Retreats & Courses at Land of Joy
Land of Joy offers a range of introductory, next-step, advanced and secular retreats through most of the year. Please click on any event that interests you to learn more about it and book your place.
Personal retreats or private stays are also possible depending on availability. Please click here for more details.
Please be aware events might be cancelled up to two weeks prior to their start date due to lack of numbers or other reasons. It is also possible they will be re-arranged if we have the chance to host touring teachers, so please keep this in mind when booking transport.
February 2026
An ONLINE ONLY course With Wendy Ridley: Wednesdays 7pm-8:10pm from the 18th February until 3rd June with a 4 week break from 15th April until 13th May
A Mindful Heart is new 12-week course developed by the Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW), inspired by Pam Cayton’s Creating Compassionate Cultures program and currently being offered as a pilot by Land of Joy. This course is designed to support participants in developing a deeper understanding of how the mind works, gradually letting go of destructive patterns of thought and behaviour while cultivating a healthy self-confidence and a deep, compassionate connection with others.
With Phara Khenchen Rinpoche (Tulku-la) and Di Carroll: Monday 23rd February to Wednesday 4th March. Requirements: See retreat information page.
We are delighted to host a 10-day White Tara Long Life Retreat dedicated to the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Held during the Days of Miracles—the auspicious period after Tibetan New Year (Losar) when virtuous actions are said to be powerfully multiplied—this retreat offers an exceptional chance to gather merit and make strong prayers for His Holiness’s continued health and activity.
This will be the first retreat Phara Khenchen Rinpoche (Tulku-la) will lead at Land of Joy and we are extremely grateful to him for offering his precious time and knowledge, supported by the wonderful Di Carroll.
April
With Paula Chichester (supported by Yeshe Palmo), Friday 12th April to Thursday 7th May. Requirements: See retreat information page.
Land of Joy warmly welcomes the return of the Vajrayogini Enabling Action 100,000 Mantra Retreat, an important step for those wishing to deepen their connection with Vajrayogini. It offers the chance to accumulate the required mantra recitations within the supportive and peaceful conditions of retreat. More than this, it creates space for the heart to open, for clarity to grow, and for Vajrayogini’s fearless wisdom to become ever more alive within us.
An ONLINE ONLY weekend with Ven Mary Reavey: Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th April
This weekend offers a clear and practical enquiry into how the sense of self is constructed and what this reveals about living dying and rebirth. Common confusion between reincarnation and rebirth will be clarified, opening the possibility of living life and meeting death with clarity, courage and freedom.
May
With Paula Chichester & Lou Beaumont, Friday 15th to Sunday 17th May.
This weekend retreat at Land of Joy is an invitation to open our hearts to the power of loving kindness — for ourselves, for others, and for the world we share.
Through a blend of teachings, guided meditations, group discussion, and gentle body practices, teachers Lou Beaumont and Paula Chichester will guide us in exploring kindness as a profound source of strength and happiness. Together, we will look closely at what supports kindness, what can prevent it, and how we can cultivate it in daily life with courage, balance, and warmth.
With Ven Mary Reavey, Tuesday 26th to Sunday 31st May. (FULLY BOOKED, WAITING LIST AVAILABLE)
This retreat offers a journey into the close and complementary relationship between Shamatha (calm abiding) and Vipassana (insight). Together, these two practices form a bridge between cultivating a stable, balanced mind and uncovering the wisdom that sees reality as it truly is.
Guided by the clear and precise teachings of B. Alan Wallace, you will explore how Shamatha and Vipassana can be practiced in harmony to transform both meditation and daily life.
Whether you are just beginning your journey or are looking to deepen your meditation practice, this retreat offers a supportive environment to begin or continue your journey.
June
With Paul Wielgus, Friday 19th to Monday 22nd June.
Join us for a beautiful, relaxing, and deeply meaningful gathering in the heart of nature—held over the luminous days of the Summer Solstice at the serene sanctuary of Land of Joy. This is not just a retreat. It’s a remembering. A re-rooting. A celebration. Over five slow, sun-warmed days, we’ll immerse ourselves in the wild stillness and soft rhythms of the land. Together. This is a space to unplug from urgency and reclaim connection—with yourself, with others, and with the living world.
