Programs
Solitary Retreat Chalet
Package Dates
Periods of solitude, meditation and reflection have always been a part of the Buddhist tradition. For this purpose Rivendell has a separate chalet in its own secluded part of the grounds with its own access. The chalet provides an ideal safe environment for a first solitary retreat. The chalet sleeps one and comes equipped with […]
Yoga & Meditation Weekend
With Vidyadasa and Lokadhi
January 9 - 11, 2026
Vidyadasa and Lokadhī are delighted to welcome you to share yoga and mindfulness meditation weekend at Rivendell: mindful hatha yoga sessions - deep sensing and exploring of body-mind and reflective embodied/psychological inquiry of Embodied Yoga.
FOR PEOPLE WITH SOME EXPERIENCE of YOGA & MEDITATION.
Introductory Weekend to Buddhist Meditation 1 - January
With Amalabandhu
January 16 - 18, 2026
These very popular weekends help people to learn Buddhist meditation and find out a little about Buddhism. Enjoy the company of others in a positive, friendly space away from the usual distractions, allowing you to connect with yourself and others at a deeper level.
A structured programme with guidance in two traditional Buddhist meditations: the "mindfulness of breathing", to develop a calm and focused mind, and the "development of loving kindness", which encourages emotional positivity.
INTRODUCTORY RETREAT
Introductory Weekend to Buddhist Meditation 2 - January
January 23 - 25, 2026
These very popular weekends help people to learn Buddhist meditation and find out a little about Buddhism. Enjoy the company of others in a positive, friendly space away from the usual distractions, allowing you to connect with yourself and others at a deeper level.
A structured programme with guidance in two traditional Buddhist meditations: the "mindfulness of breathing", to develop a calm and focused mind, and the "development of loving kindness", which encourages emotional positivity.
INTRODUCTORY RETREAT
Women's Regional Order Weekend - January 2026
January 30 - February 1, 2026
FOR TRIRATNA BUDDHIST ORDER MEMBERS ONLY
Emptiness and the Heart Sutra
With Tejananda
February 6 - 13, 2026
“Form is only emptiness, emptiness only form” - The Heart Sutra is one of the most well-known and loved of all Buddhist texts.
Whatever could practising this involve?
Going deeper, we’ll open to our direct experience of the body, senses and skandhas.
We’ll begin to discover how the emptiness teaching of the Heart Sutra can compassionately awaken us to our deepest nature, Prajñāpāramitā, from which we are never truly apart.
TRIRATNA INTENSIVE for regular meditators with 2 years+ experience of retreats, centres or groups.
A heart that is wild and spacious
With Jayachitta and Arthaketu
February 13 - 20, 2026
Can we maintain an open heart in a world that frequently feels harsh, painful, and hard? Practicing loving kindness, we engage with everyone we encounter in the world, growing ever more open. We are encouraged to dive below our familiar identities and to meet the world directly: we have to keep it real. Are we brave enough to venture into the exciting wilderness of our own hearts?
INTRODUCTORY For people new to retreats or regular meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.
Men's Regional Order Weekend - Feb 2026
February 27 - March 1, 2026
FOR TRIRATNA BUDDHIST ORDER MEMBERS ONLY
This Very Body
With Paramananda and Nagasiddhi
March 6 - 13, 2026
“This very body, the dharma body. The dharma body, the whole of the world”, Dogen.
On this retreat, we will foster an intimate and loving relationship with our own moment to moment experience of ourselves, paying particular attention to noticing that our bodies are naturally extended into the world and can provide us with a direct experience of non-separation from this world.
TRIRATNA INTENSIVE RETREAT for regular meditators with 2 years+ experience of retreats, centres or groups.
Yoga and Meditation Long Weekend
With Surata and Sarah Whiteley
March 20 - 23, 2026
Surata brings to his teaching 50 years’ experience of both yoga and Buddhism. His teaching combines a depth of experience with humour and playfulness. His particular mindful and gentle style of yoga is influenced by the teaching of Vanda Scaravelli. Two sessions of yoga a day alongside meditation, Buddhist devotional practice, ritual and discussion. TRIRATNA RETREAT: For regular yoga practitioners and meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.
