Embodied Clarity
with Sophie Boyer and Noon
13th to 20th July
During this retreat, we invite you to explore the relationship we have with life. This life that unfolds and is embodied in the body.
Do we see the body as an entity that belongs to us?
Or rather as a vehicle that allows us to resonate with the life that expresses itself within us?
During this week, we will have the opportunity to cultivate grounding in different ways, such as paying attention to the breath, listening, and bodily sensations.
This approach is an invitation to question the idea we have of ourselves, and to question what the illusion of a constructed self is based on.
This retreat will be taught in French. It is suitable for both beginner and experienced meditators.
Location: Ekuthuleni Retreat Centre, 1300 Festes-Saint-André, France
Dates: 13th to 20th July
Retreat price: €400
€200 to be paid in advance by bank transfer and €200 to be paid on arrival.
This payment covers food, water, insurance, administrative costs, and gas for cooking, but does not cover our other expenses or the teachers' living expenses.
Dana: Ekuthuleni is not funded by any institution or government agency. The teachers depend on donations freely given at the end of the retreats for their livelihood. Called Dana in the 2,600-year-old Buddhist tradition, these donations are based on each person's income and their relationship with money. Please plan to bring cash, or there will also be the option to offer a Dana online at the end of the retreat.
Follow the ‘practical information’ link to find out more about what to bring with you and the centre's facilities. The ‘registration’ link takes you to the registration form. After booking, you will receive a confirmation and further information, such as the time you will be picked up from the station at the start of the retreat.
About Sophie
Sophie Boyer is French. She has been studying Buddhism and meditating for 25 years. Ordained as a nun in Myanmar in 2011 by Sayadaw U Khantidhadja, she then spent two and a half years in Asia with teachers such as Sayadaw U Tejanyia and Sayadaw U Pandita. She also practised in Malaysia with a small community led by Mrs Yeoh. She took her vows in 2013 and is interested in a secular approach to contemplative practice.
She has attended numerous silent retreats, notably at Gaia House (England), Forest Refuge and the Insight Meditation Society (Barre, Massachusetts, USA). Her years in nursing, mobile palliative care units and retirement homes have given her solid experience of the final moments of life. She was trained by Marie de Hennezel, a pioneering psychologist in palliative care in France.
Passionate about animals, she has also worked with wildlife at the Earthfire Institute in Idaho. She leads meditation sessions for the Otium Foundation in Geneva, aimed at people undergoing cancer treatment or in remission and their loved ones. Sophie has completed the Bodhi College meditation teaching programme, led by Martine and Stephen Batchelor.