Autumn Equinox Retreat : Creating Balance in Your Life

This 5-day retreat will be in the stunning natural environment of St Martin's Island, which lies surrounded by the Otago harbour and peninsula. https://quarantineisland.org.nz/index.php/about-us/st-martin-lodge/

Set at the Autumn Equinox, a time when night and day are in balance, it proposes silence to foster inner work and immersion with nature, and also gives time for doing directed activities to enhance connections with others.

So for half the day, from the end of the evening meditation to lunchtime, there will be silence. Then for the other half, from lunchtime until bedtime, there will be more talking and dialogue.

There will be yummy vegetarian food, with the choice of vegan/gluten free option on request, provided by our amazing, local Dunedin chef, Hagar Ozri. https://www.hagarozri.co.nz/

Participants will be provided with a journal and materials to write, draw or paint their retreat if they wish. Each person will be asked to bring a picture/statue/rock/flower/poem to put on a shrine table.

After the retreat there will be an opportunity to continue meeting fortnightly through zoom to meditate together and share successes, failures,insights and skilful means.

• This retreat is suitable for experienced mindfulness practitioners and those new to mindfulness and meditation. Meditation instructions will be given by Kovido and Eric.

• People desiring to create balance in their lives

• Those under stress who need a deeply restful break away from it all

• People who feel that they can't meditate

• Individuals seeking clarity about their lives, asking themselves, "Is this the life I want?" or "How can I enjoy life better?"

• People wanting to quieten their busy minds and develop a kinder relationship with themselves

• People at a junction in their lives who want to contemplate the way forward

• People wanting to spend 5 days in a stunning natural environment, benefiting from daily mindfulness and gentle physical activities

• Individuals seeking peace and quiet, but also wanting meaningful connections with others

Kovido has over 40 years experience in mindfulness and meditation and spent 10 years training as a Buddhist Monk, in the Thai Forest Tradition, under Ajahn Sumedho.

He has been teaching Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programmes since 1996. He is a certified teacher and coach with Mindfulness Works whose courses he has taught for 10 years. He is co-facilitator of the Dunedin Men’s group and is a Hakomi Graduate.

Although his training is primarily Buddhist he is very eclectic, drawing on the wisdom of many different traditions and contemporary teachers including Rumi, Osho, Ajahn Chah, Ram Dass, Jeff Foster and Thich Naht Hanh. Probably his greatest teachers have been his two foster children, Mason and Savannah, who could take him from love, joy, delight to rage and frustration and despair on a daily basis.

For many many years, Kovido tried to get enlightened, improve himself, get better at meditation but constantly failed. Gradually his focus has changed to more self-acceptance, trusting his own intuition and being with life as it is on this wonder-full and mysterious journey as a human being.

Recently he walked the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route in Northern Spain, which has greatly affected his attitude to meditation practice and life.

Eric’s journey of self-discovery began more than 30 years ago during a backpacking trip in Western Canada. There, he felt a profound connection with nature and the people he encountered. This experience led him to explore meditation and mysticism through the Rosicrucian Order Amorc for about five years.

Life’s responsibilities shifted his focus when he started a family and embarked on a corporate career. Having climbed the ladder of professional success, Eric understands the pressures and stresses of working in competitive and often toxic environments. Ten years ago, he decided to leave the corporate world to spend more time with his young family. This experience gave him first hand insight into the challenges of raising children and managing a household.

In Canada, where he is from, Eric embraced teaching functional fitness in nature as a Movnat Certified Trainer and Personal Trainer Specialist. Although he no longer operates this business since relocating to New Zealand, he continues to train in Dunedin’s urban bush twice a week, sharing his passion with friends.

Currently, Eric's days are filled with making pavlovas at a local manufacturer, while his evenings are dedicated to teaching mindfulness. His discovery and immersion into mindfulness meditation culminated in obtaining a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certificate from renowned instructors Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, through the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California Berkeley and Sounds True.

