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

This retreat will offer you the time, the space, and practices to give your body and mind the opportunity to settle and find freedom in the midst of this suffering.
This six-day silent retreat offers a rich program of guided meditation instructions, sitting and walking meditations, individual meetings with the teachers and open dharma inquiry sessions. There will be talks each evening that will offer insights into how the liberating wisdom teachings of the Buddha can provide understanding into our experiences of the world and ourselves.

Each day will also offer the opportunity to embody the heart practices through Mindful Dance sessions with music. These sessions are adapted from Biodanza, a movement methodology that supports dancing with life and reconnecting with our vitality, joy, and the pleasure of living.

By deepening our mindful awareness, savouring the stillness that is possible, we can discover an embodied sense of freedom, an unbounded experience of life that is beyond our limited self-view.

Retreat Fees: The retreat fee includes accommodation and all vegetarian meals.

Shared room - $1100
Single room - $1500 (only 6 available)
Concession - $ 990 (for pensioners and full-time students)
Campervan - $ 800 (only 3 spots, must bring your own van)
Scholarships are offered by Sydney Insight Meditators for those whose circumstance meet the criteria: Click Here for more information

In keeping with a 2,500-year-old tradition no fee has been charged for the teachings. At the end of the retreat, you are invited to give a donation (dana) to express your appreciation and to support the teachers to continue their work.

If you have an inquiry about this retreat, please email Alan

About the Teachers:

Alan Bassal - Alan has been studying and practicing Buddha’s teachings for over 35 years beginning in the Vipassana meditation tradition and then developing in Eastern & Western Insight. He is a certified mindfulness based Hakomi therapist and for many years has practiced integrating the Buddha dharma and psychotherapy with leadership development in organisations.
He is the current chairman of SIM, chairman and one of the lead teachers at the Insight Meditation Institute and a Biodanza facilitator. He has been leading workshops and retreats for the last 10 years. Alan’s teachings are eclectic and practical. He encourages people to awaken to each moment and realise the fulfillment they seek.

Kate Amy - Kate began her journey 23 years ago working directly in clinical psychology and attending numerous Vipassana meditation retreats. She fell in love with the writings of the Venerable Thich Naht Han and along with the range of therapeutic modalities, psychological theories and esoteric readings she has encountered and integrated into her clinical work she always returns to the Buddhist heart and her love of the Dharma.
Kate predominantly practices and teaches from a Buddhist based philosophy which is trauma-informed, focused on embodiment through somatic experiencing, and the constant cultivation in real time of a mindful and compassionate approach to the understanding and being with of our direct experiences

Ali Barlow - Ali began a meditative life in 1997 whist staying in an Ashram in South India, and attended her first Insight Meditation Retreat in 2008 where her love for the Buddha Dharma opened like a flower. This love led quite naturally into a life of service in support of retreat life for one and all. Ali has been a supporting teacher at Tallowwood Sangha retreats since 2017, as well as leading yatras and a weekly sitting group in Bellingen. She is a member of the Tallowwood Sangha Management Committee and the Insight Meditation Institute Management Committee. Ali has participated in the inaugural Dharma teacher training with the Insight Meditation Institute since 2021.