Dear beloved young friends,
We are happy to gather once more in Plum Village for time together in nature, to heal and to restore ourselves in this special retreat for young mindfulness practitioners aged 18-35.
We will have a week-long retreat from 10–17 August where we will welcome many hundreds of you, especially from Europe, to enjoy live Dharma talks, sitting meditations, walking meditations, living together joyfully, simply, and happily. There will be time for hikes, listening to one another, bonfires, and touching a spiritual dimension in our life.
Our annual Wake Up retreats are part of the active community of young practitioners in the Plum Village tradition called Wake Up.
If you are new to Plum Village retreats, we invite you to read more here.
Please spread the word with your friends and be sure to book early as spaces are limited. We hope to see you all for this legendary gathering of our spiritual family!
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Practical Information
- Teachings will be in English with French interpretation
- There will be Dharma Sharing families in English and French
- To support the stability and collective energy of mindfulness, all participants are asked to stay the full week, and only arrive and depart on the designated days: Saturday 10 August and Saturday 17 August.
- All of our 3 hamlets will host this retreat together with all Hamlets receiving all genders (including singles) the same as last year. The morning, evening and circle sharing sessions will be hosted in each hamlet separately, while also coming together for Dharma talks, walking meditation, workshops, and the closing celebration. A more detailed outline of the retreat will be provided upon arrival.
Dharma Sharing
Participants will be divided into groups called Dharma Sharing Families (Circle Sharing), which you will stay together with during the retreat. Most sharing groups are open to everyone (“general”), with a mixture of genders and ages, and are facilitated by an experienced monastic. Within all sharing circles we will learn about and practice loving speech and deep listening, share our insights, joys and difficulties. Depending on the need, there may be groups based on language.
As per Wake Up Retreat tradition, one afternoon of sharing circles in safe spaces will be dedicated to topics of sexuality.
We also offer a few themed groups as follows (click to expand):
Dharma Sharing for the LGBTQIA+ community
LGBTQIA stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual. To welcome the LGBTQIA+ community, we offer sharing circles with experienced monastic facilitators to create an inclusive and safe atmosphere.
Click here to join if you identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Dharma Sharing for People of Color/BIPOC
We are offering Dharma Sharing groups for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and those who identify as such can choose to join this group if they wish.
Aware that People of Color, as individuals and communities, may have similar lived experiences, including of intended and unintended discrimination, we provide circle sharing groups offered by an experienced facilitator, in which People of Color can express themselves freely and feel safer. It is reserved for People of Color only, in order to cultivate an environment that can support our individual and collective transformation and healing.
Note that the British use the acronym BAME, meaning Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic.
Click here to join if you identify as part of the BIPOC community.
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Registration
Registration will be open on Saturday 4th May 15.00 Central European Time
Click below to sign up for a general Dharma Sharing group, or use this link if you identify with the BIPOC or LGBTQIA+ communities and wish to join a themed family (spaces will be more limited).
More information about joining us for a retreat
- Accommodation and pricing
- Other practicalities such as transportation, what to wear, what to bring, and meals
Feedback from participants of last years Wake Up retreat:
It is really hard to put in words the marvellous energy and safe place Thay and the monastics have created for us to meet friends from all over the world. Thank you.
Anonymous
I am so so grateful for this experience. I feel incredibly lucky that my first time at Plum Village was a summer with a historic number of LGBTQIA+ Sanghas, making it an incredibly safe and empowering space for me as a queer person, where I found beautiful connections. I will definitely be back next year and looking forward to continue to build community with my rainbow siblings!
Joana Rita, Portugal
The Wake Up retreat was a joyous and life changing experience. I was able to listen to myself more and heal some old wounds of the past with the support and beautiful conditions of Plum Village. I am so grateful for this experience. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Jez x
Wake Up is more than a meditation retreat. It helped me to regain connection to myself and to people around me. I helped me to cultivate joy and belonging while addressing difficult topics such as environmental and social challenges, things that I deeply care about.
Richi, Brazil
From the moment that I arrive at Plum Village, I feel that I am home. The community of practitioners and support that you feel is paramount and creates a safe space where deep connection is possible; to myself but also to others. I feel limitless gratitude to the Plum Village. That they exist and give an opportunity to so many of us to come there and eventually to come closer to ourselves and to all living beings.
Anna Zhukova, Netherlands
You rock, lots of love!
Anonymous
Click here to learn about volunteering opportunities for experienced practitioners aged 18-35.