Tales of Freedom - Easter Long Weekend
With Vajragupta and Mokshadarshini
April 2 - 6, 2026
Join us for a long weekend of inspiring stories, with accompanying meditations, reflections, and ritual helping us to unpack the significance of stories for our lives. A story of actual love and selflessness can be deeply moving. A story of fearlessness can help to imagine what living more courageously would be like. And if we can imagine it more fully, there's more chance of that quality flowering in our hearts and minds. TRIRATNA RETREAT: For regular meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.
We have a huge barrel of wine, but no cups - The path of cessation
With Vajradarshini
April 10 - 17, 2026
In much of spiritual culture, we’re encouraged to grow, improve, develop—a path of progress and attainment. But the Buddha also spoke of another way: the path of cessation. A path not of becoming more, but of letting go. Of stopping. Through silence, meditation, reflection, and devotional practice, we’ll discover the freedom offered by the path of cessation—the freedom of letting go. TRIRATNA RETREAT: For regular meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.
The Heart's Release - The Liberation Story of Princess Mandarava
With Mandarava, Sinhacandra and Alayasri
April 17 - 24, 2026
Explore the inspirational life story of Princess Mandarava, one of Padmasambhavas consorts (the famous Indian guru who brought Buddhism to Tibet) how she moves into a life of liberation and freedom and hearts release.There will be storytelling with puppets, reflection, group discussion, meditation, ritual, gentle body work in nature and our own creativity. This process will enable us to listen to and be more intimate with ourselves, with others and the world around us. TRIRATNA RETREAT: For regular meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.
Keep Calm and Know the Change - A Gender, Sexuality & Relationship Diversity Retreat.
With Priyachakșhu, Aryajnana and Morgan
April 24 - 26, 2026
Focusing on the Satipaṭṭhānas (Four Foundations of Mindfulness) as the Buddha’s direct path to realization. Through meditation, reflections, talks, and exercises, we will look at the hindrances that block our clarity and freedom, and explore the cultivation of loving-kindness (mettā). At the heart of this retreat is the creation of a spiritual community rooted in the Buddhist tradition, ethics, and the spirit of friendship.
TRIRATNA RETREAT For regular meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.
May Bank Holiday long weekend
With Vajragupta
May 1 - 4, 2026
Enjoy a long bank holiday weekend of practice surrounded by the beautiful Sussex countryside at Rivendell. Immersed in good conditions for practising meditation, reflection, ritual communally.
TRIRATNA RETREAT For regular meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.
Doorways To the Deep
With Balajit and Singhashri
May 8 - 15, 2026
If we dive deep into the sea, where the body is no longer buoyant enough to float nor heavy enough to sink. We remain suspended, hanging in deep blue space, able to move in any direction without friction. This is called the doorway to the deep and it promises to open us to our true nature, our deepest potential when freed from afflictive mental states that bind us to suffering. We can discover a more creative response to life, full of awareness, love and transformation. TRIRATNA RETREAT For regular meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.
Under the Rose Apple Tree
With Nagasiddhi, Mandarava and Satyamati
May 15 - 22, 2026
Before the Buddha’s awakening, he experienced a profound insight that led him to turn away from the unprofitable, wilful and harsh path that he had previously followed. He recollected a childhood memory of sitting beneath a Rose Apple tree where he experienced a deep contentment and spontaneous joy.
We will explore this crucial episode in the Buddha’s journey together through experiencing being fully present and deeply connected to ourselves, others and the world around us through a vibrant contentment and the gift of the imagination. TRIRATNA RETREAT For regular meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.
Yoga and Meditation Long Weekend
With Manjunaga and Satyamati
May 22 - 25, 2026
Yoga enriched with meditation and Buddhist teaching. Each day includes two yoga sessions: a morning practice with gentle sequences to mobilise joints, build strength, and enhance vitality; and an afternoon restorative session with meditative postures, props, and deep rest. The programme also offers Buddhist meditation, chanting, devotional practice, silence, pranayama, yoga nidra, group discussion, and quiet reflection.