Eric offers mindfulness courses, day-retreats, and monthly Mindfulness Nature Walks around Dunedin. He finds joy in guiding others on their paths of self-discovery and is eager to share the benefits of mindfulness with anyone keen to seek within.

Hagar came to New Zealand in 1989 and started a family at the age of 24, she lived in Coromandel Town before moving to Dunedin in 2005. She has four adult children and one grandson.

Since 1998 she had been working as a chef for 25 years, and had always been a health advocate, passionate about all things natural and healing with food which made it very difficult to work in the hospitality industry… So in 2010 she started her own Plant-Based catering business cooking for people who have special dietary requirements, she runs plant-based cooking classes in Dunedin and Wellington teaching how to cook and eat simply with seasonal and local ingredients, cooking for private clients who experience chronic conditions and also catering for retreats and events.

Besides cooking clean food and gardening, she loves dance and music and shares that passion in monthly gigs, in Dunedin as DJ "The Yemenite" spinning vintage Reggae Vinyl records.

Friday 21st March

• 5.00pm Meet at Back Beach to catch ferry to St Martin's Island
• 5.30pm Register, settle in and have some scrumptious soup and bread
• 7.30pm Welcome and formal start to retreat
• 8.30pm Silence starts and free time/ sleep

Saturday to 22nd March to Tuesday 25th March

• 7.15am Sunrise meditation with deep breathing and gentle movement guided by Eric
• 8.00am Yoga Nidra with Kovido
• 8.30am Hearty Vegetarian Breakfast and free time
• 10.00am Karma yoga; caring for the St, Martins Island's natural environment, helping to prepare meals and looking after the retreat space.
• 11.30am Guided Sitting meditation
• 12.00pm Walking meditation
• 12.30pm Silence ends
• Lovingly Prepared Lunch and free time/rest
• 2.30 pm Dialogue meditations and discussions on meaningful connections, with oneself and others, led by Kovido and Eric.
• 4.30pm Osho Movement Meditation
• 5.30pm A light meal of soup, bread and fruit
• 7.15pm Sunset meditation and nature walk with Eric
• 8.00pm Evening talk, meditation and discussion

Wednesday 26th March

• 7.15am Sunrise meditation with deep breathing and gentle movement guided by Eric
• 8.00am Yoga Nidra with Kovido
• 8.30am Hearty Vegetarian Breakfast
• 9.30am Karma yoga; caring for the St, Martins Island's natural environment, helping to prepare meals and looking after the retreat space.
• 11.00am Guided Sitting meditation
• 11.30am Walking meditation
• 12.00pm Finishing ceremony
• 1 pm Lovingly Prepared Lunch and free time/rest
• 2pm clearing up
• 3 pm Ferry back to Port Chalmers

N.B. Although there is a daily schedule, except for Karma Yoga and Dialogue meditations, you can choose what you want to do. For instance if you are tired you can stay in bed. Or you might want to do some yoga or go for a walk. This is to encourage you to feel relaxed and trust your intuition, two of the key elements of meditation.

Accommodation will be dormitory style with one female dormitory and one mixed dormitory depending on numbers. Please bring your own:-

• sleeping bag/duvet/pillow case and ear plugs
• clothes and shoes/boots for outdoors and clothes and slippers for indoors.
• Yoga or sleeping mat, blanket. Cushion or kneeling rest for meditation( there will be chairs available too.)
• Also bring something of significance to you to put on the shrine ie a picture, statue, stone, poem etc

On this retreat we will ask you to do the following:-

Refrain from taking drugs or alcohol (prescribed medicines excluded). However we will still allow coffee and tea so bring your favourite brews. Coffee,milk/plant milk, tea and herb teas will be provided.

Turn off your cell phone and keep reading to a minimum

As we will be doing many activities outside we ask you to accept responsibility for your own safety and well-being. You are free at any time to say the magic words, “No I don't want to do that”

General $925, Early bird, by 31st Jan, $825, Unwaged $725

For further info contact Kovido at 027 357 2884 or [email protected]

Photos from Kovido Maddick and St Martins Island website

Host or Publisher Kovido Maddick