Private Retreat Rooms

Why is retreat important? In order for our spirituality, pure morality, wisdom, single-pointed concentration and insight to really grow, we need time and space. The normal twentieth-century environment does not give us this. It induces either distraction or sluggishness, and retreat can take us beyond both. As human beings, we have the potential for unlimited growth, for limitless compassion and wisdom, bodhichitta and the six perfections. So retreat is very important in expediting this.

– Lama Yeshe.

Using Our Private Retreat Rooms 

Land of Joy is a wonderful environment for retreat. Our semi-rural location offers quiet, spacious and beautiful grounds which can be explored during your breaks while the retreat facilities provide a private space that will support your practice. All our private retreat rooms are located either in our coach house or the main house.

Private Retreat Room Requirements

Please note: the Private retreat rooms are only available until the end of 2021 and then whenever there are gaps in the group retreat program. To request a room, please read all the information on this page and use the ‘Booking a Room’ section below.

You need to fulfil the following requirements to use a retreat room:

  • To stay for a minimum of two nights
  • To be comfortable being on your own for however long you plan to stay, including not being able to use your mobile phone and ideally only accessing the internet for retreat purposes.
  • Have an established daily practice such as daily meditation or buddhist practices.
  • Have the intention andability to create and engage in a structured daily schedule of study or practice for however long you are planning to stay.
  • Be clear what type of retreat you will do, create a schedule and gather any resources needed before you arrive at the centre.
  • Have the support of a teacher, senior student or friend to set up, maintain and complete your retreat.
  • Be confident you can work through any personal or physical difficulties that might arise (such as lung or back pain) and arrange support from a qualified teacher or experienced friend who you can turn to for help if needed.
  • To be happy to settle all travel arrangements, calls, emails etc before arriving at Land of Joy so you can focus on doing your retreat.
  • As a relatively new centre who only recently started offering personal retreats, we are currently unable to sponsor personal retreats. Therefore, you must be able to at least cover however much your retreat costs Land of Joy or find your own sponsor.

Private Retreat Room Facilities

Those doing personal retreat with us will be provided with the following facilities:

  • An en-suite (shower & toilet) room in the coach house outbuilding or a single room with a shared bathroom in the main house which can be used as a practice and sleeping space with enough room to do prostrations.
  • Three light vegetarian meals a day to be eaten in Land of Joy’s dining room. Please note, we can cater for serious food allergies, however, you will need to cover any additional costs this creates for the centre.
  • Please note, if you complete a longer retreat it will be difficult for us to provide strict precept appropriate food as we have to cook for all retreatants staying with us at the same time. However, we will do our best to find a solution that suits you and the centre.
  • Access to a well stocked dharma library (in the main house) – only after two weeks self-quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Meditation cushions/boxes, water bowls and other retreat supplies
  • Friendly staff who will respect your retreat silence and be available to provide logistical support to retreaters if needed
  • Laundry service during longer retreats
  • Help with shopping for your daily needs during longer retreats
  • Assistance with fire pujas if required. Please note this MUST be discussed before you arrive and we will request a £108 donation to cover the costs.
  • Dorje Khadro practice hut

Please note: we do NOT offer any self-catering facilities in the main house. Retreatants usually come to the dining hall for meals, but in case of strict retreat it is possible to have meals delivered to your room.

Guidelines for Behaviour

We need your support to create and maintain a supportive environment that is harmonious and pleasant for all retreatants.

While you are here we ask you:

  1. to be kind.
  2. to be generous.
  3. to live simply and be content.
  4. to speak truthfully.
  5. to be mindful of your behaviour and speech towards others and to keep to your retreat schedule and boundaries.
  6. to be intoxicant free (no smoking in the rooms or within Land of Joy’s grounds)

Thank you for your cooperation. Please note that the centre reserves the right to ask those doing retreat to leave should their behaviour become detrimental to the centre.

If you would like to join us for a personal retreat please complete the form below and we will be in touch to discuss it with you as soon as we can.

Booking a Room

If you would like to book one of our retreat rooms please make sure you fulfil the requirements to do so by checking the ‘Retreat Room Requirements’ section above, and then follow the steps below to make your booking.

  1. Please check the calendars below to see if a room is available for your preferred dates and either adjust yours plans to suit availability if there is none, or be prepared to be placed on a waiting list so we can offer you a place if someone cancels.
  2. Click the ‘Book Now’ button below and fill out the Step 1 form. This enables us to check the room is definitely available for the dates you require.
  3. If a room is available we will be in touch to request further information (by asking you to complete the Step 2 form) which helps us ensure your stay at Land of Joy is as comfortable and beneficial as possible. If a room is not available we will contact you to discuss alternatives or the possibility of being placed on a waiting list.
  4. We will be in touch to finalise your booking
  5. Once your booking is confirmed, please see the information at the bottom of this page for guidance on how to make a donation to cover the cost of your stay and keep the rooms available for others in the future.
Book Now

Giving Back to Land of Joy

Personal retreats come under our Generosity Model so you can choose how much you donate. However, we request that you please be mindful of how much your stay will cost the centre, for example the food and electricity you will use during your stay, and make a donation that will cover those as well as helping us with our other considerable costs if possible.

Please use the donation form below to select how much you would like to donate or enter a custom amount and then click ‘Donate’, choose your preferred payment method and share all the details we require to process your donation. When it is complete you will receive an email confirming we have received it or sharing the details you will require to complete it yourself if you choose to do so via an online bank transfer or by sending a postal cheque. Your generosity will help us continue to offer beneficial services to yourself and others, including helping others do personal retreat.

You may also like to make a regular contribution to the centre by becoming a Branch of Joy. This kind of support gifts us a steady and ongoing income, which in turn provides the confidence and means for us to continue to flourish for many years to come.

Thank you and may you be happy.

£
Select Payment Method
Personal Info

Credit Card Info
This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.
Reclaim Gift Aid

Boost your donations by 25% at no cost to you! A Gift Aid declaration allows us to claim tax back on eligible donations. It means that for every £1 you donate to we can claim back 25p, at no extra cost to you.

Tell me more »

By ticking the "Yes" box, I confirm I understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year I may be asked to pay any difference. I understand that Land of Joy will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give.

What is Gift Aid?

Gift Aid does not cost you a penny more, but can add an additional 25p to every £1 you donate. When we receive a donation from a UK taxpayer, we're entitled to claim an amount of tax (calculated at the basic rate of income tax in that year) paid on that donation. Once you have given your permission for us to do this on your behalf, there is no need for you to do anything else.

All that is required is that you must be a taxpayer and that would have paid or will pay sufficient Income and/or Capital Gains Tax to cover all the Gift Aid claimed on all your donations in that tax year. Please note that it is your responsibility to pay any difference.

The amount of tax we claim will be 25% of the total value of your donations in that tax year. Furthermore, if you are a higher taxpayer, you are also entitled to claim the difference between the basic rate which we will claim and the amount of tax you have actually paid. For further details on how you can do this, please contact your tax office. If your tax situation changes and your gifts will no longer be eligible for the Gift Aid scheme please contact us and we will amend your record accordingly.

Take me to my donation »

Donation Total: £50