MEDITATION RETREAT PARADISE, GLENORCHY

Meditation Retreat with Susan Allen
Dates: 24 - 27 October, 2024

Get away from it all.
Join us for this meditation retreat in Paradise, Glenorchy. Take a break from the usual and come immerse yourself in this big piece of magic. This meditation retreat will be held at Paradise which is a property 1hr from Queenstown. This is your opportunity for a reset, to be with like minded people and to learn meditation from one of NZ’s leading meditation teachers. Immerse in the practice and in nature. This will be a weekend you will never forget.

Take a break from the usual and come immerse yourself in this big piece of NZ magic.

Getting away from our daily routine and going on retreat enables us to step outside of our usual responsibilities and worries and get some perspective on what’s really important to us. Developing a meditation practice creates space and quietness. This 4 day meditation retreat will cultivate these quiet spaces, both within and around us. If we want to change the world we live in, it has to begin with ourselves. A retreat offers the opportunity to begin and to continue this work.

Learn from Susan Allen, one of NZ's most experienced meditation teachers.

Susan Allen has been teaching meditation for over 20years. For the last 10 years she has been studying in the Tibetan Buddhist Mahamudra tradition and the practices shared on this retreat will be from such. Susan’s main (or only) meditation interest is how the practice can transform our lives. The only measure of how our progress in meditation is our conduct in the world. Susan has a keen skill for offering personalised instruction within a group setting and being able to bring the principles of meditation off the cushion into everyday life. Enabling you to bring this mindfulness and peace of mind into everyday moments. So you can be confident you are learning an effective and transformative technique.

Plenty of time for meditation, rest and immersion in nature.

Our daily schedule will encompass meditation practice as well as in-depth discussion around the technique; there will be time for resting, walking, reading or wandering about Paradise. An atmosphere of learning, quietening and nourishment.

Paradise at Glenorchy is a 300acre property situated in one of the most visually stunning landscapes of the south island. At the end of the valley with dramatic views over Mt. Earnslaw and the Dart river, it is no wonder the early occupiers of this land named it Paradise. The accommodation is varied ranging from the comfortable, renovated farmstead to the more rustic cabins dotted around the property. Something for all tastes.

– The Meditation Practice –

The meditation practices and discussion will have a particular emphasis on cultivating quietness and steadiness in the mind as well as cultivating insights that bring freedom and peace of mind into our everyday life. Tibetan Buddhist meditations value an intelligent and structured approach to investigating ‘What is the mind?’ and consequently frame meditation in a practical and methodical way. The meditation practices will be taken from the Mahamudra and Dzogchen Tibetan Buddhist tradition. These will be presented in a secular, practical fashion.

The primary offerings on this retreat are:

1. Attention training practices specifically to quieten the busy mind; this cultivates tranquility and stability of mind.

2. Insight practices that liberate the mind from conditioning. Our habitual reactive emotional states decline, we feel more connected to others and we begin to operate more from a spacious awareness rather than from the obsession with thought.

3. Quiet time to nourish and gain inspiration on a path forward.

WHO IS THIS RETREAT SUITABLE FOR?

Anyone who is interested in self-growth and interested in being the change you want to see in the world. If you love nature and are inspired by the wild landscapes on NZ then this will be the perfect retreat setting for you.

The meditation techniques we will be learning will be suitable for a complete beginner through to the advanced practitioner. No matter how many years we have been learning meditation for we are ultimately just refining the same skills – refining stability of attention, making the mind more serviceable, improving our cognition of how the mind gets caught up in identification and conditioning. All students will be given personalised instruction, so that they feel they have a clear direction and more refined practice to take home with them.

– Dates –

24 - 27 October, 2024
Thursday 24th October, 3pm opening
Sunday 27th October, 1pm closing

– Pricing and Accommodation –

The accommodation at Paradise is varied ranging from the comfortable, boutique homestead to the more rustic cabins dotted around the property. Something for all tastes.

Two accommodation options – Homestead or cabin.

Most participants will stay in the Homestead – two buildings being Miller House and the Annexe. These are tastefully restored, boutique accommodations and are both listed as Category 1 Historic places. There is the option of private or shared rooms with all linen and towels provided. Both buildings have shared lounge and full kitchen facilities to enjoy.

Also available are a number of rustic cabins dotted around the property. These are self-contained cabins each equipped with cosy fireplaces with small basic kitchens (no fridges). They are situated in the absolute immersion of the dramatic scenery of Paradise and are single or couple occupancy. It’s a get close to nature indulgence with no electricity. They have nature longdrops and some of them have outdoor firebaths in great nature settings. Those occupying these cabins will need to bring their own bedding and towels.

– Register now –

Choose which room you would like for your accommodation. You can see photos of the different rooms on the Paradise Trust website by clicking on the list below. The rooms still available are:

Miller House – Private room – $1,120

Miller House – Twin Share (ie. sharing with one other) – $980

– What’s included –

Included in the price:
– All tuition and practices including take home audios of selected practices
– Dinners
– Tea, coffees and snacks in breaks
– Bed linen and towels provided for those staying in the Homestead

What’s NOT included and you will need to bring –
– Breakfast and lunches
– Bed linen and towels not provided for those staying in the cabins

– Retreat location –

This retreat will be held at Paradise Trust, Glenorchy which is a 1hr drive from Queenstown, South Island, NZ. You can read more about Paradise Trust on their website here.

Queenstown has an international and domestic airport. Shared transport (carpool) can be arranged from Queenstown airport for those that require it. If you are flying into Queenstown and want to carpool to Paradise you will need to arrive at Queenstown airport by 1.30pm on the 24th Oct.

Booking process

1. A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to make a booking.
2. Register using the ‘Register now’ button.
3. Final payment is due 10th Sept. 2024. If final payment is not received by that date your booking will be cancelled and offered to someone on the waiting list, or if you can find someone to take your booking we can happily transfer it to them.
4. If you cancel your booking before 10th Sept. 2024 your payment minus the non-refundable $500 deposit will be refunded.
5. If you cancel your booking after 10th Sept. 2024 no refund will be given but you are able to transfer it to someone else of your finding.
6. If Government Covid regulations cause the retreat to be cancelled, or you personally not be able to travel due to Govt. imposed travel restrictions such as lockdowns, then full refund will be given. If you are unwell and not able to travel then the cancellation terms outlined in points 3-5 apply.

Give yourself a gift, an immersion retreat just for yourself

Susan Allen who is leading the retreat is the founder of Yoga Ground, studios in Auckland and Wanaka, New Zealand. She also owns Entering the Stream, a world class online yoga and meditation platform and The Yoga Transition, a yoga teacher mentorship business. Read more about Susan here.