A Tangle Within – reflections on the self from a Buddhist psychology view-point With Anna Brown

10:30am – 4:30pm on Saturday 11^th January 2026

Newton & Bywell Village Hall, Newton Village, near Stocksfield, NE43 7UL

Come and join us for a day of guided practice, teaching & poetry in the beautiful surroundings of Newton & Bywell Village Hall

Midwinter, when it is dark and often cold outside, and we are drawn inside and inwardly….it is a great time to reflect on our current life and our self. This is an opportunity to have some time to connect and reflect with others; to listen to some of the stories and ideas in Buddhist philosophy. 

What do we mean by our attachments to the self?  What can we learn from Buddhist philosophy? Together, we will explore a number of Buddhist concepts that relate closely to modern psychology.

Bring your own lunch – coffee, tea and refreshments are catered for.

As we work on the basis of dana (generosity), you are invited to bring a donation to contribute to the cost of the hall; you can bring this on the day.

For more information or to book a place please email Anna
mindfulnessatthecoast@gmail.com

There are still a few spaces available on ‘Wisely holding life’s joys and sorrows’ with Jake Dartington

The retreat is non-residential and will be held from 9.30am-4:30pm on Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th October 2025 at the Main Hall, Seaton Sluice Community Centre, Albert Road, Seaton Sluice NE26 4QX

Here’s a link with more details and a booking form:  https://bodhi-college.org/events/162-wisely-holding-lifes-joys-and-sorrows/region-UK/

Practising the Core Teachings of the Buddha
Online course on Monday evenings, 10 – 24 November
With Walter Young and Ella Tree

Gaia House retreat centre is offering Foundations of Freedom, a series of three linked short courses with Ella Tree and Walter Young. They are both Community Dharma Leaders (CDL), who have been invited to offer this course by the Gaia House Teacher Council for the benefit of the Gaia House community, as they have valuable skills for sharing the Dharma in this form. 

These three courses are designed to explore the core teachings of the Buddha in an accessible and practice-oriented way. Whether you’re new to meditation or a longer-term practitioner looking to refresh your understanding, this series will present an opportunity to ground yourself in the foundations of the Buddhist path. You can join just one course or the whole series.

The first course will be The Four Ennobling Truths: A Path to Joyful Resilience

Walter and Ella say: “Just as one cannot build the upper floors of a house without first laying a strong foundation, the Buddha taught that awakening is impossible without fully understanding the Four Ennobling Truths. These truths are not merely philosophical ideas but transformative practices that support unshakable peace and happiness amid life’s challenges

In this three-session course, we’ll explore how the Four Ennobling Truths can profoundly shift our relationship with the inevitable challenges we face in life, which the Buddha called dukkha. We’ll uncover the liberating potential of these teachings and practices, revealing a path to joyful resilience in an unstable world.”
To find out more and register for the whole series or just this course click here

10am – 4pm on Sunday 8^th June 2025

Newton & Bywell Village Hall, Newton Village, near Stocksfield, NE43 7UL

Come and join us for a day of guided practice, teaching & poetry

With Linda France, Fran Pierre & Walter Young

Spending time in nature, we start to see how everything is connected. Life relies on conditions in order to live: water, soil, light, insects. Living organisms are dependent on other organisms. Nature isn’t a set of distinct parts, it’s a system in which everything flows and changes. We’re part of that system and our lives flow with it, each moment rolling into the next. Understanding this in an embodied way can change how we live.

Together, we will explore practices that open us up to the flow of experience and our connection with the natural world. There will be guided meditation and teaching, with part of the day spent in silence.

Hot drinks and a simple vegetarian lunch with vegan options will be provided. 

Cost: the suggested donation for the retreat is £30, depending on your means. 

To book a place, please contact walter@walteryoung.co.uk 

Insight Meditation weekend retreat 18-19th October 2025 with Jake Dartington

Insight North East is helping to organise an Insight Meditation weekend retreat led by Jake Dartington for Bodhi College

Jake has practised Buddhist meditation since 1995. After training as a Dharma teacher with Christina Feldman, he started teaching in 2007. He has a background in Philosophy and Buddhist Studies and has trained as a teacher of MBSR/MBCT. Jake lives in Nottingham where he teaches mindfulness and Insight Meditation. 