July
With Ven Mary Reavey, Friday 3rd to Saturday 11th July.
The Buddhist path to awakening is often described as two wings of a bird: wisdom and bodhichitta. Only when both wings are fully developed can we truly take flight. In this retreat, Ven. Mary Reavey will guide us in exploring these two essential aspects of practice. We will look more deeply into the Lamrim—the graduated path to enlightenment—focusing on cultivating wisdom and the compassionate intention of bodhichitta. The emphasis will be not only on intellectual understanding, but on using meditation to feel and experience the teachings directly, so that they become a living part of our practice.
With Wendy Ridley, Friday 17th – Sunday 19th July.
Feeling overwhelmed by global crises, work, family, or personal challenges? Seeking practical tools for positive change and emotional resilience? This experiential weekend retreat is designed for you.
We will explore embodied mindfulness and universal ethical values in this Level 1 of the 16 Guidelines for Life Program developed by the Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom (FDCW). The program offers a simple yet profound framework for reflecting on how we think, act, relate to others, and find meaning. Through mindfulness, self-inquiry, and ethical reflection, we will gain tools to foster well-being, purpose, and inner strength.
August
An ONLINE ONLY weekend with Ven Mary Reavey: Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th August
Although this is a stand alone weekend, participation in previous weekend (Who Lives, Dies & Is Reborn) would be an advantage.
Rather than treating death as a separate event, the focus here is on what can be done in life that supports the dying process. The 5 Powers are a clear and practical approach that brings peace, stability and a beneficial transition. Understanding how to benefit ourselves at the time of death gives insight into benefiting others.
September
With François Schick: Friday 4th – Sunday 6th September.
This weekend at Land of Joy, François Schick will guide us into a gentle exploration of the second pāramitā — ethics and morality. Together, we will deepen our understanding of this essential practice and the ways it supports a meaningful life.
Throughout the retreat, François will invite us to reflect on how ethical conduct nurtures inner peace and how our choices shape both our present and future through the law of karma. Rather than abstract philosophy, we will focus on how these timeless teachings can be applied to the small moments of daily life — in our words, our actions, and our relationships.
With Geshe Rinchen: Thursday 10th – Sunday 13th September
Emptiness lies at the heart of the Buddha’s wisdom: the key to freedom from confusion and the source of genuine compassion. Over the course of this retreat, Geshe Rinchen will guide you through a step-by-step exploration of emptiness as presented in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, drawing inspiration from the works of great masters such as Je Tsongkhapa.
Through a balance of study, reflection, and meditation, you’ll have the opportunity to engage both intellectually and experientially with this essential teaching — discovering how understanding the dependent nature of reality can bring greater clarity, peace, and kindness into everyday life.
With Ven Mary Reavey: Friday 25th September – Saturday 3rd October.
Shamatha is the development of attention which enables us to focus our attention on an object without agitation or dullness, eventually reaching the clear mind of. Shamata (calm abiding) is the clear mind that provides us with the focus we need to positively transform our minds for ourselves and others. We all need to start where we are so no matter what our level of meditation might be, you will find benefit from training your attention.
October
With Andy Wistreich, Friday 9th – Friday 16th October. Requirements: To have received a Yamantaka Solitary Hero Initiation
Join us at Land of Joy for a rare and precious opportunity to engage deeply with the Yamantaka Solitary Hero practice — one of the most profound methods of Highest Yoga Tantra. Guided by Andy Wistreich, this retreat offers the chance to strengthen your connection with this powerful path in a peaceful and supportive environment.
During the retreat, we will engage in the Yamantaka long sadhana, short self-initiation, and completion stage practices as transmitted by Geshe Wangchen. Texts for these practices will be provided to registered participants.
Come and immerse yourself in this sacred practice in the tranquil setting of Land of Joy, supported by community, lineage, and the clear, warm guidance of an experienced teacher.
