The Awakened Heart in a Changing World Meditation Retreat

with Ali Barlow and Lisa Brown

19th Sept to 25th Sept, 2025 at Sangsurya Retreat Centre, Byron Bay

How do we keep our hearts open in face of the suffering we see in the world?

This silent retreat will offer the opportunity to find freedom, courage and presence in the midst of suffering, and to cultivate a responsiveness to life.

The retreat offers a rich program of guided meditations, meditation instruction, sitting periods, walking periods, individual meetings with the teachers, open dharma inquiry sessions, and nourishing heart practices. There will also be Dharma talks offered to cultivate an exploration into how the liberating wisdom teachings of the Buddha can help us to understand our experiences of the world and of ourselves.

Each morning will begin with a gentle, embodied 'Heart Yoga' yoga class. This mindful movement practice includes a half hour guided practice of Yoga Nidra to support deep relaxation.

As part of Sangsurya’s spring offering, room rates for this retreat are lower than usual - making it a wonderful time to join us.

Teachers:

Ali Barlow - is a dedicated Insight Dharma teacher with decades of meditative practice and a strong foundation in the Buddha’s teachings. She began her path in 1997 while living in an ashram in South India and has supported numerous insight meditation retreats since 2008. A long-time student and assistant of Will James, Ali helps guide weekly meditation groups in Bellingen, leads wilderness yatras, and plays an active role in Tallowwood Sangha. Her teaching is grounded in a deep love for the Dharma and a life of service.

Lisa Brown - is an Insight Dharma teacher, Psychologist and Senior Yoga teacher and has been practising Buddhist meditation since 2004 in both the Theravada and Tibetan Mahayana traditions. She regularly teaches alongside her long-time mentor and friend Malcolm Huxter, creatively weaving insights from the Dharma, contemporary psychology, and trauma aware yoga. Based on Gumbaynggirr Country, Lisa leads an Eco-Dharma Sangha in the Coffs Harbour region. Her teaching is grounded, embodied, and informed by our interconnectedness with all of life.

Health protocols: We follow all NSW Health guidelines on our retreats. Any necessary protocols will be advised prior to the retreat to insure safety for all.

Detailed Retreat Information:

Please arrive between 3:00pm and 5:00 pm on Friday 19th Sept. The retreat will finish after lunch on Thursday, 25th Sept.

Schedule: The full days have an early optional exercise period e.g. yoga, walking or individual exercise. The retreat program consists of sitting, standing, walking & guided meditation, meditation instruction, group and individual meetings with teachers, inquiry sessions, evening Dharma talks and daily mindfulness work periods.

The retreat is conducted in silence apart from meetings with teachers and essential communication.

Meetings with the teachers are an essential aspect of the retreat and will be in a small group format. Also there will be opportunity for individual interviews with teachers during the week.

Dana: Insight Meditation teachers give generously of their time and energy during retreats. They receive no payment for this and are supported by donations from those attending retreats.

A Dana (donation) box will be placed inside the meditation hall for donations to support the teachers.

What to Bring:

Meditation cushions and mat

Clothing plus meditation shawl or wrap

Torch with extra batteries: Sangsurya is in a forest setting and even though there is path lighting, a torch is handy for moving around the area at night.
Water bottle (please leave outside the meditation hall): Filtered water is available at the meditation hall and in the dining room.

Rain/sun protection:

Other useful items: Mosquito repellent and sunscreen. Yoga mat if you wish to participate in yoga. Personal toiletries.

Things to note: All bedding and linen including towels, sheets, blankets and pillows are provided.

Etiquette on Retreat:

The retreat will be run under the protection of the five precepts to create a safe and supportive environment. All participants are invited and encouraged to take up the five retreat precepts.

The teachers are also committed to this practice. If any student suspects that an insight teacher is slipping in ethical conduct, they are asked to discuss this with the manager.

The Five Precepts for the retreat are to take up the practices of:

Cultivating kindness and restraining from harmful actions.
Cultivating appreciation and generosity with possessions and restraining from taking what is not freely offered.
Cultivating inner joy and contentment and restraining from sexual expression.
Cultivating truthful and appropriate communication and restraining from speech that distorts or is damaging.
Cultivating clarity and restraining from habits that create dullness or heedlessness.

We acknowledge that this retreat takes place on Arakwal Country and pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging.

This information will be sent to all participants in a document form prior to the retreat.