Soulmaking Dharma Retreat 28.2.-6.3.2022 in Kruusila: Catherine McGee: practical details

Price and donations

The base price is 248 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 teacher 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 teacher lives primarily off of donations. Retreat participants may support the teacher and organizers by donations at the end of the retreat – we ask that you take cash with you for this purpose.

Registration and cancellation policy

You can sign up for the retreat by filling in the registration form. You will receive an invoice for the registration fee (30€) by signing up through the registration system. Please sign up by 21.2.2022.

About 6 weeks before the retreat, we will send you an invoice for the rest of the event fee. Make sure you pay the invoice by the due date, or your place will be given to the next person on the waiting list.

If you are paying the fee from a non-euro account, you have two options: 1) Pay by using PayPal. The recipient’s email address is talous@nirodha.fi. Use the reference “Soulmaking retreat” 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 your participation, 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.

Arrival and departure times

The retreat begins on 28.2.2022. You may arrive from 4pm. Dinner will be served at 5.30pm, and the actual program begins at 7pm. The retreat ends on 6.3. by 3pm. 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 two weeks 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

We ask all participants to have a valid COVID Certificate and take a home test before arriving at the retreat. Observing proper distances is difficult at the Friendship Inn 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.

Due to the changing pandemic situation, we can promise retreat participation to the first 20 applicants. The full participant amount is 40, but we want to keep the option of organizing a smaller and safer retreat. All applicants beyond the first 20 will be counted as queueing. We will inform applicants about the participant amount later.

In case the pandemic worsens significantly, the retreat will be canceled. In its place will be organized an online retreat taught by Catherine McGee. The online retreat will be during the original retreat dates or possibly shortened and its theme and pre-requisites changed to suit more potential participants. If the retreat is changed into an online retreat, the participants may choose to cancel their participation or choose to participate in the online retreat. The online retreat would cost 30€. The full retreat fee will be sent back to the participants or if they choose to apply for the online retreat, they will receive the difference between the fee and the new participation cost.

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 meditation hall or 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 retreat manager (their contact information will be added here soon).

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 retriitit2@nirodha.fi. We wish everyone a rewarding and meaningful retreat!

Warmly,

Managers

Aini Väätti (+358 50 331 8809, aini.vaatti@gmail.com), manager

Nasu Tapio Envall (+358 50 573 4555), manager

Marianne Kautiala (+358 50 531 8228), registrar