FOR PEOPLE WITH SOME EXPERIENCE of YOGA & MEDITATION.
Awareness Always Unfolding
With Vijayamala and Nagesvara
May 29 - June 5, 2026
Focusing on the Root Verses of the Six Bardos, a Tibetan text believed to have been written by Padmasambhava. The Bardos are different modes in which the mind functions: the waking state, dreaming, dying, experiencing reality unmediated by the physical senses, and taking rebirth. Explore what this means and how we work with our experience here and now, and how we can prepare for death when it comes. Includes presentations, guided meditations, devotional practice, meditation reviews and some days of silence. TRIRATNA INTENSIVE FOR EXPERIENCED MEDITATORS.
Creating compassion for the cries of the world
With Parami
June 5 - 12, 2026
How can we, as Buddhist practitioners, respond with compassion in a world marked by chaos and uncertainty? Together, we will explore what it means to practice an engaged Buddhism—as Dharma practitioners living spiritually in times of social, economic, and ecological uncertainty.
Including in-depth discussion, workshop-style engagement, devotional ritual, meditation, and personal reflection.
TRIRATNA RETREAT — particularly Mitras and Order Members—though others with relevant experience are welcome.
Writing on the Way
With Subhadassi
June 12 - 14, 2026
We will meditate, write and walk, creating mindful and reflective spaces in which we can deepen our dharma practice. Writing, meditation and walking can each help us to stand firm in what and where we currently are in our lives. At the same time, they can also help us to steer towards a truer direction; to carry less baggage; to let go. The programme will include meditation, Buddhist ritual, group writing sessions, and a mindful two-hour group walk.
TRIRATNA RETREAT For regular meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.
Women's Regional Order Weekend - July 2026
July 3 - 5, 2026
FOR TRIRATNA BUDDHIST ORDER MEMBERS ONLY
Balancing the Moon & Sun: Yoga & Meditation Week
With Manjunaga and Satyamati
July 10 - 17, 2026
Explore the energetic principles of the Sun and Moon through the body and creative imagination. Yoga enriched with meditation and Buddhist teaching. Two daily yoga sessions: Morning practice - gentle sequences to mobilise joints, build strength, and enhance vitality; Afternoon restorative session with meditative postures, props, and deep rest. Buddhist meditation, chanting, devotional practice, silence, pranayama, yoga nidra, group discussion, and quiet reflection. RETREAT CATEGORY: YOGA REGULARS/ TRIRATNA INTRODUCTORY
The Lion’s Roar - 2 week retreat with Paramananda
With Paramananda
July 17 - 31, 2026
Mythically, the lioness is said to give birth to stillborn cubs which have to be brought alive by the mighty roar of their mother. An alchemical symbol for the heart. How can we be more present to our own depths and more comfortable in the world, requiring love and courage.
"A rare chance to go deeper, for longer...an extremely experienced teacher opened up..." Nisha. TRIRATNA INTENSIVE RETREAT for experienced meditators
Men’s Intensive Meditation Retreat - The Mandala of Awakening
With Vajragupta and Danakumara
August 7 - 14, 2026
A mandala is a "sacred circle" with Awakening right at the centre. Explore how we can enter this mandala, travel around it, and eventually arrive at the heart of Awakening. We'll consider the qualities - integration, love, renunciation, imagination, spiritual receptivity - that we need to undertake the journey.
TRIRATNA INTENSIVE- MEN - regular meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.
The Higher Hedonism: Sub-35s Summer Retreat for young people
With Danakumara and Matt Clark
August 14 - 21, 2026
At the heart of the Buddha's teaching lies a surprising truth: to live a deeply meaningful life, we need to learn how to truly enjoy ourselves.
This retreat for people under 35 explores what we’re calling a “higher hedonism”: moving beyond fleeting pleasures toward more fulfilling and lasting forms of happiness. Through meditation, nature, and community, we’ll discover how joy can become a stable foundation for insight and freedom.
