Weekend Retreat for Mothers 2024

As a team of Buddhist mothers, we are delighted to be leading weekend retreats for mothers at Taraloka. These weekends are open to all mothers and mothers-to-be with an interest in meditation and Buddhism and usually include a range of people, from experienced to newcomers.

This weekend will offer an opportunity to take time out and relax, away from immediate family demands. We will have meditation, talks, workshops, small discussion groups and short periods of silence.  You will be invited to contribute one simple task a day to help the retreat run smoothly and will be well fed and looked after in the welcoming, nourishing environment of Taraloka. There is space in the programme to go for walks, catch up on sleep and chat to other mothers.

Our experience is that the context of motherhood offers many invaluable opportunities for insight, heart-opening and personal and spiritual growth. This includes opportunities for letting go and responding creatively to not getting what we want – over and over – and reminders of how small children can us teach us to dwell with them in the here and now. We will focus on these and other gifts and explore how to integrate moments of calm or meditation and Buddhism in our lives as mothers.

Karunagita writes:

'Most of my 30+ years of Buddhist spiritual practice have, for me, been within the context of raising children, as a working mother and mainly single parent. Long ago, I went beyond any lurking beliefs that being a proper Buddhist is only possible with acres of solitude and silence. I was inspired to write a book - A Path for Parents - for parents like me who were questioning how to make Buddhism relevant and to practise effectively as a parent. I was keen that the book would be ‘warts and all’ rather than present an idealised, soft focus view. I'm always touched when people tell me it resonates with their own experience and gives them confidence in their own spiritual practice.’