Details:
Date: Wednesday 21st April – Thursday 6th May
Retreat Leader: Paula Chichester (Supported by Yeshe Palmo)
Requirements: See Below
Cost: Generosity Model – Donation only (by clicking the ‘Donate Here’ button below)
Format: Onsite only.
Retreat begins: 7pm on the 21st April; Retreat ends: with lunch on 5th May
Recommended arrival: The earliest date of arrival will be 20th April. Participants will be required to arrive by 6pm on 21st April
Recommended departure: 5th or 6th May
Accommodation: Land of Joy wishes for everyone who visits the centre to feel welcome, accepted, safe and secure. Our accommodation options are very limited, with mostly single-sex shared accommodation and a very limited number of single rooms. Single accommodation can therefore only be offered on a priority basis. Please read the relevant sections of the booking form carefully.
About the Retreat
This retreat offers an opportunity to explore the completion stage practices of Vajrayogini, building upon an established foundation of the generation stage practice.
The first days of the retreat will introduce the completion stage practices and provide a foundation for the days that follow. The emphasis will then become increasingly experiential, with participants exploring the practices together and developing familiarity through meditation, physical practice and discussion.
The retreat will bring together traditional Vajrayogini practice with an awareness of the subtle body and the relationship between body, breath, energy and mind.
The Vajrayogini meditations and discussions will be led by Paula Chichester, who brings a wealth of experience, warmth and insight to support practitioners throughout the retreat. We are also delighted to welcome Yeshe Palmo, who will be offering a daily session of Awareness Yoga – a unique approach she has developed over decades of tantric practice, yoga, and somatic work with the channels, winds, and drops.
Requirements to Attended & Suggested Preparation
Requirements:
- Empowerment into the Vajrayogini (Naro Kacho) tantra from either the Sakya or Gelug tradition.
- To have received the Highest yoga tantra prerequisite initiation into Chakrasamvara, Yamantaka, Hevaja, Guhyasamaja, or Kalachakra empowerments from a fully recognised qualified master.
- To have preferably completed the enabling action retreat and fire puja or at least have a strong familiarity with and good understanding of the 11 yogas of the Vajrayogini generation stage practice
- Good understanding of the stages of the path to Enlightenment, particularly renunciation, Bodhicitta and Right view, with a strong grounding in bodhichitta motivation— an intense desire to free all beings from samsara!
- Attendees MUST stay for the entire retreat (except in the case of emergencies or illness)
Preparations to attend:
Participants are encouraged to refresh their familiarity with Vajrayogini generation stage practice before attending.
Suggested reading includes:
- A commentary on the Vajrayogini generation stage practice
- The Bliss of Inner Fire by Lama Thubten Yeshe
- Introduction to Tantra by Lama Thubten Yeshe
Please do not attend if you have symptoms of flu or cold as this is very likely to spread through the group.
Retreat Boundaries
To help create the best possible conditions for retreat, the group will be observing the traditional boundaries associated with Highest Yoga Tantra retreats.
These include:
- Staying within a physical retreat boundary – once the retreat begins, participants remain within the retreat boundaries until the conclusion of the retreat. This is usually the centre’s grounds (which includes 43 acres of forest).
- Maintaining silence at times – periods of silence allow the mind to settle and deepen practice.
- Keeping continuity of practice – following the daily schedule of sessions helps sustain focus and momentum.
- Respecting ethical conduct – refraining from distractions such as phones, non-Dharma activities & following the five precepts..
- Treating the dharma with respect – treating the sadhana, mantras, visualisations, and rituals with care and respect.
What will be offered:
Throughout the retreat there will be a balance of teaching, practice and space to explore the completion stage experientially.
The retreat will include:
- An introduction to the Vajrayogini completion stage practices during the first days of the retreat
- Guided exploration of the practices, with an emphasis on learning through experience
- Daily practice of the long Vajrayogini sadhana
- Daily Awareness Yoga sessions with Yeshe Palmo, exploring the body and subtle energies through movement and somatic awareness
- Video teachings from Lama Thubten Yeshe explaining aspects of the practices
- Opportunities for discussion and questions
- Time to integrate the practices within the supportive environment of retreat
Participants will need to bring a yoga mat and comfortable clothing suitable for physical practice.
About the Retreat Leaders
Paula Chichester
Paula Chichester has more than five decades of Buddhist practice, study and retreat experience. She first received teachings on the Six Yogas of Naropa from Lama Thubten Yeshe in 1983, followed by further teachings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Lama Zopa Rinpoche in 1990. In 2026, she received the transmission and teachings from Jhado Rinpoche. In 2015, she received teachings on Vajrayogini completion stage practice from The Sound of the Melodious Drum from Khensur Lobsang Jampa.
Following six years of full-time retreat and study of lamrim and various deity practices, Paula undertook a Vajrayogini solitary Great Retreat from 1991 to 1995, completing 11.5 million mantras, one million mantras through fire pujas and 100 self-initiations.
Alongside her extensive study and practice of Sutra and Tantra, Paula has practised physical yoga since the age of eighteen and qigong since twenty-three, incorporating physical and energetic awareness into her retreats. She brings to her teaching the experience of more than fifty years of practice, with a wish to help others find greater ease and grace on the path towards bodhicitta and emptiness.
Find out more about Paula and many other materials and resources which can support you in your practice on her website: http://braveview.org
