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THE LOVE OF LIFE “When we nourish and support our own happiness, we nourish our capacity to love. Therefore, to love means learning the art of nourishing our own well-being.” – Thich Nhat Hahn This Love of life retreat offers you the opportunity to spend time in silence and, together with others, practice loving kindness and compassion for yourself and the world around you. Sometimes our zest for life gets somewhat obscured by various events and circumstances. We are then more concerned with surviving than with living. Often, we cannot change the circumstances, but we can soften our inner attitude and learn to look at ourselves with more compassion and gentleness. We increase our resilience. And as a result, it also becomes easier to enjoy the small, good things that life offers us. We can rediscover our love for life, despite setbacks. Includes additional guided compassion meditations. "Coming home to myself like this gave a very fulfilling feeling. I felt supported. In the group, in the silence, and within myself. Awake and aware. That I am perfectly fine just as I am" - Herma SILENT RETREAT In this five-day Zen retreat, we enter deep silence together. Arriving in the present moment, again and again. We look inward and outward. So that we can come home to ourselves, in every moment, everywhere. In the beautiful rural surroundings of De Maanhoeve in Drenthe. It is a silent retreat with periods of sitting meditation (zazen) alternating with walking meditation (kinhin). Daily, there is a Dharma talk (lecture) by Annetje Jikai, sensei, on compassion, and a session of mindful movement and qigong. Additionally, we will walk mindfully in the beautiful garden together in silence, with all senses open. Silence is central, our fundamental tone. Experience with (zen) meditation and silence is not necessary. Before the retreat you will meet online with the teacher to get to know eachother and discuss how you can prepare for the retreat. MEDITATION We practice zazen together, a meditative practice in the Zen Buddhist tradition. During zazen, we sit on a cushion, bench, or chair, facing the wall, and focus our attention on our posture and breathing. There are 4 to 6 hours of meditation per day. The day is divided into four meditation blocks of 1 hour and 30 minutes each. In these, we alternate between sitting and walking meditation. We sit still for a maximum of 25 minutes at a time. The third meditation session of the day includes an inspiring lecture to inspire and support your meditation. On the first day of the retreat, you will receive extensive instruction on the technique of sitting and walking meditation. MINDFUL MOVEMENT AND QIGONG In the morning, there is a longer session in which we practice calm and mindful movement. Gentle yoga exercises and qigong movements help us care for our body, ground ourselves, and relax. The movement sessions provide important support for sitting in meditation and your inner process. FREE TIME There are periods of free hours during the retreat that you can use to rest and relax. Perhaps you would like to do yoga, go for a walk, write, or read. Or simply be in the beautiful garden. Taking notes and reading are permitted during the retreat, but we encourage you to read only material related to meditation. ABOUT NOBLE SILENCE This is a SILENT MEDITATION retreat, which means that we will meditate a lot together during this period and observe the silence. It is important that everyone understands and adheres to this non-negotiable and essential part of our retreat: maintaining what the Buddha called Noble Silence. Therefore, please bear in mind that observing the silence is required of everyone.

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Venue

De Maanhoeve

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At the Maanhoeve, you can take a break. Step back from everyday life. Perhaps you want to move away from your head a bit and live more from feeling and connection. Or maybe you want to explore something that constantly demands your attention. De Maanhoeve provides a solid and loving foundation for teachers, trainers, and participants who wish to pay attention to their ' inner world '. Here, you are welcome to further explore, pay attention to, reflect upon, or practice being with everything that can be experienced within you. You can do this with us from one of the many perspectives available. That is why there is also a diversity of retreats at De Maanhoeve. For example, retreats in the fields of Yoga, Vipassana, Zen meditation, A Course in Miracles, Awareness, Breathwork, and more …

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Yoga Studio

Garden

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Meals

Meals provided

Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

Diets catered

Vegan · Vegetarian · Gluten-free · Dairy-free · Nut Allergy Friendly · Diabetic Friendly · Organic

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided every day. Fruit, tea and snacks are also available throughout the day. All food provided is prepared with love by the chef at De Maanhoeve. A large portion of the food comes from their organic garden or is locally produced. The meals are vegetarian. Dietary requirements and allergies can be communicated.

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