WANAKA/HAWEA 2024

Tranquility and Insight
Meditation and Yoga Retreat (non-residential) with Susan Allen 
Dates: 6 – 10 Nov. 2024

Join us in this epic setting on the shores of Lake Hawea. The dramatic mountain lake background is the spacious backdrop for this immersive meditation learning experience. This is a non-residential retreat where participants have the flexibility to find their own accommodation, coming together each day in this one of a kind setting, for learning and practice. Accommodation is available on-site for those that would like it.

Led by Susan Allen, practitioner and meditation teacher for the last 22 years.
Yoga classes facilitated by Kate Wolfe.

– The practice –

4.5 days of inspiring practice, setting a new direction for yourself

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. You can read more detail about the meditation approach here. The meditation practices will be taken from the Mahamudra and Dzogchen Tibetan Buddhist tradition. These will be presented in a secular, practical fashion.

This is an opportunity for you to begin a daily practice for life or to advance an existing practice with fresh ideas and strategies.

The retreat is hosted by one of NZ’s most experienced yoga and meditation teachers. Susan Allen has been teaching meditation for 22 years and has an authentic passion for sharing this transformative practice with others. 

Meditation will change your life, it is a tool for developing calmness of mind, a poise of character.  Through the practice we gain insight into how our mind works; we find a path that facilitates the flourishing of all positive mental traits

What will we be practicing?

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. 

– The location and amenities –

A truly beautiful nature setting to learn meditation

Our setting is the wild spaciousness of Lake Hawea, 15mins from Wanaka. The retreat location is Cross Hill at The Camp, a large geodesic dome right on the lakeshore with the spectacular mountain background that only NZ can offer. 

The price of the meditation retreat includes the tuition and refreshments. Participants will need to organise their own accommodation and meals. For on-site accommodation The Camp has a huge range of options – accommodation for all budgets, from very basic to very flash. There are also meals available from local cafes on site and close by or a kitchen where you can prepare your own meals.

On site there are hot tubs that can be hired, big roaring outdoor fires to enjoy, the Secret Sauna, many stunning walking tracks as well as massages that can be arranged. Lake Hawea is a magical place to swim and there are are many many hidden quiet spots under the trees to read and hang out. Plenty of space and open sky for you to rest and retreat.

This is a non-residential retreat. Participants will arrive for a 9am start each day and we will finish around 6pm. The days will consist of 4 meditation practice and discussion sessions with breaks in between. There will be yoga in the morning for those that wish to participate. Light refreshments will be given in the breaks (no meals provided). This style retreat is to make it more accessible price wise and flexibility wise for those that cannot take a longer period of time away from home.

This style retreat intentionally cultivates our state of mind in a real world setting, using the material of our daily life to develop insight.

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– Dates and Pricing –

Dates: 5-8pm on Weds. 6th Nov. and then
4 full days 9-6pm for 7 - 10th Nov., 2024

Tuition per person for the 4.5 day program –
Early bird, if booked before 30th Sept. 2024 – $850
Full price if booked after 30th Sept. 2024 – $950

This is a non-residential retreat. Price includes all meditation and yoga instruction, audio recordings to take away. Light refreshments are included in the breaks.
For accommodation – Participants need to find their own accommodation locally. Budget and high-end accommodation is available on-site, for on-site accommodation see here.
For meals – Price includes all meditation instruction as well as tea, coffee and refreshments through the breaks. For meals, on-site there are cafes, self catering kitchens as well as supermarkets and cafes only a short walk or drive away. We can arrange a cooked breakfast for you on-site.

Booking process terms and conditions
1. The full tuition fee is required to make a booking.
2. Register by clicking the ‘Register Now’ button to pay with a credit card. If you would prefer to pay by bank transfer or cash you can contact us to do so.
3. If you cancel your booking before 30th Sept. 2024 your payment minus a non-refundable $100 admin fee will be refunded.
4. If you cancel your booking, for whatever reason including sickness, after 30th Sept. 2024 no refund will be given but you are able to transfer it to someone else of your finding, or someone on the waitlist if there is one. This policy is necessary so we can secure the venue.

Meditation will change your life forever.
Learning this practice is one of life's greatest gifts to 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.