Price and donations
The base price is 250 euros. This covers the teachers’ travel expenses, the cost of renting the facility, food expenses, and this retreat’s general 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 retriitit3@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 bring a payment card or cash with you for this purpose.
Registration and cancellation policy
You can sign up for the retreat by filling in 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 wish to pay via Paypal, please choose ”Registration with PayPal invoice” on the registration form AND contact us via email at retriitit3@nirodha.fi. We will create a Paypal invoice for you then.
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 12th of September 2022. You may arrive from 4 pm onwards. Dinner will be served aroung 5.30 pm, and the actual program begins at 7 pm. The retreat ends on 18th of September, in the afternoon. 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. (You might not want to buy a bus ticket for your return trip in advance, because we will also help to coordinate liftshare at the end of the retreat.)
Regarding the pandemic
Participants should note that keeping physical distance to other practicioners can be 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.
There are currently no official Covid regulations in Finland for gatherings, but we would like everyone to be conscious and considerate, and take the following precautions: be aware of your own health and the health of those who are around you, and if there is reason to suspect illness, take an antigen Covid test even if you are not showing symptoms. In addition to this, we would like you to take a rapid antigen test on the day of arrival. There will be tests available when you arrive, or you can do one before you leave home.
If you are not feeling well before the retreat or get a positive Covid test result, please stay at home and take care of yourself and us. In this case, we will exceptionally refund the registration fee (minus the reservation fee) since the health and safety of our participants and teachers is a priority to us.
Note: we’ll keep an eye on the Covid situation, and may update these instructions as needed.
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 are cats living at the inn. They don’t have access to the meditation hall or bedrooms during the retreat, but can come into the dining hall and other general premises.
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 main manager.
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 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 retriitit3@nirodha.fi. We wish everyone a rewarding and meaningful retreat!
Warmly,
Ulla Sillanpää (+358 40 536 4181), registration