In Our Element Course
Can you join us on a journey towards personal & planetary well-being?
Course Dates: Spring 2024
Course Location: Harford Bunkhouse, Dartmoor
Course Costs: Costs for food & camping and resources, £195 per person + donations.
Because we want to see a different world, we have decided to do things differently. Therefore, we are offering the course at a cost price. The full week with camping accommodation, all meals and resources cost £195 per person. At the end of the week, we will offer the opportunity to donate whatever you can for the teaching in the Buddhist tradition of Dana. We would like to be able to offer our teaching freely and trust that those who receive it will feel inspired to support its continuity.
The Course
Within the Five Elements of Chinese medicine, and many other ancient indigenous traditions, flourishing human health is all about balance; which is in turn reliant on dynamic vibrant balance within nature. This offers us the opportunity to use the natural elements to understand ourselves and our world more deeply and completely. Increasing evidence attests to the physical and emotional benefits to be gained from spending time in nature. We believe it is also vital to ignite the reciprocity of care that nature also needs from us.
To help us all find balance and its co-arising qualities of resilience, compassion and joy, we have combined nature-connection with cutting-edge science, positive psychology, anthropology and ancient wisdom traditions to explore the broad sweep of what it is to be human today.
The beautiful Buddhist qualities of compassion, loving-kindness, equanimity and joy guide the tone of the course whilst the Five Elements of Wood, Water, Fire, Earth and Metal provide the structure. We are blessed with a beautiful location on the edge of Dartmoor national park, with rugged Tors, lush ancient woodlands, a majestic river, and wide open skies, so that each day we can venture out to deeply connect with the Element of the day. This will involve learning about the physical and emotional aspects of the elements; gentle exercises such as walking, Qi Gong, Yin Yoga, wild swimming or dancing; meditation; solo and group reflection and play. Together we will nurture a space of safety and authentic community where we can all learn from each other. If you are seeking more vibrancy in your life, or you are just fascinated to learn about a different way of understanding our place in the world, please join us on this shared adventure.
Itinerary
We want to keep the course flexible and responsive both to the people who come and to the whims of the weather so the itinerary provided below is to give you a flavour of the activities we will be doing each day but they may not happen in the order provided. We hope this will fill you with excitement and anticipation but please also note that nothing is compulsory; you are free to participate at the level that is nourishing for you. Things may also be added or removed always to make the week as rich and resourcing as possible. If you have any suggestions or concerns please get in touch.
Day 1 (Afternoon):
Lunch
Opening Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving address
Introductions and group agreement
Barriers to change: Blind spots, mental models and edge emotions
Ancient traditions: The wheel of the year and systems thinking and the Elements of Nature
Balance: Yin & Yang
Pulling it together, gratitude circle and sharing
Evening meal
Campfire/star gazing
Day 2: Metal
Breakfast and collective meal prep (you will not be required to help every day)
Exploration of the physical and emotional aspects of Metal
Venue: Walk to the Tor (with a packed lunch)
Nature connection: Connecting with Rocks and exploring the sense of smell
Meditation: Introduction to breath meditation
Exercise: Qi Gong
Group reflection: Status anxiety and its effect on our health/world
Personal reflection: What are my strengths?
Pulling it together, gratitude circle and sharing
Evening meal
Campfire/star gazing/rest
Day 3: Water
Breakfast and collective meal prep
Exploration of the physical and emotional aspects of Water
Venue: Walk to the River (with packed lunch)
Nature connection: Connecting with Water and exploring the sense of sound
Meditation: Listening meditation
Deep listening exercise
Exercise: Wild swimming
Group’s reflection: Negativity bias and its effect on our health/world
Personal reflection: What am I afraid of?
Pulling it together, gratitude circle, sharing and equanimity meditation
Evening meal
Campfire/star gazing/drumming
Day 4: Wood
Breakfast and collective meal prep
Exploration of the physical and emotional aspects of Wood
Venue: Walk to the Woods (with packed lunch)
Nature connection: Connecting to Trees and exploring the sense of sight
Meditation: Relaxing contractions
Exercise: Yin Yoga
Groups reflection: Stress and its effect on our health/world
Personal reflection: What am I passionate about?
Pulling it together, gratitude circle, sharing and Compassion meditation
Evening meal
Campfire/star gazing/Introduction to the Council of All Beings
Day 5: Fire
Breakfast and collective meal prep
Exploration of the physical and emotional aspects of Fire
Venue: Walk to the Quarry (with packed lunch)
Nature connection: Connecting with Fire and exploring the sense of touch
Meditation: Heart-centred meditation
Exercise: Dancing/movement circle
Groups reflection: Social Connection and its effect on our health/world
Personal reflection: What makes my heart sing?
Pulling it together, gratitude circle, sharing and Unselfish Joy meditation
Evening meal
Campfire/star gazing/ Mask making for the Council of All Beings/Storytelling
Day 6: Earth
Breakfast and collective meal prep
Exploration of the physical and emotional aspects of Earth
Venue: Walk to the Glen (with packed lunch)
Nature connection: Connecting with the Earth and exploring the sense of taste
Meditation: Belly Space meditation
Exercise: Balancing yoga
Foraging
Groups reflection: Consumerism and its effect on our health/world
Personal reflection: What supports me?
Pulling it together, gratitude circle, sharing and loving-kindness meditation
Evening meal
Campfire/Music and dancing under the stars
Day 7: (Morning)
Breakfast
Council of all beings
Sharing our wisdom
Next steps
Closing Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving address
Can you join us to begin this quest for collaborative transformation and growth in the Spring of 2024?
