“Sometimes the most important thresholds of mystery are places of silence.”

John O’Donohue

Winter is the ideal season to retreat into silence and allow the weary soul to rest. Through the practice of Mindfulness Meditation this retreat aims to provide the nurturing and healing space needed for the necessary journey inward, entering the threshold of mystery through silence that will allow body and soul to restore.

I will offer additional Reiki sessions on this retreat to further enhance the body’s own restorative and balancing properties and support inner healing.

The retreat programme will be designed to accommodate the needs of both beginners and existing practitioners in meditation. An Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation will be given the Friday evening. There will be ample opportunity during the remainder of the retreat to engage with the following Meditation Practices:

What to expect on this retreat:

• Early morning stretches and Movement Meditation

• Mindfulness Breath Meditation

• Meditation with Sound and the Senses

• Walking Meditation, including walking the labyrinth

• Reclining Meditation and evening Sound Journeys

The retreat will be observed in Silence from the Introduction the Friday evening till Brunch the Sunday morning, in order to fully enter the Divine space of inner silence. It will also allow the space for Mindful Eating during mealtimes. Ample free time will be made available for personal meditation, reflection, creative journaling or resting. Art material will be available for those who are drawn to drawing, painting or collaging. During the free time optional Reiki sessions can be booked with me at a special rate. I will also be available for guidance or discussion throughout the retreat.

What participants say about this retreat:

“Would definitely recommend this Mindfulness meditation retreat. It surpasses any other retreat that I have, apart from the self-retreat at Ixopo, been on. This has given me the impetus and energy to make my practice into a daily routine and given me the tools to be mindful.”

“Profound and thought changing.”

“I feel affirmed in my central practice of Centering Prayer and reminded that I can more moments of mindfulness.”

“Ek het gedurende meditasies geleer om my situasie(s) te omarm en deel van my lewe te maak en daaruit te leer en te groei.”

“Johann’s calm and quiet gentleness made me feel safe, and his instructions and guidance were clear and simple.”

“It has been a beyond wonderful experience. I feel more settled within myself, ... My mind is more focused and I have more direction on how to handle my emotional pain and state of mind. This experience has grounded me and given me the tools to work with. ... This having been my first retreat, I will do it again as the benefits for me were enormous.”

“I loved the calm and relaxed way that the retreat was run. It was calming and relaxed and at the same time professional and informative. A truly fantastic experience!”

The retreat fee is R 5 000.00* for shared accommodation and R 5 500.00* for single accommodation inclusive of two nights’ accommodation, brunch and dinner daily, coffee/tea with snacks as well as all retreat activities and art materials used. Checking in-time will be from 14:00 on Friday 29th May and we will gather 17:00 for the start of the retreat. The retreat will end at 14:00 on Sunday 31st May. Those who would like to stay on the Sunday evening can do so at 50% of the normal Temenos fee. Arrangements and payments for the Sunday evening need to be made with Temenos directly. The restaurant at Temenos, Tebaldi’s, is closed on Sunday evenings, but you can book for a dinner in town or order a take-away from Tebaldi’s or choose to self-cater. The cottages at Temenos are fully equipped for self-catering.

An immediate deposit of R1 000.00 secures your booking. The outstanding balance must be paid by Thursday 21 st May. Payment options can be discussed. Discount will be offered to participant who repeat this retreat. I offer special non-residential rates to residents of McGregor. Please book soon as space is limited. For bookings, contact Johann at johann@johannvangreunen.co.za or 083 764 5978.

*International rates do apply.

Please note my Cancellation Policy:

• Should you cancel your reservation up to 4 weeks prior a retreat, you will be refunded. An option would be to keep your deposit, but to transfer it to another retreat at no additional cost. Do note that transfer costs will be deducted for the refunding of international deposits.

• For cancellations 2-4 weeks prior the retreat, refunds will only be offered if your place can be re-sold. You will still have the option to transfer your deposit to another retreat at no additional cost.

• Cancellations up to 2 weeks prior the retreat will not be refunded, and no deposits will be transferred.

About your facilitator:

Johann Van Greunen

Johann is a Specialist Wellness Counsellor in private practice with training and background in Pastoral Therapy. In his practice he focuses on counselling, Reiki healing and training, teaching mindfulness meditation, MARI® (Mandala Assessment Research Instrument) readings and he runs various workshops and retreats focused on mindfulness practices, inner wellbeing and creativity. Johann has realised the value of Meditation and Mindfulness Practices early in his life and has come to know Mindfulness Meditation as an invaluable aid in assisting us to develop integrated and coherent life stories. With an interest in Integral and Complementary Medicine from early on, Johann qualified as Reiki Master to offer a hands-on healing practice that complements his counselling practice. Being a Master in Reiki, he teaches courses on Levels 1, 2 and Master Level.

Johann had been training in both contemporary and ballroom dance for years and developed a strong interest in the healing power of creative processes, especially in art, movement and music. He uses these processes working with groups and during his workshops and retreats teaching Mindfulness Practices. He encourages his clients coming for counselling to use creative processes in order to develop new narratives for their life stories. Entering the domain of art therapy, Johann has qualified as a MARI® (Mandala Assessment Research Instrument) Practitioner and offers the group version of MARI® on some of his retreats.

Johann holds an Honours degree in Psychology from the University of Pretoria and a M.Th. (Clinical Pastoral Care) from the University of Stellenbosch. He is registered as Specialist Wellness Counsellor at the Association for Supportive Counsellors & Holistic Practitioners. He is involved with mentoring programmes for the City of Cape Town which involves psycho-social support for health clinic staff and clinic managers. His work with these teams includes team building, trauma debriefing and teaching mindfulness practices. Past work in this field includes mentoring programmes for HIV/AIDS counsellors at Lifeline, Wola Nani, Sothemba AIDS Action Group, Positive Muslims and Desmond Tutu TB Centre linked to the University of Stellenbosch. He was also supervisor for the M.Th. Clinical Pastoral Care (HIV Counselling) programme for 5 years.

Johann is passionate about life, the arts, music, dance, nature, good food, coffee, wine and soulful friendships. He lives with his partner and two cats in the leafy suburb of Kenridge in Durbanville.