Advaita/ Non Duality AYP Retreat
6-Day AYP Yoga and Meditation Retreat, Devon, United Kingdom
25th to 30th June 2024
The Venue
This retreat will take place in Devon, South West England. The centre has been deliberately converted for retreats and is in a beautiful location in the South Devon countryside near Totnes.
The centre has a large yoga room, under-floor heating throughout, a sauna, and wifi.
The Yoga
- Deep Meditation
- Spinal Breathing Pranayama
- Samyama
- Mudras and bandhas
- Asana
- Self inquiry
There will be three practice sessions each day with full instruction given.
Topic
During the retreat we will be looking at the topic of advaita (non-duality). This is the stage in yoga where we move beyond identification with the mind and the sense objects, into a direct understanding of our true nature.
We will look at the approach to advaita through the practices of yoga and at how advaita has been taught historically by different teachers, over the last 3,000 years.
We will look at how advaita teachings are presented in the Upanishads, in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, in the classical Tantrik texts and so on. We will also look at how advaita was taught by various teachers over the years, such as Adi Shankaracharya, Rama Krishna, Ramana Maharshi and some modern day teachers.
During the retreat, people will be able to take these classical non-dual teachings of yoga, and put them into practice if they wish to.
Full instructions in practice will be given. The retreat will be led in English and will be suitable for people of all levels of experience.
There will be 30 minutes of karma yoga (service to others) each day. All yoga classes and meditation sessions are optional, so you can take the retreat at your own pace.
There will be a maximum of 17 people on this retreat.
Teachers
Tristan Dorling
Tristan began the practice of yoga in 1985 at school when he was 16 years old. At the age of 19 he travelled to the Himalayas to live in a Mahayana Buddhist monastery. This was really his first introduction to the higher teachings and to the spiritual life. He had his first awakening experience a year later after a meditation retreat in a Buddhist cave monastery in Thailand…
Alex Wales
Alex first came to yoga through meditation, and this practice continues to provide the foundation of his yoga journey and the inspiration for his teaching. He sees the practice of yoga postures as a means to integrate the subtle transformative effects of meditation with the physical body creating space in life for peace, energy and creativity to arise.
Food
Food will be vegetarian. The food served will support a yoga and meditation practice. We can also cater for vegan diets and special diets such as dairy or gluten free, if you let us know in advance.
There will be two meals served each day (brunch and dinner) and fruits and hot drinks will be available all day.
Cost
Per person:
- Female dormitory (max 6 people): £530 per person (available).
- Male dormitory (max 6 people): £530 per person (available).
- One place in a shared twin room (male): £560 per person (available).
- One place in a shared twin room (female): £560 per person (available).
- Double rooms (couples) – 2 single beds: £560 per person (available).
- Single rooms: £590 (fully booked).
- Bringing your own campervan: £490 per person (2 places available)
The price includes accommodation, food and all the yoga sessions. A non-refundable deposit of £100 is required to secure a place on the retreat. The remainder is then due two-months before the retreat starts.
Dormitories for men and women are separate. If you are coming on your own and staying in a shared twin room, then you will be sharing with someone of the same gender.
If you are staying in your own campervan, you will have access to the toilets and showers in the house.
What to bring?
You will need to bring your own bedsheets (single sheet, single duvet cover and pillow case) and a towel. Also, a pair of walking boots can be useful as there are some good walks in the area.
Getting there and away
The nearest train station is Totnes which is 10 mins away by car or taxi. The nearest international airport is Exeter (45 mins) or Bristol (2 hours).
Travel instructions are sent out to everyone coming three-months before the retreat starts.
Retreat schedule
Tuesday 25th June 2024
15:00-16:00 arrival
16:30-18:00 asana, pranayama, meditation, samyama
18:30 dinner
20:00 – 21:00 evening talk followed by silent period until 09:30 the following morning.
Wednesday 26th June to Saturday 29th June
07:00-08:30 asana, pranayama, meditation, samyama
08:40-09:30 pranayama, meditation, samyama
10:00 brunch
11:00 – 15:00 free time/ walking/ personal practice
15:00 – 16:30 asana, pranayama, meditation, samyama
16:45 – 17:40 pranayama, meditation, samyama
18:00 dinner
19:30 – 20:30 evening talk/ questions and answers, followed by silent period until 09:30 the following morning.
