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At different moments in our lives, we may feel drawn to pause, to listen more carefully, or to spend time in the company of teachings that help us meet experience with greater kindness and clarity. While our upcoming retreats draw on Buddhist traditions, the emphasis is on direct, experiential exploration rather than belief or doctrine. In this spirit, over the coming months Emoyeni will be hosting teacher-led retreats inspired by the work of Pema Chödrön, a nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, alongside offerings rooted in Tibetan and Theravāda lineages with Khenpo Jamyang Gompo and Ajahn Sucitto. Each retreat offers a chance to step out of habitual momentum and return to simple, grounded practice. Check out our website for more information.
Alongside the 25th Anniversary Fundraiser (see last entry), we are also setting a mid-term intention to upgrade rooms and bathrooms across the centre. These improvements will help us care for the spaces that hold retreat life, while keeping Emoyeni simple and welcoming. This work, too, depends on the support of our community. If you feel able to help in practical or creative ways – for example by ‘adopting a room’, contributing materials such as paint, or getting in touch to discuss how you might assist – we would love to hear from you.
With the 2026 sessions re-starting from Monday 12 January, our free online meditation sessions on Zoom are a great way to keep your practice alive. Join these bi-weekly mediations by clicking on this Zoom link.
Mondays: 19:30–20:00
Wednesdays: 19:30–20:30 (+ extra 30 mins for discussion)
“Start where you are!”
– A Pema Chödrön–inspired retreat
MERVYN CROFT
Weekend: 30 January–1 February
Standard Rate: R2,280 (shared b/room) | R2,740 (en-suite)
Generous Rate: R2,820 (shared b/room) | R3,380 (en-suite)
The New Year often arrives with pressure to resolve, improve or reinvent ourselves. This retreat offers a gentler alternative – starting exactly where you are. Over this weekend, Pema Chödrön’s work will inform guided meditations, mindful walks in nature and shared reflection – simple, grounded practices that will continue to support your daily life long after the retreat ends.
Weekends: 23–25 January, 6–8 February
Standard Rate: R1,820 (shared b/room) | R2,160 (en-suite)
Generous Rate: R2,420 (shared b/room) | R2,760 (en-suite)
Open Weekends are self-directed retreats where you can use the time for quiet reflection and personal practice. Starting on Fridays, with a light supper at 18h30, open weekends end on Sundays, after lunch served at 12h30. The meditation hall is open day and night, and guests are welcome to use the library, walk the labyrinth or explore the surrounding Magaliesberg landscape.
Ven. KHENPO JAMYANG GOMPO
Weekend: 13-15 February
Standard Rate: R2,280 (shared b/room) | R2,740 (en-suite)
Generous Rate: R2,840 (shared b/room) | R3,380 (en-suite)
We all wish to have happiness and to avoid the uncomfortable feelings that seem to dominate our daily lives – feelings of dissatisfaction, unease and anxiety, as well as our agitation with loved ones and anger towards others. It is moments like these that create uncertainty and a feeling of helplessness. Khenpo will gently guide participants to a deeper understanding of how these emotions arise and how we can find a sense of meaning and purpose in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.
On the move
– Finding a steady centre to our lives
AJAHN SUCITTO
Monday 23 February–Sunday 1 March 1 (6 days)
Standard Rate: R7,340 (shared b/room) | R8,720 (en-suite)
Generous Rate: R9,020 (shared b/room) | R1,0640 (en-suite)
Teacher’s Dāna: R400–R2,000, as per your ability to be generous
Life is passage, whether this refers to the process of ageing, going through life-scenarios, progressing in a career or committing to a spiritual ‘path’. We are in movement and, in some sense, we *are* the movement of our pulses, our breathing and our hearts and minds. How does this fit in with the search for stillness? And how can the desire that gets us going arrive at fulfilment and the freedom from craving? During this retreat, we will attune to balance through entering and exploring movement of body, heart and mind via a blend of meditation, qi gong and chanting. Prior experience of silent meditation retreats and the ability to peacefully coexist in a retreat situation is strongly recommended.
25th Anniversary Fundraiser
Looking forward to seeing you soon at Emoyeni!
The Emoyeni Team