That Bowl of Silence: A 5-Day Online Silent Retreat

Flyer Saki Retreat 2022.001

 

5 -Day Online Retreat

 

Guided by Saki Santorelli

 

A wealth you cannot imagine

flows through you.

Do not consider what strangers say.

Be secluded in your secret heart-house,

That bowl of silence.  

                                         - Rumi

 

 

Following Rumi’s wise counsel, we’ll inhabit that “bowl of silence” as a way of realizing that the “wealth” we are constantly seeking is already within us. And yet...Embodying this treasure is not without cost. Willingly turning toward and allowing our conditioned sense of separateness to melt away is a great and worthy challenge. Being so, consciously surrendering our self-centeredness asks nothing less of us than a warm, open, and all-embracing desire to unveil the truth and beauty of our lives.   

 

Surrendering to such unveiling is a way of aligning ourselves with the pull of love expressing itself as our determined and patient commitment to awakening. Our love of sincerity and wakefulness sets in motion an alchemical process that has the power to transform us through our commitment to become intimate with life in all its suffering and sorrow, joy, light, and beauty. 

 

Mercifully, we are not alone in this labor of love. In the company of heartfelt companions, the retreat is structured to support you as we join together in a daily schedule of sitting and walking meditation, yoga and movement, morning and evening talks, group and/or individual practice meetings, and brief periods of inquiry.

 

Embedded in silence and infused with the spirit of befriending, this retreat is an invitation to set aside our usual responsibilities and daily routines for the simplicity and spaciousness of silent meditation and wordless prayer. The cultivation of harmonious relationships with self, others, the world, and the infinite is the path we’ll walk. Open to all with prior meditation experience, participation in this retreat requires no adherence to a particular faith tradition. Attendance for the entire retreat is a prerequisite for participation.

 

Date: 29 March - 3 April 2022

 

 

Sponsoring Organization: Ser Integral: Portuguese Center for Mindfulness

 

INSTRUCTOR:

Saki Amsterdam2

Saki F. Santorelli, EdD, MA is an educator, meditation teacher, writer, gardener and pioneer in integrating meditation and mindfulness into medicine, health care, and the broader society. In 2017, he retired as professor of medicine, executive director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, and director of the internationally acclaimed Stress Reduction Clinic – the clinic of origin of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) - at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

His entire forty-year career in medicine and healthcare has been oriented around the integration of mindfulness into public health fueled by an abiding trust in the innate brilliance and nobility of human beings. He has plumbed the nature of the healing relationship by working with thousands of medical patients, educating and mentoring generations of medical students, healthcare professionals, educators, and researchers of mindfulness and MBSR. Through his vision and leadership, the Center for Mindfulness transmitted the ethos, practice, teaching, and science of mindfulness to individuals and organizations around the world.

Saki has been a student in the universal Sufi lineage of Hazrat Inayat Khan for nearly fifty years. In 1980, his teacher, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, suggested he also become a student in the Buddhist insight meditation tradition. He did so. A year later, he met Jon Kabat-Zinn. Blessed with such good fortune, he became Jon’s student. As their decades-long relationship unfolded, they became colleagues, friends, and dharma-brothers transmitting the taste of mindfulness, the fragrance of the heart, and the vision of a grounded, lively contemplative science and education to people around the planet.

Saki teaches, writes, presents workshops, seminars, and leads retreats internationally. He is the author of Heal Thy Self: Lessons on Mindfulness in Medicine now translated into fourteen languages and founder/director of the website and online community, Guest House Awareness.

- READ MORE -

 

 

 

 

SCHEDULE

 

- 29 March, Tuesday -

5.30pm – 7.00pm: Beginning Session

7.00pm – 8.00pm: Meal Break

8.00pm – 9.00pm: Evening Session

 

- 30, 31 March & 1 & 2 April (Wednesday through Saturday) -

7.00am - 8.30am: Guided Meditation Practice

8.30am – 9.45am: Meal Break

9.45am - 10.45pm: Practice Instructions for the Day/Questions and Comments

10.45am– 11.15am: Walk – (Individual Practice Conversation/Interviews – 60 minutes)

11.15am – 12.00pm: Sitting Practice

12.00pm – 12.45pm: Walking Practice

12.45pm – 1.30pm: Sitting Practice

1.30pm – 3.30pm: Meal and Rest

3.30pm – 4.45pm: Sitting Practice

4.45pm – 5.15pm: Walk (Practice Conversation/Interviews – 60 minutes)

5.15pm – 6.15pm: Daily Talk

6.15pm – 7.00pm: Walking Practice

7.00pm – 7.30pm: Silent Sit

7.30pm – 8.30pm: Meal Break

8.30pm – 9.30pm: Evening Session

9.30pm: Good Night

 

- 3 April, Sunday-

8.00am – 9.30am: Sitting Pratice

9.30am - 10.45am: Meal Break

10.45am – 12.45am: Final Session

12.45pm: Closure

 

 

* There will be individual meetings with Saki during the retreat. Scheduling for these individual meetings will take place during the retreat.

