Photo credit: Landart © Dietmar Voorwold, https://www.landart-creations.com

Retreat with Dharma Teacher Susanne Olbrich

“In each one of us is an artist. The artist is very important. The artist can bring freshness, joy, and meaning to life.” - 

Thich Nhat Hanh

We all have seeds of creativity inside, and during this weekend we will water them. Together, we’ll explore ‘play’ as one of the four pillars of Plum Village Zen practice. Coming home to the present moment and allowing body and mind to relax opens doors to our natural creativity. Through creative explorations indoors and outdoors we’ll nourish qualities of openness, aimlessness, aliveness and connection.

In these times of big changes we want to be resilient. Being in touch with our heartfelt inspiration energises, uplifts and supports us.

This retreat invites you to (re)discover your innate creative flow through meditation, nature immersion, and playful exploration in community. You’ll have time to experiment with colours, sounds, words, and materials from the natural world. Time to explore, to play, and to be surprised by what emerges. You are invited to become curious, receptive, playful, adventurous and tender.

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh encouraged us to embrace the energies of creativity and play as part of our practice. Mindfulness and creative exploration have a lot in common; they reach beyond words, touch the heart, expand the mind. Creativity supports our mindfulness, and mindfulness nurtures our creativity.

In our time together, our embodied presence, silence and connection with the natural world help us touch the very heart and source of our creative energy. We’ll listen deeply to the sounds of nature around, the creative stirrings within and the pieces we create together and individually. Meditation, gentle movement, a Dharma talk, songs, humming, toning, deep listening, creative play, reflection and sharing circles will all be part of this retreat.

You will experience:

​• Guided mindfulness meditations in the Zen Buddhist tradition of Plum Village and Thich Nhat Hanh

• Gentle movement practices to support embodied presence

​• A Dharma teaching on creativity as a Dharma door

​• Creative explorations with colours, sounds, words, and materials from the natural world indoors and outdoors

• Sharing circles

Previous participants said:

“Deep listening and improvising in nature helped me to connect with life on a very deep level. It was a profound and beautiful experience.” A.B.

“I loved the exploration, it gave me great confidence. The teaching was friendly, warm and very inspirational.” J. A.

“...deeply nurturing... That listening walk was total medicine. The days passed so quickly and deliciously, each new task having a sense of adventure. I am inspired, THANK YOU.” P. N.

Price options available on ticketing page

For more information, please email info@chyan.org