“Sometimes the most important thresholds of mystery are places of silence.”

John O’Donohue

Winter is the ideal season to retreat into silence and allow the weary soul to rest. Through the practice of Mindfulness Meditation this retreat aims to provide the nurturing and healing space needed for the necessary journey inward, entering the threshold of mystery through silence that will to allow body and soul to restore. This is especially needed now as our bodies and souls are still recovering from the traumatic effects of living through a year of the COVID pandemic that affected our lives on all levels. I will offer additional Reiki sessions on this retreat to further enhance the body’s own restorative and balancing properties and support inner healing.

The retreat programme will be designed to accommodate the needs of both beginners and existing practitioners in meditation. An Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation will be given the Friday evening. There will be ample opportunity during the remainder of the retreat to engage with the following Meditation Practices:

• Early morning stretches and Movement Meditation

• Mindfulness Breath Meditation

• Meditation with Sound and the Senses

• Walking Meditation, including walking the labyrinth

• Reclining Meditation and evening Sound Journeys

The retreat will be observed in Silence from the Introduction the Friday evening till Brunch the Sunday morning, in order to fully enter the Divine space of inner silence. It will also allow the space for Mindful Eating during mealtimes. Ample free time will be made available for personal meditation, reflection, creative journaling or resting. Art material will be available for those who are drawn to drawing, painting or collaging. During the free time optional Reiki sessions can be booked with me at a special rate. For those staying over the Sunday evening, there will still be opportunity to book Reiki sessions with me during Sunday afternoon. I will also be available for guidance or discussion throughout the retreat.

What participants say about this retreat:

• “Would definitely recommend this Mindfulness meditation retreat. It surpasses any other retreat that I have, apart from the self-retreat at Ixopo, been on. This has given me the impetus and energy to make my practice into a daily routine and given me the tools to be mindful.”

• “Profound and thought changing.”

• “I feel affirmed in my central practice of Centering Prayer and reminded that I can more moments of mindfulness.”

• “Ek het gedurende meditasies geleer om my situasie(s) te omarm en deel van my lewe te maak en daaruit te leer en te groei.”

The retreat fee is R 3 900.00 for shared accommodation and R 4 500.00 for single accommodation and inclusive of brunch and dinner daily, coffee/tea with snacks as well as all retreat activities and art materials used. Checking in-time will be from 14:00 on Friday 27 May and we will gather at 17:00 for the start of the retreat. The retreat will end at 14:00 on Sunday 29 May, although the fee includes free accommodation for Sunday evening for those that can stay over. Supper on Sunday evening will be at your own cost. The restaurant, Tebaldi’s at Temenos is closed on Sunday evenings, but you can order a takeaway at the restaurant before 2pm or choose to self-cater or book for dinner in town. The cottages at Temenos are fully equipped for self-catering.

An immediate deposit of R 1 000.00 secures your booking. The outstanding balance must be paid by Friday 20 May. Payment options can be discussed. Discount will be offered to participant who repeat this retreat. Please book soon as space is limited. For bookings, contact Johann at johann@johannvangreunen.co.za or 021-914 1294 or 083 764 5978.

Please note my Cancellation Policy:

• Should you cancel your reservation up to 4 weeks prior a retreat, you will be refunded, but an admin fee of R 100 will be charged. An option would be to keep your deposit, but to transfer it to another retreat at no additional cost.

• For cancellations 2-4 weeks prior the retreat, refunds will only be offered if your place can be re-sold. You will still have the option to transfer your deposit to another retreat at no additional cost.

• Cancellations up to 2 weeks prior the retreat will not be refunded, and no deposits will be transferred.

About your facilitator:

Johann Van Greunen

Johann is a Specialist Wellness Counsellor in private practice with training and background in Pastoral Therapy. In his practice he focuses on counselling, Reiki healing and training, teach ing mindfulness meditation and he runs various workshops focused on mindfulness practices and inner wellbeing Johann has realised the value of Meditation and Mindfulness Practices early in his life and has co me to know Mindfulness Meditation as an invaluable aid in assisting us to develop integrated and coherent life stories.

With an interest in Integral and Complementary Medicine from early on, Johann qualified as Reiki Master to offer a hands on healing pra ctice that complements his counselling practice. Being a Master in Reiki, he teaches courses on Levels 1, 2 and Master Level.

Johann had been training in both ballroom and contemporary dance for years and developed a strong interest in the healing power of creative processes, especially in art, movement and music. He uses these processes working with groups and during his workshops and retreats teaching Mindfulness Practices. He encourages his clients coming for counselling to use creative processes in o rder to develop new narratives for their life stories.

Johann holds an Honours degree in Psychology from the University of Pretoria and a M.Th. (Clinical Pastoral Care) from the University of Stellenbosch. He is registered as Specialist Wellness Counsellor at the Association for Supportive Counsellors & Holistic Practitioners. He is involved with mentoring programmes for the City of Cape Town which involves psycho social support for health clinic staff and clinic managers. His work with these teams includes team building, trauma debriefing and teaching mindfulness practices. Past work in this field includes mentoring programmes for HIV/AIDS counsellors at Lifeline, Wola Nani, Sothemba AIDS Action Group, Positive Muslims and Desmond Tutu TB Centre linked to t he University of Stellenbosch. He was also supervisor for the M.Th. Clinical Pastoral Care (HIV Counselling) programme for 5 years.

Johann is passionate about life, the arts, music, dance, nature, good food, coffee, wine and soulful friendships. He lives with his partner in the leafy suburb of Kenridge in Durbanville and is the servant of a big fluffy ginger cat.

At Temenos we're always happy to host Retreats and Workshops, for more details contact Margaret