Residential Reset Retreat

A Typical Day on Retreat

Whilst the actual schedule will vary from day to day, here you will find a rough guide on what to expect during your retreat. Through guided meditations, internal alchemy, chi kung, yoga breathwork and deep trance shamanic work we will work through the many layers of our energetic make- up, stalking the mis-information that hinders our full expression of life.

7.15 Morning meditation ( optional )
8.00 Breakfast/ Break / Intermittent Fasting
8.45 Opening session. Instructions/ Guided Meditation
9.30 Break
10.00 Yoga /chi kung/ healing movement/ breathwork or Internal Alchemy
11.00 Break
11.30 Healing Meditation
12.45 Lunch/ Rest / Pool Time
3.00 Afternoon healing workshop and meditation
5.00 Break
5.30 Meditation and Chi Kung
18.30 Tea Break
19.30 Evening Discourse
20.30 Closing session/ Loving Kindness
21.15. Rest/ Bedtime by 22.00

Getting to the venue

There are a number of ways to get to the retreat venue from Porto airport. We will provide a Telegram group so you can self-organise your travel with other participants.

1. Car hire - some prefer to drive themselves to and from the airport. Car sharing can help reduce costs.

2. Minibus - can be arranged if enough of you prefer. A time window for arrivals / departures will be suggested so that you can book flights accordingly. Estimated cost estimated €50-€60 return (based on 6 people).

3. Taxi - can be organised if you prefer this. Estimated cost is €150 each way.

4. Buses - can be taken from the airport to the local town, from where taxis can be taken direct to the venue. Bus journey time is between 2-4hrs. Taxi journeytime is about 30mins. Flixbus and Rede are the national bus services.

Retreat Details

• 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 £600 (twin)/ £900 (single)

2. The teachings are a fixed cost of £600 paid directly to Burgs, in advance or if you wish at the retreat venue in cash.

• Cost for Teachings:

As mentioned above, the fixed cost is £600 paid in advance, or 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 4 weeks before the retreat start date.

Please note that all deposits are non-refundable. We do our best to return your deposit if we are able to find someone to take your place.

• 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.

• 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. A rough guide schedule is as follows -

6.15am Wakeup
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, including any wearable tech.

• 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.