These are experiential classes to introduce you to the basic practices of Mindfulness that form the foundations of the MBSR 8 week course, and are developed as an introduction to this more in depth course.

To reserve your place contact me on 0872453292  or e-mail pgvais@gmail.com

You can also book your place using the link on the main menu.

The in person session will take place at  Bantry Holistic Centre

Wednesdays at 7:30pm
30th March, 6th April, 20th April

Online on Zoom
Thursdays  at  7 pm
31st March, 7th April, 21st April.
Experiential class.
No previous experience needed

Led by  Marjó Oosterhoff and Paola Vais

This silent retreat will focus on preparing, cooking and eating joyfully and thoughtfully, and will include compassion and awareness practices.

We’ll be preparing the food together, and all dishes will be seasonal  vegetarian and vegan, and can be all adapted to specific dietary requirements such as gluten and dairy free.  There will also be time for plenty of rest.

Photo by Max Griss on Unsplash

This is a silent retreat, but of course there will be some talking during the cooking session – with an invitation to minimalism in communication 🙂

If you would rather like to come on the retreat but not doing the cooking, that would be totally fine too. You can use the space for your own practice, and Marjó will provide guidance.

The retreat takes place in Teach Bhride, Tullow. It is a spacious and warm centre, with a large meditation room, as well as a big catering kitchen.

Before training as a Mindfulness teacher,  I have trained at the Ballymaloe Cookery School, and have been cooking for restaurants, private catering, on board Asgard II and  for retreats for many years.
Marjó Oosterhoff of Passaddhi will guide the meditation sessions in sitting and walking.

We start 7 pm on 11th November with registration, and finish with lunch on 14th. It’s also possible to come on Friday evening 12th.

Cost: €200 for single regular room; €250 for single ensuite room; or €180 and €230 respectively for the weekend.

This is for food, accommodation and Paola’s and Marjó’s costs

The guidance by Paola and Marjó is on a donation basis

Bookings with Marjó on marjo.metta@gmail.com or 086 8787040.

Life is a process of constant change and transition but perhaps never so much as during the past year and a half, when change, uncertainty and worry have come to dominate our lives.

Moving into a different environment, going from summer into autumn, from night to day, and now opening up from the restrictions of this long lock down – these transition times can be both exciting and unsettling.  We feel an eagerness to move forward but also apprehension and tension that can easily take us out of balance.

Mindful Movement is a subtle but powerful method that helps to find a space where we can – in just a few moments – return to steadiness and ease.

This 4 session course will introduce you to the practice of mindfulness through gentle movements, guided meditation and breathwork.

Each class is 1 1/2  hour long and includes 20 minutes of movement as a basic practice of mindfulness.  This is followed by a guided meditation practice,  and an opportunity for open dialogue.

An Sanctoir, Ballydehob

4 weekly classes on Monday, starting  27th September to 18th October 2021

Time TBC

Cost € 60

Book now

10 – 16 June 2022 in An Sanctoir, Ballydehob, Co. Cork 

The Nature of Awareness Retreat provides an opportunity to immerse ourselves in the beauty of the natural world, to live simply, to rest, to connect with the mountains, the sea and the morning light. The retreat offers an opportunity to delight and dwell in interconnection.

This retreat includes meditation, movement, hill walking and wild swimming. There will be opportunities to rest and come together around an outdoor fire. The retreat requires a minimum level of fitness. If you need more information please contact us

The Venue
An Sanctoir is a multicultural community situated in 30 acres of beautiful nature reserve, with many walks ideal for contemplative strolls and walking meditation. There are several open spaces that can be used for camping and an open-air communal kitchen and fire.

Food
There will be a delicious vegan evening meal provided and we’ll cook lunch and breakfast together.

Accommodation
Camping and camper vans.

Cost
€585

Retreat Leaders

Colette Power

My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that, and I intend to end up there.” Rumi

I cant remember a time when I didn’t find solace in nature. Being in wild places has been a life-long meditation for me and has supported my determination to be untamable. In my mid twenties I found a rural community in West Wales and lived there for 20 or more years. Living conditions were rudimentary, I lived without running water or electricity and experienced a deep sense of happiness and freedom. I continue to live basically in small cabin surrounded by woods and a talkative river. I am happiest and sanest when outdoors, walking, running, cycling or swimming. I trained as a Work That Reconnects facilitator (2007) and a mindfulness trainer (2010). I’ve spent the last decade facilitating mindfulness and compassion-based trainings and retreats in the UK and Europe.

My practice for the last 4-5 years has been strongly influenced by non-dual approaches (10 Fetters, Rupert Spira) which have supported explorations of how I’ve maintained the illusion of self and separation from others and the world around me. My interest in exploring and exposing how splitting and othering is expressed collectively, resulting in social, environmental and economic injustice and suffering is long standing.

Paola Vais

Pay attention, be astonished, tell about it  Mary Oliver

I grew up in a city, and as far as I can remember I always imagined myself as an adult living in close contact with nature, which is how I live now in the South West of Ireland. As a child you could find me either reading a book or playing outdoors under the green tree cover of the city square where we lived, at my grandparents on the coast or hiking in the mountains.

