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A home retreat asks for a bit of care up front. Choose a quiet spot where you won't be disturbed for long stretches, and let the people you live with know you'll be in retreat mode for the weekend. Turn your phone off and put it in another room. Close out any work commitments beforehand, and shut down the browser tabs, emails, and notifications that might pull at your attention while you're on Zoom.

It helps to plan your food ahead of time too – something like a soup or stew you can just heat up, or salad ingredients cut and ready to go. The less you need to think about meals, the more your attention can stay whole and unhurried across the weekend. If you can, talk to the people you live with about keeping Noble Silence alongside you, and don't hesitate to ask for their support if you need it.

Most people find it harder, at first, to hold concentration and stick to the schedule at home than they would on a residential retreat. And most people also come away surprised at what it's like to have the practice woven directly into daily life, rather than kept separate from it. Expect some restlessness, some resistance, moments where your attention wanders. These are not problems – they're simply more material for the same steadiness and patience you're here to grow.

Noble Silence is the practice of stepping back from idle conversation – giving yourself a break from the habit of chatting, and speaking only when there's a real need to. At home, that might mean talking with the people you live with only when necessary, and letting the small talk drop away for the weekend. Some people go further and arrange not to talk at all. Either way, the point is the same: a rest from stimulation, so the mind can start settling.

You won't be without contact, though. During the retreat there will be dedicated group meetings where you can ask questions, share what's coming up for you, and talk through anything in your practice that needs a closer look.

This retreat asks for your full commitment rather than dropping in for short stretches. We ask that you attend the opening and closing sessions and do your best to be present for most of what's in between. Short breaks – a nap, a stretch, a breather – are completely fine. But if you've got other things pulling at you across the weekend, work, social plans, family commitments, it may not be the right time to take this on. If you're not sure, get in touch and we can talk it through.

We ask that you give yourself a real break from phones, email, and the outside world for the weekend. Some people find it easiest to physically put the phone out of sight, or hand it to someone else in the house for safekeeping. Most phones also let you set a single contact through as an emergency line, so if you need to stay reachable for something urgent, that's easy enough to set up. Removing the apps you'd normally reach for is another simple way to turn your phone back into just a phone for the weekend.

We will send you a sample schedule. Think of it as a strong container rather than a strict rulebook – nothing in it is mandatory. That said, we do ask that you make it to the morning and afternoon instruction sessions, and to the evening talk, as much as you're able.

Immediately:

• Confirmation email with course details and receipt
• Confirmation of your details and pre-retreat questionnaire (brief, helps your teacher support you better)

1 week before course start:

• Reminder email 

• Credit/debit card (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)
• Bank transfer
  
• PayPal

Payment Plans Available
If you would like a payment plan, please select PayPal at the checkout. PayPal has the option Pay in 4, which will split your purchase into 4 interest-free instalments over 6 weeks.

OpenGround's programs are built around genuine commitment - yours to the program and the practice, and ours to you. When you register, your place is held and costs are committed: teacher preparation, materials, catering, and in the case of retreats, venue fees that are locked in well in advance. Our cancellation terms reflect that reality, while leaving room for the unexpected turns that life sometimes takes.

Our refund policy for residential retreats:

• If you cancel more than 4 weeks before the retreat begins, you'll receive a full refund less a $110 administration fee.
• If you cancel between 4 weeks and 2 weeks before the retreat, you'll receive a 50% refund.
• If you cancel within 2 weeks of the retreat, there is no automatic refund.

If you can find a substitute participant, we'll refund your fee less the $110 administration fee.

If you are unable to attend the retreat due to having COVID or the need to self-isolate, then you will have the choice to receive a refund minus $100, or transfer to another retreat. However, if the notification of your non-attendance is very late, we may have to charge you for the catering and/or the accommodation fee as well (if Openground is charged for this).

If the retreat is going ahead, but you decide not to attend for your own personal reasons, then you will not be eligible for a refund. Also, please note that OpenGround is not responsible for your travel arrangements that may or may not be impacted by attending the retreat.

Medical emergencies or significant life crises considered individually.