TRIRATNA regular meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.
Introductory Weekend to Buddhist Meditation - August
August 21 - 23, 2026
These very popular weekends help people to learn Buddhist meditation and find out a little about Buddhism. Enjoy the company of others in a positive, friendly space away from the usual distractions, allowing you to connect with yourself and others at a deeper level.
A structured programme with guidance in two traditional Buddhist meditations: the "mindfulness of breathing", to develop a calm and focused mind, and the "development of loving kindness", which encourages emotional positivity.
INTRODUCTORY RETREAT
Yoga and Meditation Long Weekend
With Satyamati
August 28 - 31, 2026
Deepening our exploration of Yoga and Meditation, including Pranayama, Yoga Nidra and Ritual, we will create a rich, open inquiry into this being human, all within the context of Buddhism.
Explore safe alignment in yoga practice, using the Bandhas to support the practice, working from the deep energetic core, with all the senses alive and vibrant. Through the practice we connect deeply to the Elements, to Aliveness and the Pranic body. Asana, Pranayama and Yoga Nidra connect within the flow of deep awareness and Presence.
FOR PEOPLE WITH SOME EXPERIENCE of YOGA & MEDITATION.
Path of Purification
With Atula, Nagamudra, Nagasiddhi and Mandarava
September 3 - 11, 2026
Atula and the team will guide, with skill and kindness, us into an aware relationship with both ourselves and one another. Group work with honesty and sensitivity to explore our patterns of communicating and relating. A ritual context of meditation, devotional Vajrasattva practice and periods of silence. A profound retreat that has been known to help manifest lasting changes. TRIRATNA INTENSIVE for regular meditators with 2 years+ experience of retreats, centres or groups.
Embodied Animate World: Our Sacred Belonging
With Nagadipa and Viryadeva
September 18 - 25, 2026
Embodied Buddhism is at the heart of this retreat which invites you to play in the in-between; the dynamic space where we see and are seen by Nature. Within wilderness guiding this is called The Mirror of Nature.
Meditation, nature-based rituals and immersive practices in nature, we’ll move beyond concepts of interconnectedness to a living, felt sensing of the here and now, where nothing can be separated from anything else…
FOR PEOPLE WITH SOME EXPERIENCE of meditation and Buddhism in Triratna Buddhist Community, or people who have previously worked with Nagadipa (Natasha Lythgoe) through The Art of Rewilding
Men's Regional Order Weekend - Sept 2026
September 25 - 27, 2026
FOR TRIRATNA BUDDHIST ORDER MEMBERS ONLY
Yoga and Meditation Long Weekend
With Surata and Sarah Whiteley
October 9 - 12, 2026
Surata brings to his teaching 50 years’ experience of both yoga and Buddhism. His teaching combines a depth of experience with humour and playfulness. His particular mindful and gentle style of yoga is influenced by the teaching of Vanda Scaravelli. 2 sessions of yoga a day alongside meditation, Buddhist devotional practice, ritual and discussion. TRIRATNA RETREAT: For regular yoga practitioners and meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.
Awakening to the Breath
With Vessantara and Advayasiddhi
October 16 - 23, 2026
Meditation on breathing is used in many ways in Buddhist tradition: for developing awareness, relaxing deeply, healing the body, becoming sensitive to energy, opening the heart, and developing insight into how things are. During this week, we shall explore using the breath in all these ways, inviting ourselves to become more alive and awake.
The retreat will be largely in silence, with presentations from Vessantara and Advayasiddhi, guided meditations, meditation reviews, ritual and puja. TRIRATNA INTENSIVE RETREAT FOR EXPERIENCED MEDITATORS
Beauty and Insight - A retreat on perception
With Vajradarshini
October 30 - November 6, 2026
An invitation to look closely at how experience takes shape—how we see, feel, and make meaning of the world around us. We shape the world, just as it shapes us... we are creating our world, we can begin to choose—consciously and creatively—to shape a world of beauty and meaning. The arts offer us new and surprising windows on the world. Alongside Dharma teachings and meditation, we’ll be exploring what art, film, poetry, and music can reveal about the nature of perception. TRIRATNA RETREAT: For regular meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.
