Price and donations
The base price is 285 euros. This covers the teacher’s travel expenses, the cost of renting the facility and food expenses.
We feel that financial situation should not prevent anybody from participating, so we are willing to offer the retreat for a reduced price, if needed. If the base price is too high for you, please contact us at retriitit2@nirodha.fi and let us know how much you are able to pay. If you would like to help sponsor someone who does not have the financial means to pay the full price, you are welcome to pay more than the base price.
The teachers and organizers do not receive any payment for their services but offer them freely so that as many as possible have the chance to benefit from the teachings regardless of financial situation. This principle of generosity is very central to the teachings of the Buddha and has made it possible to continue the practice of meditation still 2,500 years after his life. The teachers live primarily off of donations. Retreat participants may support the teachers and organizers by donations at the end of the retreat – we ask that you take a payment card or cash with you for this purpose.
Registration and cancellations
You can sign up by filling the registration form. Once you have registered, you will receive an invoice for the 50 euros registration fee. Please pay the invoice using the reference number by due date. The registration fee cannot be transferred to another retreat.
Before the retreat we will send you a second invoice for the rest of the retreat fee. Make sure you pay the invoice by due date, or your place will be given to the next person on the waiting list.
If you are paying the fee from an non-euro account, you have two options: 1) Pay by using PayPal. The recipient’s email address is talous@nirodha.fi. Use the reference ”Leela Sarti Retreat registration fee” in the PayPal message. 2) Send the money to Nirodha’s account by using Wise. If you pay from abroad from an account which is not with your own name, please inform us about this to retriitit2@nirodha.fi; tell the payment date and account holder’s name.
In case you need to cancel the retreat, we kindly ask that you tell us as soon as possible, so we can give your place to the next person in the queue.
In case of cancellations, the registration fee is not refundable. If you have already paid the second invoice but need to cancel, we will unfortunately be able to refund you only if we can find another participant to fill in the empty place.
If you are coming from abroad, please note that we are not able to provide any documents for visa applications because of limited resources.
Arrival and departure times
The retreat begins on 22.5.2022. You may arrive from 16 onwards. Dinner will be served at 17.30, and the actual program begins at 19. The retreat ends on 29.5. by 15. Yogis are expected to participate from the beginning of the retreat to the end.
Venue
The retreat will take place at the Friendship Inn in Kruusila, near Salo, about 100km from Helsinki (in the direction Turku). The address is Ystävyyden Majatalo, Kalkkilantie 74, FI-25110 Kruusila. The nearest bus stop is located about 600 m from the inn.
We will send you an email approximately one week before the beginning of the retreat with detailed information on how to get to the site, such as recommended routes and bus connections. We will also help to coordinate liftshare so that those who need a ride can connect with those who have extra space in their car.
Regarding the pandemic
We encourage all participants to get vaccinated, be careful and take a home test before arriving at the retreat. Observing proper distances is difficult at the retreat location and sitting meditation will be held as one group in the dharma hall. We do not require participants to wear masks, but wearing them is of course allowed. The Nirodha board actively follows the pandemic situation up to the retreat and will update these practical arrangements accordingly.
In case the pandemic situation does not allow for the retreat to be held in person, it will be converted to an online retreat. In that case the retreat fee will be refunded, and the new price will be 30 € to cover the expenses.
Accommodation, meals and the daily routine
The Friendship Inn has room for approximately 40 yogis. Participants stay in shared rooms of 2–4 people. The rooms will be assigned to yogis in the order of arrival. If you have pet allergies, please note that there might be cats and/or dogs inside the house, but they don’t have access to the bedrooms during the retreat.
Three simple vegetarian meals will be served daily: breakfast, lunch and a light dinner. There will be tea and instant coffee available during the breaks. Please mark any food allergies you have on the registration form.
A typical day on the retreat includes alternating 45-minute periods of sitting and walking meditation as well as a one-hour working period during which participants help with chopping vegetables, cleaning common spaces, etc. It is possible to do yoga and stretching or to take a walk during the breaks or during some of the walking meditation periods. If you need a yoga mat, please bring your own with you.
Silence and abstinence from alcohol or drugs
Use of intoxicants is not permitted during the retreat. Smoking is allowed only in a special area designated for this purpose.
During the retreat we maintain noble silence, which means yogis do not talk with each other, read, write, or use mobile phones. Talking is only done with the teachers. Experience shows that silence deepens the practice in a beautiful way.
If someone needs to contact you in case of emergency during the retreat, they may call the manager (Anna Backholm, +358 40 5362 946).
What to bring
Please bring your own bed linens or sleeping bag with you. Make sure you have with you a towel, your personal items, medication, etc. It is also possible to rent bed linen and a towel for a small fee. The organizers cannot get items you are missing for you during the retreat, and there is no possibility to use a washing machine.
It is possible to meditate on the floor or in a chair. Nirodha will provide one set of cushions (zafu and zabuton) for each yogi. We will also provide about twenty meditation benches. If you need extra cushions or blankets–for example, to support your hands or knees–please bring your own with you. If you easily get cold during meditation, it may be good to bring your own blanket or shawl.
Indoor footwear is recommended as well as outdoor shoes that are easy to put on and take off, since the meditation hall and some of the bedrooms are located in different buildings.
Questions
If you have anything to ask, please contact us at retriitit2@nirodha.fi. We wish everyone a rewarding and meaningful retreat!
Warmly,
Anna Backholm (manager, +358 40 5362 946)
Marianne (Nella) Kautiala (registrations, +358 50 531 8228)