In my 20’s I started spending a lot of time at sea, on small sailing boats that had none of the comfort of yachts, and where the sense of being one with the elements was incredibly strong, bringing me in a contented and peaceful place. When in my mid 30’s I started practicing meditation that connection with the world around me became stronger and more intense. I’ve been strongly influenced by Joanna Macy’s writings, re-igniting in me the teenage passion for the urgency to address environmental issues.

I think that the love and need for nature, for being outdoors and for movement has been part of me from the moment I took my first breath , and I believe it is the same for every single living being: we are nature, and cannot get disconnected from it without experiencing some sort of distress.

I trained as a Mindfulness Based Intervention teacher in 2011 and have been teaching courses and retreats for the past 9 years, and my practice is always shifting, bringing new questions – and new quests.

An Online silent  Meditation and Cooking retreat

Apart from teaching mindfulness, you may not know that  I am a Ballymaloe trained chef, and I have been cooking for retreats for a number of years.

The idea of holding a meditation and cooking retreat came after  many people kept asking for the recipes – and together with Marjó Oosterhoff of Passaddhi we have held them twice a year since 2016

Since we cannot yet meet in person, and after cancelling last year retreats, Marjó and I have decided to offer it  online.

Marjó, will guide the silent meditation sessions, while I will take care of the cooking.

We’ll do this in a cook-along style,  you will receive the ingredient list and recipes beforehand so that we can be preparing together a simple vegan meal, in a ”cook along” style. Of course you can decide to simply watch!

The cooking part

On Saturday and Sunday we will  be preparing and cooking a simple vegan lunch consisting of a main course, a salad or two, and a dessert.  Saturday supper will be a one pot dish.

Outlined here is the schedule of the retreat

Start  Friday 16 April at 8 pm with introduction and sitting meditation.

Saturday morning and Sunday morning: sitting and cooking lunch.

Saturday afternoon sitting and cooking a simple supper

Saturday evening feedback and a short guided practice.

It’s also fine to do just the cooking sessions [although it would be good to start off together on Friday evening, and be together on Saturday evening], or doing only the meditation sessions.
Marjó and I offer this retreat on a donation basis. Bookings with Marjó, marjo.metta@gmail.com

During this eight-week course you will learn mindfulness skills to cope with the the stress and difficulties we all encounter in our lives, within a small supportive and friendly group setting.

The course will also teach you tools to explore new sources of  joy and calm in your life,

Starting on the 22nd of February at 6.30 pm the course will run for 8 weeks, ending on the 12th of April.

The first class will be 2 ½ hours long, to allow time for orientation & introductions, while all other sessions will last 2 hours (6.30 to 8.30 pm)

Cost: € 200

You will learn how to boost your happiness and well-being, find new sources of joy and calm in your life, and to cope with stress and the difficulties we all encounter in our lives.
You will learn the foundational skills of mindfulness, compassion, and meditation, and how to apply them in your life in a way that really makes a difference.

A lot of research has been done on the benefits of mindfulness, like reducing blood pressure, support sleep, reduce stress , improve mood, and boost resilience.

The course includes:
8 weekly online sessions via Zoom, from 6.30 to 8.30 pm every Monday
Material to support your study in between classes
Guided meditations downloads

The course presents a balance of teaching, questions and discussion, and guided meditation
The course is run in a small group , with a maximum of 12 students.
A commitment to a home practice of 20 minutes a day is key to reap the many benefits of this course

WHAT WILL I LEARN?
– The skill of meditation
-Mindfulness and self-compassion skills in daily life
-Greater concentration and focus
– How breath and body awareness can transform stress
– Supportive mindful movement practices
– The art of taking joy in simple pleasures
– How to overcome your ‘negativity bias’
– The many health benefits of mindfulness

Is this course for me? 

This course is for anybody that would like to learn skills to reduce stress levels and improve their mental wellbeing, happiness and quality of life.
However, mindfulness can be challenging as we learn and practice ways of dealing with difficulties in our lives. For this reason, this course is best done when life is relatively steady and you are feeling robust enough emotionally to take on the training.

WHEN:
Mondays from 6.30 to 8.30 pm , February 22 to April 12th

COST: € 160 early bird – if booked by16 February
€ 200

BOOKINGS: email pgvais@gmail.com and I’ll send you a registration form

You can find more details about the course here

After all the hours spent apart it will feel good to come together in person to reconnect with each other and our practice.
We’ll gather on Saturday 18th of July, from 9.30 am to 1 pm, at An Sanctoir, Ballydehob.

An Sanctoir offers a large indoor space where physical distancing is easy , and   a lot of the time  will be spent outdoors.

There will be some guided practices and time to connect and share a cup of tea. *

Numbers are limited to make sure we can respect each other personal physical space.

And if the weather is good feel free to bring some lunch and we can have a picnic in the meadow after the session.

Open to all, offered on a donation base.

Meadow