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Preparing to attend a retreat

You've made your booking. Now what?

Hopefully you have already read our other two pages of information about our retreats:

Now please read this page to inform you of various matters, particularly if you have not attended one of our retreats previously.

Even if you have attended other retreats elsewhere there are several points specific to our events which will differ from those held elsewhere or by other organisations.

Advance preparation for a retreat

Please read and act on the information that we send to you when we receive your booking. Please be sure to bring with you the items that we list as essential. This may vary a little between different venues, for example you may need to bring a sleeping bag or duvet for some venues.

Prepare to be offline for the duration of the retreat

Set your affairs in order before arriving at the retreat centre. The literal meaning of retreat is to retreat from the world, to temporarily set aside the affairs of everyday life so as to be able to concentrate on your meditation practice. It is unhelpful and inappropriate to expect to manage your affairs whilst you are on retreat. It is impractical since there are no communication facilities for you at the retreat centre and there is no signal for mobile phones. Be sure to advise your family and employer not to expect any contact at all during your time on retreat.

A bell hanging on the wall

Prepare for early rising

Prepare yourself for retreat by so far as possible arriving rested in the period leading up to the retreat.

The schedule is quite intensive and we rise early, usually around 5am, retiring at 10pm. It may help to avoid 'jet-lag' if you adjust your sleeping time by rising early for a few days at home before the retreat.

Emergency contact arrangements

Having said that, we do have a system whereby emergency messages may be passed to you if essential. There is a mobile phone number which we will check at least once per day for urgent messages. We will advise the details of that on booking.

Walking meditation

Physical exercise

During the retreat gentle qigong, yoga and mindful movement exercise are offered between sitting meditation sessions, with slightly more vigorous warm-up exercise in the early morning. Retreatants are invited to be mindful of their own body during these exercise periods, exercising only within the capability of their own body, allowing for any ailments, injuries or physical limitations.

Retreat centre details and directions

Visit our list of venues and click on the retreat centre where your retreat will be held, to read instructions, what to take, how to get there, and similar.

Currently our principal venue for residential events is Shawbottom Farm, in the Staffordshire Peak District National Park.

What to pack

This varies somewhat between venues, so read the details about your venue (a link is included in your booking confirmation email) to find out the requirements for your venue.

The cut wooden parts ready to assemble

Meditation Equipment

We do not specify that you must use a specific posture such as cross-legged. We prefer you to find a posture that suits you so that you can sit in a stable manner and minimise disturbance to your meditation. The usual postures are some variation on cross-legged, kneeling, or sitting on a chair. Refer to our introduction to meditation booklet.

For your use at the retreat we provide meditation mats ('zabuton') and a selection of round cushions ('zafu'), kneeling benches, and chairs.

If you have a favourite cushion, kneeling bench, or chair that you know works for you and that you wish to bring with you to use on the retreat then please feel free to do so.

Or you could make your own meditation stool.

End of retreat

Most retreats finish after breakfast and you can leave by about 10:30 a.m. Western Zen Retreats usually end after lunch, so you leave about 2.30 pm. The details of the retreat end-time are including in your booking confirmation email so check there for the end-time of your specific retreat.

It is recommended that you try to plan for a quiet couple of days after returning home from retreat. We realise that this isn't always possible since there may be limits on how much leave you can take from work, and there may be family and other engagements which it is difficult to defer. But if it is possible to arrange some quiet time following your retreat you will find that you appreciate it.

Having spent several days in a silent retreat you may find 're-entry' to everyday life quite noisy and maybe even overwhelming. Furthermore retreatants commonly experience that the intensive meditation practice establishes an awareness which doesn't 'switch off' the moment the retreats ends, and given space to reflect further insights often occur in days subsequent to the retreat.

©Western Chan Fellowship CIO 2005-2025. May not be quoted for commercial purposes. Anyone wishing to quote for non-commercial purposes may seek permission from the WCF Secretary.

The articles on this website have been submitted by various authors and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the Western Chan Fellowship.