Dear friends,
We are excited to invite you and your friends to a weekend of mindfulness practice with us at the beautiful Fa Hong Monastery on Lantau Island, Hong Kong.
In this short retreat, we will enjoy an environment supportive of calm and letting go of our usual habits of daily life, sharing space with nature and with other retreatants who are also practising mindfully and kindly.
We will guide you through a range of mindfulness practices including guided sitting meditation, mindful walking, mindful working (outdoor or indoor), mindful eating, and relational mindfulness.
To support Pausing and Relaxing, we will be offering a space free of social speech and digital devices.
What to expect:
Simple, clean, rustic, shared accommodations (with air conditioning) on beautiful Lantau Island, 30 minutes walk from Ngong Ping (Big Buddha).
Healthy vegetarian food
We will collect and hold your mobile devices to support your focus and practice.
A range of guided mindfulness practices, suitable for all levels, both in meditation and daily life.
This retreat will be conducted in English.
We will follow a group schedule (see below).
Who is this for:
This retreat is for people with an interest in experiencing mindfulness practice in a retreat setting. This is also a good opportunity for those who have done previous Mindfulness courses/programs who wish to rejuvenate and deepen their practice through a retreat.
Prior experience in retreat or with mindfulness is not a must, as long as you:
Attend the whole retreat without being late or leaving early.
Are open to following the retreat guidelines and schedule with curiosity and willingness to learn.
Should you have any physical or mental health issues or challenges, or require any accessibility and accommodation support, or would like to discuss if this is suitable for you, please do not hesitate to contact the organisers at hkims.retreat@gmail.com.
At the Fa Hong Monastery, we are committed to maintaining and cultivating an open-heart and mind, and offering a place of welcome and belonging for people of diverse identities, backgrounds and experiences. Balancing acceptance with integrity and consideration for the whole community, we seek common ground actively through understanding while respecting independence and difference.
Dates: July 1 to July 2, 2023
The retreat begins in Tung Chung at 8.45am on July 1 where we will gather for the journey to the monastery including a 30 to 45 minute walk. The retreat ends late afternoon of July 2.
Costs:
In order to cover the costs of food, logistics, hiring a cook and facilities for the retreat, there will be a fee of HK$500. (HK$250 per day) Because retreat space is limited, this fee is required to confirm your participation and is non-refundable within 7 days of the start of the retreat.
The teachers are offering their time, energy, support, and sharing of knowledge and experience in the spirit of generosity and appreciate your financial support by donation.
We welcome and include all who are interested to join. If anyone needs financial support to attend the retreat, please let us know and we can make arrangements.
To register, please complete this online form.
If rather than attending the retreat you would like to serve as a volunteer, please contact us. This would be an option if you are available but prefer not to practice full time and are willing to help in the kitchen, garden, running errands and similar. Ideally this would be someone who is already familiar with Fa Hong operations.
Enquiry:hkims.retreat@gmail.com
About the Teachers：
Genevieve Heng (she/her) is a Mindfulness Teacher and Insight Dialogue facilitator. Her students describe her approach as “applied Mindfulness” - using the skills of Mindfulness to approach everyday challenges and growth opportunities such as stress, dissatisfaction, worry, and change, among others. She shares these living practices to support greater peace, freedom, well-being, kindness and wisdom. Gen is a qualified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, certified by the Awareness Training Institute (in partnership with the University of California at Berkeley) and a listed teacher of the Hong Kong Mindfulness Teachers Network.
Angela Spaxman is an executive coach specializing in leadership development for the international business community in Hong Kong. Throughout her coaching career, she has been learning and practicing mindfulness techniques, including completing annual long retreats since 2012. In 2020 she began training as an Insight Dialogue Facilitator and she has been offering weekly group practices and online programs integrating Insight Dialogue with transformational coaching skills and relational mindfulness practice. Since 2020, she served as mindfulness retreat co-facilitator for several weekend retreats at the Fa Hong Monastery.
Draft Schedule
July 1, 2023
8:45am Meet in Tung Chung 11:00am Arrive Fa Hong, settle in
11:30am Orientation
12 noon Lunch and rest
1:30pm Introduction to the retreat
2:30pm Mindfulness practice
5:30 pm Light meal
7:00pm Evening talk
8:00pm Mindfulness practice
10:00pm Lights off
July 2 2023
5:45am Mindful Wake Up & Wash Up
6:15am Mindfulness Practice
7:30am Breakfast and clean up
8:15am - 9:15am Mindful cleaning/chores
9:30am Mindfulness Practice
12 noon Lunch and rest
1:30pm Relational Mindfulness Group Practice - closing
3:00pm Packing, restoring
4:00pm Heading home