DHARMA GAIA
Centre of Mindful Living
The Retreats
Our retreats are always grounded in Presence practice - To live with awareness of who we truly are. From this basis, we offer areas of focus for each retreat. Retreats vary in length from a day, a weekend and longer retreats with the wonderful annual extended three-month Winter Retreat being our deepest formal retreat. The Community of practice enables the unfolding of retreats and courses organically and where we feel drawn to, with the deep aspiration to support awareness, and peace in the individual and the collective.
The Dharma Gaia Guardians also respond to requests to offer retreats for community groups, and organisations, particularly in the helping professions. These retreats are held at Dharma Gaia, as well as at other centres around New Zealand.
Personal Time to simply ‘Be’ at Dharma Gaia
We enjoy welcoming many people to spend time here outside of organised programmes and retreats, to simply ‘be’ here and to feel the deep support of the practice. . People come for many different reasons… to have quiet space, to rest, contemplate, to be nourished by nature, heal a sorrow, clear the mind and heart, do their practices or in order to complete an important piece of work or writing within the support of a focussed environment. Some guests have a Meditation or Mindfulness background and others come with no knowledge at all, just a strong understanding of the need for rest, peace and time to reflect.
DHARMA GAIA ALSO OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES for PRACTITIONER VOLUNTEER
Details about the volunteer programmes can be found on the volunteer programme pages here.
The great blessing of the Garden, the forest and the nature
The garden is a major focus of our practice. We know from experience and the experience of hundreds of guests that even the most simple work of caring for the garden and the forest is the work of healing for the human too.
We are not outside of Nature … we are Nature
The forest is a refuge… it welcomes all. The garden is a refuge …. welcoming all …And the beautiful walkways and profound sanctuaries on the land invite us home.
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For those who enjoy knowing some historical context: HOW DHARMA GAIA MANIFESTED IN PHYSICAL FORM
Dharma Gaia was originally set up by a small group led by Sister Shalom — that was in 2001. Sister Shalom had been studying and practicing in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh since the early 1990s. In 2004 she received Lamp Transmission (Approval to Teach) from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. In 2007 she took monastic novice precepts with Thay Thich Tu Luc and received full Bhikshuni ordination from Thich Nhat Hanh in Plum Village in 2011.
Over the past 20+ years, hundreds of people from around the world have attended retreats and come to volunteer at Dharma Gaia learning and contributing to the energy of PRESENCE and practice.
Our focus is always centered on deepening our capacity to live grounded in stability, peace and awareness.
PHOTOS FROM LIFE AT DHARMA GAIA
“it is never too late to rethink
the choices we make
of how we think and live”
READ MORE ABOUT:
REGULAR EVENTS
RETREATS AT DHARMA GAIA
OUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME
personal-retreats
UPCOMING RETREATS:
Take a retreat in this moment...
This moment is the perfect opportunity to pause, to retreat...
INSPIRATION FOR YOUR DAY
Inspiration
