Going on a Meditation Retreat

Frits Koster lived as a Buddhist monk in Asia for six years. He is a qualified MBSR, MBCL and IMP teacher and teaches mindfulness and compassion internationally. He is the co-author of various books (Silkworm Books and Routledge).Jetty Heynekamp is a qualified physiotherapist who has been practising insight meditation since 1982. She is a certified mindfulness teacher and leads meditation retreats and communication workshops.Victoria Norton is a certified mindfulness teacher whose professional background is in teaching and communications management.

• Introduction - Why Go On Retreat 1. Going into Silence: Day 1 - Basic Advice for Kindness and Mindfulness 2. Wisely and Compassionately Relating to Reactivity: Day 2 - Inquiry Meetings with the Teacher and Patience 3. Being Aware in a Relaxed Way: Day 3 - Mindfulness and Generosity 4. Becoming at Ease with Impermanence: Day 4 - Inner Patterns and Wisdom 5. The Art of Living: Relaxed Commitment: Day 5 - Mindfulness in Daily Activities and Compassionate Breathing (Tonglen) 6. The Power of Simplification: Day 6 - Moments of Intention and Cultivating Integrity and Gratitude 7. Recognising the Feeling Tone: Day 7 - Steadiness and Equanimity in the Practice 8. Fruits of the Practice: Day 8 - Ethics and Returning to Daily Life 9. A Few Last Words of Advice: Choosing a Suitable Retreat 10. Taking Part in an Online Retreat: Dos and Don’ts

‘This is a wonderful book. It shows how from a safe and caring silent space and time, mindfulness and compassion are uncovered and radiate, which you can then take out into the world. Going on a Meditation Retreat is full of practical details which will prepare you for a silent retreat but also tell you how it is to be there. The book contains inspiring testimonies and the teachings are relevant and applicable to our modern times.’Martine Batchelor teaches meditation retreats worldwide and is the author of Meditation for Life (2007) and Let Go: a Buddhist Guide to Breaking Free of Habits (2021). See www.martinebatchelor.org‘In this beautifully written and practical book, Buddhist teacher Frits Koster skillfully leads his readers through the ups and downs of the inner journey that occurs in a silent meditation retreat. The narrative is encouraging, the gentle voice of an experienced leader who offers examples from participants about the kinds of challenges and breakthroughs that can occur when we turn inward to meet ourselves in an environment that promotes mindfulness and self-reflection. I am grateful to the authors for this excellent book and highly recommend it for anyone interested in going deeper with their spiritual path.’Susan Gillis Chapman is a retired family therapist, Dharma-teacher, author of Which way is up? (2024) and The Five Keys to Mindful Communication (2012) and founder of Green Zone Communication. See www.susangillischapman.com‘For people who are going on a mindfulness retreat and are unsure what to expect, this is a wonderful overview. It guides readers in a detailed step by step, day by day programme, outlining the process and functions of the different practices. Written by highly experienced meditators and retreat guides it offers a wealth of insights into possible ways to relate to our minds. This book captures the essence of the experience of a retreat in ways that are unique and profound. This is a major addition to the literature on meditation and the experience of retreats.’Prof. Paul Gilbert, OBE, author of, among others, Compassion Focused Therapy (2010), co-author (with Choden) of Mindful Compassion (2015) and co-editor (with Gregoris Simos) of Compassion Focused Therapy: Clinical Practice and Applications (2022)‘This lovely warm book is a wise and gentle guide for any kind of meditation retreat. From their own ups and downs on retreat, the authors give many practical suggestions for how to get the most of it. They offer both contemplative and therapeutic perspectives on how to manage challenging experiences, and how to open into the wonderful depths of our own being. Highly recommended.’Rick Hanson, PhD, Senior Fellow of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, author of Buddha’s Brain (2009), Hardwiring Happiness (2014) and Neurodharma (2020). See www.rickhanson.com‘In this book the reader will find the enormous richness of Frits and Jetty's multifaceted, non-dogmatic approach to leading a retreat. It is full of practical advice and inspiring examples. It is a must for the beginner as well as for the experienced practitioner, who wants to take steps on the path of mindfulness, compassion and wisdom.’Joost van den Heuvel Rijnders is a vipassanā meditation teacher and author of several books in Dutch language. He is the co-founder of the Dutch online meditation platform 30NOW. See www.joost-meditatie.nl‘This is a wonderful book, and one I would heartily recommend to anyone. It is not only excellent for first-timers, but equally supportive to those who have been on retreat already. With careful attention to what would be most helpful, a great deal of experience and an inviting and considerate tone, the authors draw on both their personal meditation experience and their decades of leading retreats to create an eminently practical and inspiring guide. I am very happy such a book exists, and I will recommend it not only to students in our various training programs but also for my own students.’Linda Lehrhaupt, PhD, is the director of the Institute for Mindfulness-Based Approaches, see www.institute-for-mindfulness.org. She is also a Roshi in the White Plum Lineage and a guiding teacher for Zen-Herz Sangha, an international community of Zen practitioners based in Germany‘Going on a Meditation Retreat is an absolute must for anyone interested in the adventure of going on retreat. The authors take you along as spiritual friends who openly and honestly share about what the experience of being on retreat can be like: both for beginners and for those who have been on retreats many times before. This inspiring book is blessed with the richness of personal experiences, the deep knowledge of Buddhist psychology, and the special relationship between Jetty and Frits. Reading this book feels like a retreat, and it makes me really eager to go on retreat again!’Bart van Melik is a meditation and Insight Dialogue teacher. He is a co-author of Still, in the City (edited by Angela Dews, 2018) and the guiding teacher at the Community Meditation Center in NYC. See www.bartvanmelik.com‘This is book is a true gem; the authors describe retreat experience with great clarity, humour and kindness. Their account is packed with practical wisdom from their years of experience in sitting and leading silent retreats and their depth of familiarity with contemplative teachings. The presence of participants’ voices adds richness and brings the challenges, delights, and benefits of retreat to life. This book offers invaluable support for all those who are new to retreat and may be wondering what to expect and provides fresh views and new insights for experienced practitioners. It is a generous gift and I highly recommend it.’Bridgette O’Neill, D. Clin. Psych., Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice, Bangor University and Retreat Leader with the Mindfulness Network, author of Developing your personal practice (Chapter 20) in Essential Resources for Mindfulness Teachers (2021)‘This book is a very welcome and helpful guide to everyone who is interested or experienced in going on a silent retreat. It provides very clear information about the structure and content of retreats, complemented by more personal experiences of both the authors and their participants. I warmly recommend it and hope it might enable more people to seek stillness in our busy lives. This might not only contribute to our own healing, but hopefully also to the healing of our world as a whole.’Anne Speckens, professor of psychiatry and founder and director of the Radboudumc Expertise Centre for Mindfulness in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. She trained as a meditation and retreat teacher with Bodhi College. See www.radboudumc.nl/expertisecentra/mindfulness