than striving. 10:15 – 10:35 | Nature-Based Walking Meditation Slow walking meditation on natural ground. Attention moves between the feet, the body in motion, and the surrounding landscape — sounds, birds, leaves, sky. Participants are encouraged to allow nature to hold awareness rather than efforting to “do” meditation. 10:35 – 10:55 | Morning Tea (Silent, Outdoors if Possible) A quiet, mindful break. Participants are invited to eat slowly, noticing sensory experience while remaining in silence. 10:55 – 11:30 | Teaching: Nature as a Mirror for Insight A short, accessible teaching on Insight Meditation, using nature as metaphor and guide: impermanence reflected in weather, movement, growth, the mind and consciousness Includes gentle inquiry: What does nature reveal about my inner world right now? 11:30 – 12:15 | Seated Insight Practice: Awareness in Relationship A longer sitting meditation with options for posture, eyes open, or soft gaze into the natural world. Participants are supported to observe thoughts, sensations, and emotions while remaining resourced by the environment. 12:15 – 1:15 | Mindful Lunch & Time on the Land Lunch is taken mindfully, mostly in silence. After eating, participants may: sit under trees walk slowly journal rest Nature becomes a co-regulator, allowing insight to integrate organically. 1:15 – 1:45 | Restorative Pause: Letting the Nervous System Settle Unstructured time for rest, gentle movement, or quiet solitude. Participants are explicitly encouraged to listen to their bodies and follow what feels nourishing. A time to journal insights 1:45 – 2:30 | Guided Insight Practice: Emotions, Belonging & the Natural World A trauma-sensitive meditation focused on emotions as natural phenomena. We will explore how emotions arise, move, and resolve — Nature narratives for healing and inspiration 2:30 – 2:50 | Afternoon Tea (Silent) 2:50 – 3:30 | Embodied Awareness in Nature 4:15 – 4:45 | Closing Meditation: Carrying Insight Back into Life A final guided meditation focused on integration — how awareness cultivated today can continue in daily life, relationships, work, and self-care. Nature is honoured as an ongoing ally beyond the retreat. More than a metaphor Nature provides deep healing and inspiration 4:45 – 5:00 | Closing Circle & Departure