Bookings

To book, please visit the Events Tab to view upcoming retreats and events.   Unless specifically mentioned all retreats are suitable for beginners as well as more experienced meditators.

Refunds

All refunds incur a €20 handling fee.  If you book a retreat space and ask for a refund a week or more before the retreat occurs (unless more time is requested for a particular retreat), we will be happy to provide a full refund minus the handling fee.

Dana (Generosity)

The price listed for residential retreats includes food, accommodation, administrative costs and the teachers' traveling expenses; no part of your fee is reserved for the teachers. Rather, participants are invited to give dana (free will offering / donation) to the teacher. The teachers at Sunyata give of their time, energy and understanding and all teachers at Sunyata offer their services on the principle of Dana.  

Concessions

We offer an 10% concession for the unemployed, students, and pensioners. You may request a concession on the booking form when booking your retreat.  If you need a larger concession, please contact us.

Daily Retreat Programme

Unless otherwise stated all residential retreats start between 6 PM-7PM on a Friday, when retreatants arrive for light supper and are welcomed by the retreat manager. All meals are vegetarian. The first meditation starts between 8 and 8:30PM. Accommodation is typically in shared rooms though there are opportunities for being alone in a room. We can accommodate between 15-22 people on residential retreats. We rise early with the first sitting between 5- 6:30 am. Breakfast is about 7.15 am. The daily routine involves sitting and walking meditation, talks from the teacher, question and answer sessions and sometimes periods of working meditation. Lunch is about 12 noon and usually consists of green salad, fruit, main course and dessert.  There is tea, bread and soup offered between 5 PM and 5:30PM. Unless specified differently, weekend retreats usually end at 4 PM on Sunday and longer retreats between lunch and 4PM on the last day. Retreats are held in "congenial noble silence" i.e. no talking unless necessary and no righteous criticism of oneself or others (the congenial aspect). The freedom from having to engage in social chit-chat gives everyone the space to withdraw inwards and benefit more deeply from the meditation practice.