Internal Alchemy &
Connecting to the Sacred Retreat

• The cost of retreat venues has gone up considerably since we last ran a retreat, but we have done our best to keep the prices down as much as we can. 
   The cost of your retreat is broken into two parts.

1. To book accommodation and food for the retreat, the cost is £500 (twin share) or £750 (single)

2. The teachings are offered on a suggested donation of £300 paid in advance, or if you wish a donation at your discretion paid on retreat in cash.

• Donation for Teachings:

As mentioned above, the suggested donation is £300 paid in advance, or a donation at your discretion if made in person on retreat.

• Paying a deposit:

If you choose to pay a deposit and pay the remaining cost of the retreat before the retreat start, we ask that you pay the full amount by the 1st March 2024.

Please note that deposits are non-refundable.

• Cancellation Policy:

If you wish to cancel your retreat, please email us as soon as possible. We do ask that you give us as much notice as is possible.

If you cancel your retreat, we will refund you the advanced donation for the teachings you might have made, regardless of when you cancel.

If you cancel your retreat outside of 4 weeks of the published start date, there will be a 50% cancellation fee applied to your accommodation (venue) payment.

If you cancel your retreat within 4 weeks of the event, you are eligible to pay for the whole cost of the retreat, ie. 100% cancellation fee.

• Concessionary Rates:

We do our best to try and support those who really are in financial difficulty. We are currently looking at ways in which to do this, such as a possible bursary to provide subsidised places on retreat. More information on this will be available in the coming months. In the meantime we do our best to keep retreat costs as low as possible.

• The guided meditation sessions on retreat generally start at 30minutes, building up to 30 – 40 minutes.

• Regular breaks are given between sessions to support the healing process.

• There will be at least one guided exercise sessions each day, along with a 2 hour lunch break to enjoy walking outside or to have a nice afternoon rest.

• Meditation sessions are guided by Burgs (or on occasion one of his assistants).

• These sessions are supported by regular discourses which help clarify and explain the process and practice of meditation and the deeper aspects of healing.

• There are regular opportunities to ask Burgs questions as needed to clarify the practices being taught.

• Instructions are always repeated throughout the day so there’s no need to remember anything during the week.

6.45am Morning Meditation (unguided) and chanting
7.30am Breakfast
8.30am Morning session (instructions for the day and meditations)
11.30am Exercise session (chi kung / yoga)
12.30pm Lunch
2.30pm Afternoon session (clarifying discourses and meditations)
5.30pm Exercise session (chi kung / yoga)
6.30pm Soup
7.30pm Evening Discourse and Loving Kindness Meditation (generally of a motivational and inspirational nature)
8.30pm Bedtime

The basis for the successful practice of meditation is sīla (virtuous / moral conduct). It is extremely difficult to develop Strong Concentration (samadhi) and Insight / Wisdom (panna) while our mind is unrestrained and disorganised.

• When the Buddha taught meditation he suggested that those hoping to make real progress adhere to a simple code of conduct that would support this endeavour. While on retreat we will likewise follow these same guidelines.

• It is our aim to offer retreats which enable the student to develop and deepen their practice in the most supported environment possible. As such, each student is asked to observe a few simple rules so that they may get the most out of their time on retreat.

• The basic tenets with which we ask you to follow are:

– To abstain from killing any living being.
All meals will be vegetarian during the week.

– To abstain from taking what is not given.
All basic requirements will be provided for during your stay such as food.

– To abstain from sexual activity.
Male and female students will have separate rooms for sleeping accommodation during the retreat.

– To abstain from untruthfulness.
Noble silence will be observed for 6 days of the retreat.

– To abstain from all intoxicants.
No smoking, alcohol or other drugs use will be permitted. Please inform us of any prescribed drugs you will be using whilst on retreat.

Noble Silence is a key aspects to your retreat. It is the foundation on which your meditation practice and progress will be built upon.

• It is a key part of this experience and will be maintained for 6 days of the retreat. The final afternoon on the last full day will be an opportunity to slowly start to come out of retreat mode.

• Although many people find the idea of remaining silent quite daunting at first, almost all find that it adds considerably to the whole experience of being on retreat.

• The main benefit of this practice is to allow the internal mindfulness of the student to develop over the week allowing them to be undistracted during their retreat.

• There will be opportunities to ask questions and seek clarification from the teacher or any of his assistants at appropriate times. It is not considered to be breaking your silence to seek clarification on what you are being asked to do.

Below are some aspects of Noble Silence we ask you to follow:

• Handing in Mobile Phones and other technology. All participants are asked to hand in their mobile phones at the start of the retreat (after supper on arrival day). This also includes smart watches, laptops, ipads and other tech devices you might have.

• To be secluded from your daily life for a whole week allows you to fully engage with the teachings being shared in an undistracted way.

• If there is a need to be contactable due to special circumstances such as family illness, then please use the emergency phone number provided. Please discuss this with an assistant upon arrival.

• No talking to or distracting of other students. Many people find it hard to take time away from their busy lives to attend retreat. If you feel you are struggling with the silence then you can always speak to one of the assistants who can help you with this.

• No reading. No note taking. No writing diaries or journals. All these activities engages the mind which undermines the process you will be engaging with during the week. There will be an opportunity to make notes and write in your diaries once we have broken silence on day 6.

• No physical contact with anyone is permitted as this disturbs all parties involved.

• Eye contact should be avoided within reason. Seeking to distract people while on your retreat is something that we advise against as this disturbs both you and the other person(s) involved.

Our retreats do get booked quickly so it’s a good idea to book as soon as you can.

• If however you find that the retreat is already full, then it is a good idea to get onto the waiting list (via email contact).

• We do usually get a few last minute cancellations and people transferring to other retreats, so you might find that we can offer you a place on the retreat of your choice.

• This is particularly applicable to those of you who can make arrangements at short notice.

• You will still need to complete the booking process (pay for retreat place and accommodation ) when a space becomes available.

• The venue is about 2hrs (car) or 4hrs (bus) journey from Porto. Buses run each day to the local towns, where a taxi can be taken to the venue. Please make sure you plan your journey correctly to arrive on time. We can provide taxi numbers if necessary.

• Alternatively you may wish to hire a car and drive. We do encourage lift sharing where possible. We will create a group chat which you can use to help organise yourselves.