5 Day Heart-Opening Silent Meditation Retreat in Saint-Just-d'Avray, Beaujolais

Facilities

This program aims to create an experience resembling a solitary retreat, as in a cave, in order to provide the opportunity to reach deep states of consciousness, kindle intense aspiration for the divine, and arrive at the highly focused interiorization that enables the opening of the heart.

During this retreat, you will be skillfully guided to a penetrating understanding in which the search for meaning ends in surrender to the domain of revelation. No previous meditation or yoga experience is necessary as this retreat is designed for beginners and advanced meditators alike.

The atmosphere will be one of agape and strong spiritual support. During the retreat, you will learn methods for meditation encompassing, but not limited to, the unity of consciousness and Advaita Vedanta (non-duality). This leads to the self-discovery of the spiritual heart.

The system of meditation will focus on the self-inquiry method developed by Ramana Maharshi, as well as other complementary meditations and prayers. They aim to inform you about the practical and theoretical aspects of this methodology, allowing ample opportunities to directly put it into practice. In doing so, they hope that you will understand the underlying principles and value the purpose of meditation. Thus, reaping immediate benefits and coming to love meditation as an essential part of your life. An orientation session is held at 5 p.m. on the day prior to the retreat.

During this session, the retreat rules and special guidelines will be explained and a forum will be provided for any questions. In addition to administrative details, the orientation session will feature a lecture that explores some of the definitions and esoteric aspects of the retreat methods and will end with a meditation practice.

Attendance to the orientation session is mandatory for all participants. The meeting may last up to three hours, so please plan accordingly. This retreat includes guided meditation, lectures, and practical methods such as:

• Techniques for stilling the mind using breath awareness
• The symbolism of the spiritual heart
• Methods of self-centering in everyday life
• How to maintain awareness of the spiritual heart, in the tradition of the fathers and mothers of the desert (from Christianity)
• The Christian prayer of the heart
• Advaita Vedanta’s fundamental principles
• Daily themed meditations related to self-awareness
• Poetry
• Hatha yoga sessions
• Contemplation of death as a way of transcending desires and ego tendencies
• A lecture on the meaning of true love

Check-in and checkout information

The retreat begins at 7 a.m. on the day after arrival and ends at approximately 9 p.m. on the evening before departure. Check-in is available from 2 p.m. on the day of arrival. They ask that you arrive by 5 p.m. to get settled into your accommodations prior to the orientation session at 5 p.m. Checkout is at 10 a.m. on the day of departure.

Sample daily schedule

• 07:00 - 09:00 Meditation practice
• 09:00 - 09:45 Breakfast
• 09:45 - 11:00 Relevant lecture teaching
• 11:00 - 12:30 Hatha yoga session
• 12:30 - 13:00 Meditation
• 13:00 - 15:30 Lunch and rest
• 15:30 - 18:00 Meditation practice
• 18:00 - 18:30 Individual practice of Hatha yoga or other techniques
• 18:30 - 19:15 Dinner
• 19:15 - 20:30 Daily themed spiritual discourse plus question and answer session
• 20:30 - 21:30 Final evening meditation

Retreat guidelines

• Attendance at all retreat sessions
• Gender segregation
• Modest dress
• No reading except for the provided retreat booklet
• No smoking or use of drugs or alcohol
• No use of electronics, mobile phones, internet, or other devices
• Noble silence (no speaking throughout the entire retreat)
• Sexual abstinence

• 4 nights' accommodation
• 1 daily yoga class
• 3 daily meditation practices
• 3 daily vegan meals
• Daily relevant lecture teachings
• Daily themed spiritual discourse
• 10% - 20% VAT

• Additional activities
• Additional meals
• Airfare
• Airport transfers
• Personal expenses

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• A reservation requires a deposit of 14% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
• The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.