The Upper Hamlet Happy Farm family are delighted to announce our next Happy Farm Retreat combining a week’s retreat in Upper Hamlet with a special hands-on experience in helping us on our organic, agroecology farm.
The Happy Farm is a project of agroecology and organic regenerative agriculture within our mindfulness practice community. You will have a chance to experience first-hand the interconnection between earth, rain, sun, and seed with the hand and feet of a “farmer”. The farms use a variety of organic and regenerative methods. The Happy Farms’ volunteer teams practice mindfulness in our work as part of our vision of promoting wellbeing for individual, society and the earth (read more on thehappyfarm.org).
We practice service meditation during the retreat on the Happy Farm when we will enjoy bringing mindfulness to our organic farming work for three hours each session. During the week we will share and experience together what it means to bring mindfulness to work. We also enjoy Plum Village mindfulness practices such as sitting meditation, walking meditation and “Dharma / Farmer sharing” during the week. At the end of the week, we will celebrate together to say thank you for your presence and practice with us.
This retreat is organised and facilitated by the lay members of the Happy Farm team. You will enjoy the core practice schedule in Upper Hamlet, including meal times and other activities related to the farm will be in separation to the wider monastic and lay community of Upper Hamlet.
Important information about this retreat
- Teachings will be in English
- There will be two Dharma Sharing family in English
- To support the stability and collective energy of mindfulness, all participants are asked to stay the whole week, and only arrive and depart on the designated days: Friday 27 September, and Friday 4 October
- In addition to our usual suggestions of what to bring for a retreat, please bring wet weather clothing, old clothes and suitable footwear for gardening. Consider also bringing a sun hat and sunscreen.
More information about Plum Village Retreats
You can find more information about visiting Plum Village for a retreat on this page.
For practicalities such as transportation, arrival and departure, what to bring and what to wear, please see our practicalities page.