The Way It Is - A Buddhist writing retreat - Wolf at the Door
With Padmacandra, Vishvantara and Dayajava
November 6 - 9, 2026
A Buddhist writing retreat, exploring imagination through pen, paper - and the spaces in between… Is it possible to allow things be just as they are, bringing kindness and curiosity to our experience? Are we open to follow the golden thread of whatever happens, and discover where it leads? Wolf at the Door writing workshops are woven with the Dharma and laced with the unexpected. TRIRATNA RETREAT: For regular meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community. NO WRITING EXPERIENCE NECESSARY
Moving into embodiment: Yoga & Meditation week
With Vidyadasa and Satyamati
November 13 - 20, 2026
Deepening our exploration of Yoga and Meditation, including Pranayama, Yoga Nidra and Ritual we will create a rich and full open inquiry into this precious life. We will discover what it means to be truly human, all within the context of Buddhism. Including inquiries and reflections from Buddhism, Yoga and Embodiment coaching traditions to create helpful qualities in your everyday life.
These will include small group work, and some periods of silence too. FOR PEOPLE WITH SOME EXPERIENCE of YOGA & MEDITATION.
Dhyana Through the Body - reevaluating dhyana
With Tejananda
November 27 - December 4, 2026
This retreat explores embodied approaches to dhyana, encouraging participants to question some traditional interpretations and personal assumptions. Rather than viewing dhyana as merely concentrated calm (samatha), we’ll explore it as a deeply unified, embodied state integrated with mindfulness and the factors of awakening. Through experiential practices involving body, breath, and awareness, participants will discover resources for dhyana already within their experience. TRIRATNA INTENSIVE for regular meditators with 2 years+ experience of retreats, centres or groups.
The Body as Mandala
With Paramananda and Mandarava
December 4 - 11, 2026
In the West, the seat of consciousness has tended to be imagined in the head. More traditionally, it would be associated with either the belly or the heart. On this retreat, we will imagine our own bodies as both vessels containing psyche and as mandalas where the central or constellating archetype is the heart. We will playfully and imaginatively shift our attention from our thoughts to our direct experience, which is constantly manifesting as us through our own bodies and our extended awareness of the world around us. TRIRATNA INTENSIVE RETREAT for regular meditators with 2 years+ experience of retreats, centres or groups.
The Calling
With Singhashri and Balajit
December 11 - 13, 2026
In the maelstrom of modern life we can easily lose a sense of what's most important to us - our heart’s longing to be free. On this meditation retreat, learn to listen more deeply to yourself by contacting and abiding in more authentic and meaningful states of being.
These forces are calling. To help us respond to this calling, we will draw on the supportive qualities of the elements, guided personal inquiry, mindful movement, creative ritual and lots of quiet sitting. TRIRATNA RETREAT: For regular meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.
Introductory Weekend to Buddhist Meditation - December
With Sanghasīha
December 18 - 20, 2026
These very popular weekends help people to learn Buddhist meditation and find out a little about Buddhism. Enjoy the company of others in a positive, friendly space away from the usual distractions, allowing you to connect with yourself and others at a deeper level.
A structured programme with guidance in two traditional Buddhist meditations: the "mindfulness of breathing", to develop a calm and focused mind, and the "development of loving kindness", which encourages emotional positivity.
INTRODUCTORY RETREAT
New Years Retreat 2026-2027
December 30, 2026 - January 6, 2027
Seven days of retreat over the New Year, with periods of silence alongside periods of celebrating the turning of the year. There will be time for reflection and the setting of intentions as we move into a new year. The change will be marked by ritual and a deeper connection with the land as the days begin to grow longer. Expect poetry, mantra, guided and meditative walks, meditation and ritual. TRIRATNA RETREAT: For regular meditators who attend retreats, a centre or group in Triratna community.