The elements are present all around us and within us – in the natural world, in our bodies and in our minds. This seven-day residential retreat offers an opportunity to explore our relationship with these elemental qualities and discover how working with them can support greater balance, awareness and ease.

Over the course of the week, we will journey through the elements in sequence, beginning with earth and moving through water, fire, air and space. Through awareness movement, breathwork, meditation and connection with the beautiful natural surroundings of Land of Joy, we will explore how these different elemental energies are experienced and expressed within us.

Each of us has our own patterns, tendencies and needs. Rather than seeking a single idea of what it means to be ‘balanced’, the retreat invites us to become more curious about our own experience – learning to recognise what supports our inner flourishing and how we might respond more skilfully when life feels out of balance.

Yeshe Palmo has devoted herself full-time to the practice and study of Buddhism since 1986. She completed four years of strict retreat and continues to live a contemplative lifestyle spending some time in retreat yearly. She served as the resident monastic at Thrangu House from 1993 to 2000 and organized pilgrimages for her principal teacher, Thrangu Rinpoche, in Nepal and India, while serving many other UK-based projects. Rinpoche suggested Yeshe studied the sacred Geography tradition of Bayul or hidden valleys which she did as her research study within an MA in Mystical and Spiritual Experience from Canterbury University (2000)

She has also been deeply influenced by additional remarkable teachers in the Tibetan Tradition, including The Dalai Lama, Khenpo Tsultrim, Ringu Tulku, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, and Yeshe has worked with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, who she helped develop the Awareness Yoga curriculum for Tergar International, and will be part of the support team for their upcoming 3 yr retreat. She created and taught courses on Yogic Approaches to Meditation, focusing on the environment, breath, movement, and neurobiology together with more traditional contemplative practices, and is an accredited counsellor with the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society. At the request of HH the Gyalwa Karmapa Yeshe completed an MA in History of Meditation and Yoga traditions at SOAS University of London (2018), conducting research around using yogic techniques for preparing for retreat and difficulties within retreat. You may see her speak on these topics here: Yogic Reseach

This journey has been alot about exploring embodied practice and has helped yeshes own path into embodied spiritual practice and how to use challenging health as the path.