A mindfulness retreat in Northern Greece with Rebecca Crane

Discovering Ease Within

An in-person mindfulness retreat in Northern Greece

4^th – 8^th September 2023

Organised by the Centre of Psychological Therapies & Mindfulness

“Psyche te kai somati”, Xanthi, Greece.

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This in-person 5-day retreat provides a precious opportunity for Greek mindfulness practitioners to gather in person in their own homeland and practice in a supported and sustained way within community. The retreat will be structured and held to enable a safe and supportive environment for the work of “discovering ease within”. Residential retreat offers unique conditions and opportunities to cultivate a continuity of mindfulness that allows us to deepen our understanding of the workings of our own heart, mind, and body.

The retreat will be shaped around the Buddhist psychological framework of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, as well as drawing from the contemporary understandings informing mindfulness-based programmes. We will consider how these teachings and practices can resource us both personally and collectively, and how the contributions we each make through our work in the world can be nourished by this sustained engagement with practice.

We will practise with and build on the meditation forms within Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction/Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. There will be periods of guided and unguided sitting, lying, walking and mindful movement practice, opportunities for informal practice, and space for meeting with the teacher. The retreat will also include short periods of guided interpersonal mindfulness practice.

The retreat will include:

-        a container of silence to enable participants to connect more fully with their inner experience

-        periods of both guided and self-directed practice

-        talks on practice themes

-        short periods of carefully held mindful talking and listening (drawing on elements of insight dialogue practice) in dyads and small groups

-        space to practice mindfulness informally between the scheduled sessions – including enough time to enable personal self-care such as rest or exercise

-        opportunities for group inquiries with the teachers

-        individual meetings with the teachers if needed

-        regular gentle mindful movement (qi gong and yoga) and to understand how body, heart and mind can support one another in the cultivation of the qualities we are exploring. No particular level of health or fitness is required for this.

Who is the retreat for?

This retreat is suitable for people who have attended an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) / Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) or similar course. It is particularly helpful for people who teach or are training to teach Mindfulness-Based Programmes – it fulfils part of the retreat requirements for those on a Teacher Training Pathway - and for those who are integrating mindfulness into their professional work. It is also ideal for those who simply want to strengthen and deepen their personal practice.

Language

The official language of the retreat will be English. There with be no official translation to Greek but Sophia Messari will be available to support with language clarifications, if needed occasionally, and will also guide some practices in Greek.

Timings

The retreat will start at 4 pm on Monday 4th September and finish at 12:30 pm, followed by lunch, on Friday 8th September 2023.

All times given are Greek times.

Bookingprocess

For more information please contact Sophia Messari tel: 0030 6957085624, email: sophiamessari@gmail.com. To book a place please fill in the booking form attached and email it to Sophia Messari.

Cost

The total cost of the retreat is 760 euros. This includes the cost of teaching and the accommodation and food expenses of the participants (three meals and drinks during the day) in the retreat centre for the 5 days.

The booking is confirmed with receipt of a deposit of 200 euros. The remaining of the cost can be paid in installments up to the summer of 2023. Please discuss details with Sophia Messari and read the Payment & Cancelation Policy in the attached document.

What to bring/wear

There will only be a small amount of equipment at the venue, so you are advised to bring equipment to support you in your formal practice (such as cushion, stool, yoga mat, blanket).

The venue

The wonderful retreat space of Hotel Vaela, up in the mountains of Elatohori Pierias, approximately 1.5 hours distance from Thessaloniki. https://www.vaelahotel.com/

The teachers

The retreat will be taught by Prof Rebecca Crane with support from Dr Sophia Messari

Rebecca Crane (PhD) directs the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice at Bangor University. She is an internationally renowned academic, speaker, workshop and retreat lead. Her research focuses on how mindfulness-based programs can be implemented with integrity into mainstream practice settings, and how they can support inner change that contributes to collective and systemic societal shifts towards a more equitable and sustainable world. She completed the Bodhi College dharma teacher training in 2022. She has written Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Distinctive Features 2017, co-authored Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy with People at Risk of Suicide, 2017, co-edited Essential Resources for Mindfulness Teachers, 2021, and is a Principal Fellow with the Higher Education Academy.

Sophia Messari (DClinPsych) is a Clinical Psychologist & Family Therapist and Certified Mindfulness Teacher from the Centre for Mindfulness Research & Practice (CMRP) at Bangor University. She is the founder and director of the Centre for Psychological Therapies & Mindfulness “Psyche te kai somati” in Xanthi, Greece. She offers psychotherapy and Mindfulness programs, in-person in Eastern Macedonia & Thrace and Thessaloniki as well as online. She has been trained as a Mindfulness supervisor by Bangor University, is a member of the Mindfulness Directory https://www.mindfuldirectory.org/ and of the international register ACCESS MBCT https://www.accessmbct.com/. Since November 2022 she has been organising, in partnership with the Bangor University’s Mindfulness Centre and The Mindfulness Network, Mindfulness Teacher Training Pathway courses and retreats in Greece, with the long term aspiration of enabling access to these trainings in Greece in Greek.