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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
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.
In 2020 Rachel set up Insight Out Mindfulness, a platform where she provides evidence-based mindfulness courses, retreats and one to one sessions for members of the public, hospitals, healthcare and business settings. She has a special interest in the role of mindfulness and compassion in supporting women experiencing infertility and pregnancy loss. She is also affiliated with and provides mindfulness programs to Direct Provision Centres in Ireland.
Rachel’s background is in Occupational Therapy. She has worked in various sectors for the past 15 years, including disability, paediatrics, equine assisted therapy, and has specialised in the area of mental health. Rachel works as a senior mental health Occupational Therapist in private practice. She works online and in person, in the Mindfulness Centre, providing OT for adolescents, young adults, and adults in the area of mental health and neurodiversity. She has a particular interest and passion in supporting adolescents and adults with ADHD. She uses evidence-based mindfulness and compassion based interventions within her therapeutic approaches to complement the occupational therapy process and to help maximise people's participation and satisfaction in their lives.
Rachel has had a personal meditation practice since 2015. She is passionate and inspired by Buddhist psychology and ethics, and attends silent retreats. She meets the requirements of the Good Practice Guidelines for Teaching Mindfulness-Based Courses published by the Mindfulness Teachers Association of Ireland. She is registered with the Mindfulness Teacher’s Association of Ireland, and is also an active committee member.
Certified MBSR Teacher (Institute For Mindfulness Based Approaches); Certified Yoga Teacher (500 hours Yoga Alliance); Director of the Mindfulness Teachers Association of Ireland
Barry is a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher and yoga instructor. He has practiced meditation for over ten years and has trained as a mindfulness teacher with the Institute for Mindfulness Based Approaches. He has since completed further training in a range of other mindfulness-based interventions including Mindfulness Based Compassionate Living and Awakening Joy. He is a member of the Mindfulness Teachers Association of Ireland and is a registered member of Yoga Alliance UK & Ireland (Certified Experienced Teacher).
Barry worked for over ten years as a corporate lawyer and has significant experience delivering mindfulness training to organisations in the corporate sector. 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 of the top Irish law firms.
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.
