Coming back to your true purpose

A retreat for rest, reflection and renewal

The New Year is a special time. In the depths of winter the world of nature goes into deep rest, and the promise of Spring can seem a distant dream. But it's during winter that the conditions for Spring come together, setting the scene for new life to flourish. 


Perhaps this is why so many of us take time at the start of the new year to rest, reflect and renew our intentions for the year ahead. Perhaps we're mirroring the deep rhythms of the natural world. Perhaps planting seeds of intention has a particular power at this time of year. 


This is why we're holding a day-long mindfulness retreat focusing on rest, reflection and renewal this January. During this retreat, we'll have the chance to come together as a community, reconnect to our practice of mindfulness and explore our intentions, motivations and purpose for the year ahead. 


This retreat is open to members of the Youth Mindfulness Community. To join costs just £10 per month and you can cancel any time. If you'd like to participate in this retreat, just join our community and we'll send you the details.

We're offering this retreat to our community members


If you'd like to join the retreat, just sign up to our community membership. It costs £10 per month and you can cancel any time.

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Register your place

Live guided meditations

Meditating with others is a powerful way to nourish our practice of mindfulness. Knowing that we are practising with others at the same time - even if they are hundreds or thousands of miles away can strengthen our intention and deepen our presence.

Rediscover true purpose

On this retreat we will engage in practices that enable us to deepen into rest and stillness.

Deep rest offers the opportunity to engage in reflection on what's truly important to us - on where we want to focus our energy and attention for the year ahead.

From this place of reconnection to self, we'll then engage in a series of activities designed to explore our intentions and deep purpose for the year ahead.

Find inspiration and connection with others

We've been amazed at the level of connection and intimacy that can emerge on zoom calls. We think of it as a digital campfire.

Over the course of the retreat, you'll spend time with everyone as part of the whole group, but there'll also be times where you'll breakout into smaller groups and have the chance to share and learn with people from all over the world.

Retreat Schedule

The online retreat will have a mix of teaching, guided meditations, and opportunities to share and connect with others in zoom breakout rooms. The schedule for the day will be as follows...

  • 10am-11.00am morning sitting & movement meditation

  • Break

  • 11.15am-12.30pm Workshop on rest, reflection and renewal

  • Lunch break

  • 1.30pm-2.30pm Bodyscan / Deep Relaxation

  • Break

  • 2.45pm-3.45pm Workshop on exploring purpose

  • 3.45pm-4pm Closing sitting practice.

Instructor(s)

Michael Bready

Michael is the founder and director of Youth Mindfulness. He has’s taught mindfulness to thousands of children, teenagers and adults and developed numerous mindfulness curricula including the Youth Mindfulness Kids Programme, SOMA Programme, Mindfulness for Life and Inner Strength Programme for young men in prison. His current passion is exploring what the latest science is telling us about the nature of human beings and how that can lead to a brighter, wiser, and more humane future.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How much time do I need to set aside for this retreat?

    The retreat will start at 10am on Sunday 8th January and runs until 4pm There are short breaks in the schedule as well as a longer break for lunch. We recommend that you keep the entirety of day free so that even when you're not on a live session you can still keep the energy of mindful practice alive.

  • What happens if I miss a session or I can only make part of the day?

    We've put this retreat together as a complete experience so we think you'll get the most out of it if you attend all the sessions. However, if for some reason, you have to miss a session, it's not the end of the world.

    What's most important is that you commit to the experience as much as you can - that's the way you'll get the most out of it.

  • How should I prepare?

    Clear your diary and set up a comfortable space where you can be undistracted. Commit to putting aside other distractions - like your mobile phone and other devices for the duration of the day. Let any people you live with know that you'll be going on this retreat and think ahead to how that can work best in your household.

  • I live with other people, can I still join?

    Absolutely! You don't need to live in a hut on a mountainside to participate in this retreat. In fact, part of the learning on this retreat can be an exploration of how to deepen our mindfulness practice in the context of our own home. It'll be helpful to talk with the people you live with before the start of the retreat to let them know your plans and that you'll need to be undisturbed during the sessions. Closer to the start of the retreat we'll send information on how to prepare.

  • Who is the retreat for?

    The retreat is for anyone looking to deepen and refresh their mindfulness practice. We expect many people who have completed training with Youth Mindfulness, but we also welcome people who have never trained or followed a course with Youth Mindfulness.

Tech questions

  • What equipment do I need?

    We'll be hosting the retreat through zoom. You can access zoom through your web browser or by downloading the app. You can test zoom is working on your machine by going here: https://zoom.us/test

  • I don't have a very stable internet connection, will this be a problem?

    This could be an issue when you join the breakout rooms - it might be difficult for other participants to hear you.

    If you can watch youtube videos alright with your internet connection, you should be able to follow the talks and the guided meditations.

  • Do I need to have my camera turned on?

    While not essential, we do encourage this, as it creates a sense of connection amongst the whole group.

  • Can I join the retreat from my phone?

    Yes you can. But we think the best experience will come from joining on a device with a larger screen - like a laptop or tablet. If a phone is most convenient for you - you're most welcome to join in this way.