 

Time Zone: UTC (London/Lisbon)

Convert to your time zone: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html?iso=20220113T110000&p1=320

 

 

REQUIREMENTS

- You will need to have a quiet space where you will not be interrupted, and which has enough room for you to be able to stand and stretch or lie down for some of the practices 

- Similarly to what happens in a residential retreat you are also expected to refrain from engaging in communication with others as best you can during the retreat. This setting will support the intention of the practice and of the retreat to settle the attention in the present moment

- Participation will be via your computer (Windows Mac or Linux) with interactive audio, video and chat. This online course requires high speed Internet access and it is your responsibility to ensure that you have adequate equipment and Internet connection 

 

- Technical requirements:

  1. High-speed internet connection

  1. Video cam (built-in or external)

  1. Audio microphone (built-in or external)

 

- It is the participant’s responsibility to complete the required technical tests on their computer and to test the Internet connection they will be using throughout the course. For those participants who plan to participate from the workplace, please note that it might be necessary to involve your IT department or consultant to determine how to meet the following technical requirements.

 

Required preparation:

Please complete all the following steps to ensure you can successfully join the online course .

  • Download Zoom (video conference program) by clicking here or by clicking on https://zoom.us/download

  • Click here for a PDF on how to install Zoom

  • Ensure you have operational headphones/earphones – required to limit feedback

  • Test your headphones/earphones with the computer you will be using

  • Test your camera and microphone by clicking here or by clicking on https://zoom.us/test

 

 

TUITION

 

Standard Fee - 450 euros (participants registering in individual name)

 

Concession Fee (Financial Difficulties/Unemployed) - 350 euros

 

Companies: 553,50 euros (Includes 23% VAT)

 

*Payment by CC and Paypal adds the fee for the transaction

 

 

REGISTRATION:

The limit date for registration is the 27th March of 2022. After this date we won’t accept any further registrations.

 

The number of places is limited.

 

To register in the retreat please follow the box below:

 

5-Day Silent Retreat: That Bowl of Silence

 

 

After completing the payment please send an email to geral@serintegral.pt with the name and date of the event you want to register, with the type of accommodation of your choice (double or single) and any details on meal requirements.

 

In the first day of the retreat you will have to pay your accommodation/meals fee directly to Casa da Torre in the total value of de 250 euros.

 

After the reception of your email we will send you a reply confirming your place in the retreat and with information relating to the retreat. If you don't receive our reply please contact us. 

 

CANCELLATION POLICY:

  • If your retreat is canceled until the 1st of February you will receive a full reimbursement of the retreat minus an administration fee of 50 euros plus fee for the international bank transference. After this date we won’t make any reimbursements.
  • If the event is canceled due to an unexpected reason, Ser Integral: Centro Português de Mindfulness, will provide a reimbursement of 100% of the value paid for the retreat, but we won’t be responsible for any other costs (i.e., travelling and accommodation) associated with your participation in the retreat.

 

 

NOTES:
- The retreat will occur with a minimum and maximum number of participants (limited places available). In the eventuality of the retreat not having the minimum registrations established Se Integral: Portuguese Center for Mindfulness will have to cancel the event.

- Please bring confortable clothing, a meditation cushion, yoga mat and blankets for your own comfort in the practice room. Note: we have some material at the retreat center and we can reserve this for some participants on first basis reservation.

- Please bring confortable walking shoes to use on the gardens/forest and you might also be interested in bringing a mosquito repellent.

- The program is subject to minor changes according to the needs met during the retreat.

- The room has bed sheets, towels, blankets, but you should bring all the toiletries that you usually need (e.g., shampoo, soap, etc)

- Individual rooms are limited and they will be offered on first registration basis. The cost of a private room per person is the same as a double room per person.

 

FAQ

Is this retreat accepted as a pre-requisite for the teacher training in mindfulness?

This retreat meets the pre-requisites for the teacher training program in MBSR at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University.

 

I’ve completed the MBSR in a retreat format or 8 week format. Should I expect the same dynamics in this silent retreat?

No, a silent retreat in mindfulness meditation does not follow the same dynamic of an MBSR program. This retreat will have almost no guided meditation practices, in order to help you cultivate the ability to practice in silence. There will be group discussions daily after the morning Dharma talk, and at the beginning and end of the retreat, but no other group discussions.   You will also have the opportunity to meet individually with the teachers throughout the retreat.

 

What do previous participants have to say about their experience on other retreats organized by Ser Integral: Portuguese Center for Mindfulness?

"Thank you so much for organizing this retreat in Braga, it was a true gift for me and I got so much out of it...words cannot even describe. The organization was excellent, I loved the monastery and Paul and Anna were wonderful teachers!" - Myrto Legaki, Greece (2017)

 

"I flew from Denmark and joined a 5-day silent retreat organised by Ser Integral in Porto. The retreat place was perfect and I was very impressed by the genuine care of the organisers. They were truly helpful, professional, attentive and loving throughout the whole event. We stayed in single rooms and having this privacy was very helpful for me to extend deepening the silence. And if you are wondering, the food was great as well!:) I am looking forward to coming back for more retreats." Esen, Denmark (2017)

 

 

 

 

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