Winter Retreat
Our annual 10-week retreat offers an opportunity for deepening ones meditation practice.
12 January 2023 - 23 March 2023
Leader: Karma Zangpo
Cost Information: These include full veggie/vegan board and accommodation in a single room:
Up to 28 nights @ £26 per night
29 to 56 nights @ £24 per night
57 to 70 nights @ £22 per night
Course outline
The 10-week Winter Retreat on Holy Isle is an opportunity for deepening ones meditation practice. The retreat especially offers a supportive environment for those wishing to dedicate themselves to the Ordinary and Special Preliminaries - 'Ngondro' - although we welcome people who wish to deepen their meditation practice, mindfulness practitioners and others, as long as they have some basic practice experience in their own tradition.
It is important that those who are intending to practice the Ngondro, or who intend to deepen their practice of silent sitting, should have received relevant instructions prior to starting the retreat.
The retreat starts on the evening of Thursday 12th January and departs on Thursday 23rd March in the morning.
After the start, the next ferry will be Tuesday 17th and then each Friday and Tuesday, weather depending
You can start at any time during the 10 weeks - the minimum period for attending this retreat is two weeks.
Karma Zangpo - who has many years retreat experience - will be present all through the 10 weeks and will be available for advice and support.
You are welcome to join the daily Green Tara and Chenrezig group sessions that are part of the Holy Isle regular schedule, but please note that the Winter Retreat is designed essentially for individual practice, carried out by people in their own rooms. We ask all guests, moreover, to join in by helping out with certain basic tasks like chopping vegetables, washing up and cleaning.
Lama Yeshe Rinpoche, Abbot of Samye Ling and Director of the Holy Isle Project, asks that all people attending the Winter Retreat take advantage of this opportunity to practice by keeping to the scheduled times, as follows:
5.45 Rising Gong
6.00 - 7.00 Green Tara or Individual Practice Session
7.00 Breakfast
8.00 - 9.00 Work period
9.00 - 10.30 Individual Practice Session
10.30 - 11.00 Tea break
11.00 - 12.30 pm Individual Practice Session
12.30 - 2.30 Lunch
2.30 - 4 Individual Practice Session
4 pm - 4.30 Tea break
4.30 - 6 Individual Practice Session
6 - 7 Soup
7 - 8 Chenrezig or Individual Practice Session
There will be silence every day from 7 p.m. until 1 p.m. the following day. A gong will be rung to end the period of silence.
Applications to join the retreat:
Please do not use the 'Book now' button! Please send an email to reception@holyisle.org indicating your background and retreat experience and your proposed dates. Once we have reviewed this, we will then confirm your place.