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To book your place - please click through to registration form and make a deposit of €100. The balance will be paid to facilitators directly
Nourishing ourselves with deep rest
In this retreat the emphasis will be on rest and learning to nourish ourselves. How can we drop into rest? What does it feel like when we experience deep rest? What gets in the way? How can we learn to nourish ourselves in a way that is sustainable?
An opportunity to land, rest and recuperate, this retreat calls us home to practice, stillness and the joy of connection with the natural world and each other.
It includes meditation, gentle movement, nature connection practices and small group work.
Barry and Rachel will draw on a variety of approaches including mindfulness based stress reduction, mindful self-compassion, compassion focused therapy, awakening joy and the work that reconnects.
Food is one of the most important things on a retreat. Poppy is a gifted cook and she will prepare delicious, healthy, vegetarian food for you (using seasonal organic produce).
All are welcome! The weekend is open to beginners as well as people with more experience.
Why is rest so important? - by Barry Lee
I’m writing this on the 14th of September. The summer is over and at times I feel like I have been thrown back onto a treadmill which is going at 100 miles an hour. It’s really jarring.
It’s only been two weeks and already, I feel tired. Summer is a distant memory. So many plates to spin, so many balls to juggle, so much pressure.
I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this. Many of the people I work with resonate with it too. A feeling of always being “on”. A feeling of “hurry”. A friend of mine describes it as the “washing machine of life”.
It’s not sustainable.
We need to rest. Really rest and not just for a couple of weeks or a month in the summer. It needs to become an integral part of our lives. Rest is not a cop out and it’s not weak. The alternative is burnout. When we are rested, we are more effective in the world, we are less reactive and we are more creative.
In this retreat the emphasis will be on slowing down so we can really listen to what we need. We will learn how to drop into the body and rest, not just on retreat but also in our daily lives.
MSc Mindfulness Based Intervention, BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy, CORU Registered Occupational Therapist
Mindfulness Teacher with The Mindfulness and Compassion Centre:
Rachel began her training in teaching mindfulness in 2017 in Bangor University through their teacher training pathway. In 2020 she completed a Masters in Mindfulness Based Interventions in UCD, and was awarded with the Mindfulness Award for best performance in the Masters from the UCD School of Psychology. She has completed further training in other mindfulness based interventions including Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, and Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness. Rachel is a part of the Tutor Team for Trainee Mindfulness Teacher's in The Mindfulness and Compassion Centre. She is a registered member of the The Mindfulness Teacher's Association of Ireland.
In 2020 Rachel set up Insight Out Mindfulness and Therapy, a platform where she provides evidence-based mindfulness courses, retreats and one to one sessions for members of the public, hospitals, members of the LGBTQI+ Community and Direct Provision Centres. She has a special interest in the role of mindfulness and compassion in supporting adults with ADHD, and women experiencing infertility and pregnancy loss.
Lead Mental Health Occupational Therapist with The Mindfulness and Compassion Therapy Centre:
Rachel is a Senior Mental Health Occupational Therapist who graduated from Trinity College in 2007. She now specialises in Occupational Therapy Mental health and neurodiversity. She has worked in various sectors for the past 16 years, including disability, paediatrics, equine assisted therapy, and has specialised in the area of mental health for the past 9 years. Rachel spent 7 years working as a Senior Clinician in the National Centre for Youth Mental Health before moving into OT private practice.
Rachel’s approach to OT is firmly grounded in cultivating more self-compassion and awareness in order to support people to engage meaningfully in what’s important to them in their lives. Rachel has training in various therapeutic approaches which are also woven into her practice, including ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy), CFT (Compassion Focused Therapy) Solution Focused Therapy, and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy.
She specialises in providing occupational therapy for adults and young people who are neurodivergent, or who are experiencing mental health difficulties. She also has a special interest in supporting people with ADHD. Rachel is CORU Registered and a Member of AOTI
MBSR Teacher (Institute For Mindfulness Based Approaches); MSC Teacher (Centre for Mindful Self Compassion); Mindfulness Based Compassionate Living teacher; Yoga teacher (2000 hours Yoga Alliance)
Barry has trained in a variety of complementary techniques – Mindfulness and Compassion (MBSR, MBCL, MSC and Awakening Joy), Psychotherapy and Yoga
He works with groups and with people on a one to one basis.
He has practiced meditation for over fifteen years. He is a member and former chairperson of the Mindfulness Teachers Association of Ireland and currently sits on the supervision subcommittee. He has trained as a mindfulness supervisor and in the use of MBI:TAC with the Mindfulness Network (University of Bangor).
Barry worked for over ten years as a corporate lawyer and has significant experience facilitating mindfulness and compassion training for organisations in a variety of contexts.
In 2017, he founded Mindfulness for Law (www.mindfulnessforlaw.ie) with the intention of bringing the benefits of mindfulness training to the legal profession. He has facilitated workshops and courses in many law firms and he works as a facilitator and student counsellor with the Law Society of Ireland.
In 2016, he co-founded Nature in Mind (natureinmind.ie), an educational organisation which aims to help people improve their health and well-being through mindfully connecting with the natural world.
