‘You quiet yourself not so much through effort, but through something much more tender and deep. That is a willingness to step outside of our identity to walk in the mountains or to sit quietly; mostly just to stop and have a conversation with your heart in some way.’ — Jack Kornfield

When we were reworking OpenGround’s direction on becoming a charity, I raised the issue of whether retreats should still be part of our focus. The message I received was a resounding YES. People who attend these retreats find the deepening that comes from them profoundly important for their journey.  

Many people are quite daunted by the idea of attending a retreat – especially a longer one. So, I thought I would write something about what a retreat can offer and share some wisdom from Gil Fronsdal (a senior Insight and Zen teacher) about the functions of a meditation retreat, which fall into four areas:

• Recovering  
• Discovering 
• Cultivating
• Freeing

Recovering – feel better

Retreats are a great place to recover and unwind from all the crazy demands of ordinary life. People report that proper sleep, regular stretching, meditation practice, being in nature and delicious food provide the conditions for deep restoration to happen – much better than taking a holiday, actually! It can also give us unpressured space to feel a backlog of unfelt emotions – in a quiet and safe environment.  We can recover connection to deeply held values and intentions for our lives. 

Discovering – know thyself 

When we step out of regular activities and busyness, a space opens up for emotions, thoughts, intuitions, beliefs and unexamined issues to show up for exploration. Many of us are on autopilot, not really understanding the drivers of what we say or do. On retreat we have space and time to perhaps recognise ancient beliefs that are no longer true and see how they might be constricting us. We also discover that a lot of our troubles are not that personal, but simply to do with how humans are made.   

Cultivating – grow thyself 

On retreat, we get to see that the mind is not a thing.  It is a process that is constantly being made by the mental and bodily activities we engage in. If we worry a lot, we are training ourselves to worry. Same with depression and rage. If we emphasise goodwill and kindness, even in tiny ways, these capacities grow and arise more easily. On retreat, we get the space to actually practise this and see what kind of garden we can grow inside with some sustained cultivation of equanimity, patience, joy, curiosity and compassion. This leads to more confidence in being able to take responsibility for the minds we have – through our choices. 

Freeing – love the world 

Out of these processes of recovering, discovering and cultivating can 

emerge more satisfaction, connection, and safety inside. And all of this can give rise to clarity and a strength of mind so we can see more clearly what leads to suffering and what eases it – for ourselves and others. A retreat is a particularly strange kind of group activity in which many people find a loosening of their preoccupations with themselves or their worries. A wider sense of care and contribution can emerge. 

Gill Fronsdal writes:

"Retreats are places where people can grow in kindness, generosity, integrity, resilience, wisdom, and compassion. All the benefits we experience on retreat are not generated for ourselves alone. As we return to society when the retreat is over, we naturally share these benefits with others. This way, meditation retreats are the spawning ground for a more significant, pervasive transfromation. By recovering, discovering, cultivating, and freeing, we become a positive force that can change the world."

Fronsdal, Gil. Everything is Practice: A Guide for Insight Meditation Retreats (pp. 12-17). Kindle Edition.

Come and join us and see what can happen!

PS It helps us enormously if you book early for the retreats, so we can have clarity for the venue and the caterers. So if you are interested in attending either of our December retreats, do book soon.

Bowral Weekend Retreat  4 - 6 December, 2026

Bowral Seven-day Retreat 7 - 13 December, 2026

—Timothea Goddard