The retreat is non-residential and will be held from 9.30am-4:30pm on Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th October 2025 at the Main Hall, Seaton Sluice Community Centre, Albert Road, Seaton Sluice NE26 4QX

Places are limited so we encourage booking in advance.

Here’s a link with more details and a booking form:  https://bodhi-college.org/events/162-wisely-holding-lifes-joys-and-sorrows/region-UK/

Sacred Earth Sangha, based in Durham City Centre, are offering a non-residential 2-day (weekend) retreat in Durham in March (8th-9th) from 12-7pm each day. 

Please see:  https://plumvillage.uk/event/the-art-of-zen-weekend-mindfulness-course/ for more details

Steadiness and Clarity

With Anna Brown and Walter Young

10am – 4pm Sunday 9th February 2025

Knott Memorial Hall, Heddon-on-the- Wall, NE15 0DT

Developing the capacity to sustain attention is central to awakening. When the heart and mind are steady, we gain clarity and everything starts to flow. Craving, irritation and rumination all fade away into the background and we experience a distinctive shift in consciousness. The Satipatthana Sutta describes this as being ‘free from desires and discontent in regard to the world’.

Although many people believe that they don’t have a natural aptitude for
meditation, with practice everyone can learn to settle the mind. Over time, we can train ourselves so that this becomes our natural resting place, in the midst of whatever happens to be going on in the world around us.

A sense of profound freedom and inner joy arises when the mind is no longer being pushed around by pleasant or unpleasant feelings. From there, we can practice insight and experience a taste of true freedom.

This day retreat will include instructions for the development of upacāra-samādhi, usually translated as ‘access concentration’. Together, we will explore practices that refine our consciousness, settling the heart and mind. There will be guided meditation and teaching, with part of the day spent in silence.

For more information or to book a place please email walter@walteryoung.co.uk

CREATING SPACE – HONOURING THE TURNING OF THE YEAR 

With time for reflection, restoration and connection

This will be a gentle, spacious time to come together online and feel at ease, following the busy-ness of Christmas. This transition time can be an opportunity to pause, rest and listen more deeply to our inner wisdom – noticing what has changed for us in the past year, and what might now be emerging. 

We will offer guided meditation practices, and expect our time to include: 

• a settling practice 
• some gentle optional movement meditation
• reflections on how the ending and beginning of the year are for us personally
• time in small groups to share our experiences with a friend or two
• time with the whole group to share the warm support of this practice community
• an ending to send us wholeheartedly out towards the new year 

Please join us if you can – you will be very welcome!  Chris, Fran and Judith

You can join us on zoom by clicking here any time after 3:15 on 31st December

Remembering Elaine Young

Sunday 10th March 2024

9:30am – 4:30pm

Newton & Bywell Village Hall, Newton Village, near Stocksfield, NE43 7UL

Come and join us for a day of guided practice, teaching & poetry

Hot drinks and a simple vegetarian lunch with vegan options will be provided.

Cost: the suggested donation for the retreat is £20, depending on your means. Any surplus after covering the cost of hiring the hall and catering will be donated to Maggie’s, a charity offering cancer support and care.

To find out more or book a place, please contact walter@walteryoung.co.uk

Emptiness and the flow of life with Anna Brown and Walter Young

Sunday 21st January 2024 11am – 4pm

Knott Memorial Hall, Heddon-on-the- Wall NE15 0DT

We’re constantly weaving and constructing a sense of self, repairing it and adding to it. A great deal of time and energy can go into maintaining our sense of who we are.

Seeing through the illusion of a fixed self changes everything. Freedom and a profound sense of ease are available to us once we learn to see past the stories and constructions that weigh us down. Instead of constantly resisting our true nature and reacting to every thought and feeling that arises, we can enter the flow of life and learn to live fearlessly, knowing that we belong completely.

Learning to see the world differently can be transformative. This day retreat is not about getting rid of the ego or even trying to become a better person. Instead, we will practise an embodied approach to living joyfully in an unstable world.

Together, we will explore freedom and joy through the lens of Buddhist teachings on emptiness and dependent origination. There will be guided meditation and teaching, with some of the day spent in silence.

For more information or to book a place please email walter@walteryoung.co.uk