retreat in brandenburg
SET UP YOUR INTENTION TO DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION
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Friday 1st until Sunday 3rd November 2024
Arrival Friday 1st until 4:00 pm
Departure Sunday 3rd at 4:00 pm
LANDPRAXIS ALTFRIEDLAND, Meirangasse 5, 15320 Neuhardenberg in Oderbruch, Brandenburg
with Frank and Maria-Lucrezia.
In our busy lives filled with endless to-do lists and packed schedules, it's rare to pause and reflect on our intentions and motivations.
Daily routines, such as preparing and consuming food, often occur on autopilot. While our bodies follow the "automatic program" in the present, our minds wander, shifting between past and future, busy with an endless stream of thoughts, interpretations, projections, judgments, and fantasies.
Our brain has to constantly process an infinite amount of stimuli and information from our body and interaction with the external environment, and since our energy is limited, it is normal for most information to be filtered unconsciously and tasks we have learned and habitualized are performed automatically.
For instance, we can walk even when distracted, without constantly focusing on our feet, body position, or the structure of the ground. While this mechanism allows our brains to save energy and function efficiently, these "patterns and automatisms" eventually become "subjective filters and habits." These filters deeply influence our perception of ourselves and the world, sometimes positively, but often mostly negatively.
We rarely realize the profound impact of these "subjective filters."
t’s like wearing red-tinted glasses since birth; initially, the redness might bother us, but our brains adapt, and we begin to believe that the red-tinted view is the "reality of things" rather than a "filtered perception." Having grown accustomed to these lenses, challenging this perception (which is not the truth even if it is relatively true for us) becomes difficult because we no longer notice that it’s caused by the glasses we wear.
We cannot become aware of what we do not notice.
Therefore, during our retreat, we will train to establish a clear and positive intention to direct our attention to what we are doing. The etymology of the words intention and attention shares a common origin from the Latin verb tendere, meaning "to stretch towards." The act of will to "stretch towards" profoundly connects these two concepts.
Starting with my intention, I can "stretch towards something else" and significantly change the perception of an ordinary activity, accessing a wealth of information about myself and the external world that would normally be inaccessible because my attention is directed elsewhere, and I am acting on autopilot.
Simple daily mindfulness exercises, which we will learn together during food preparation in the kitchen, allow us over time and practice to enhance our ability to observe and work with our attention.
We learn to focus on different elements of an experience and remain concentrated for increasingly extended periods on the chosen object of our attention. These skills lay the foundation for learning to "notice and discover" new aspects and open up to new perspectives.
By reminding ourselves, through intention, to bring our attention to the present, we learn to unite body and mind in the here and now, to relax, and to become increasingly aware of the complex relationship between our subjective perception and the reality of things.
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This marks the beginning of an incredible journey of self-discovery and self-awareness.
One of the positive effects of working with intentions and attention in the kitchen is that it benefits both body and mind by slowing down, grounding and relaxing while simultaneously opening and warming the heart.
When we engage with food with the intention of being attentive not only to what we are doing but also to the ingredients we are using, their origin, who produced and transported them, their use, waste, and consumption, we are not only engaging in a mindfulness exercise but also in an act of care and attention, an act of love towards ourselves, our fellow beings, and this planet.
thich nhat hanh
"Our way of eating and producing food can be very violent, to other species, to our own bodies, and to the earth. Or our way of growing, distribuiting, and eating food can be part of creating a larger healing.
We get to choose."
FOOD AT OUR RETREAT
We prepare our food exclusively from plant-based ingredients. The recipes prepared together during the retreat, the dishes that are eaten, are inspired by the tradition of southern Italian Cucina Povera.
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This tradition has evolved into an art of living, born out of the necessity to create the best possible food for many with the few resources available.
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Cucina Povera offers us not only effective, simple, and sustainable techniques for preparing and preserving healthy food using seasonal, fresh, local, mostly vegetarian ingredients and raw materials. It is based on a daily practice of solidarity, togetherness, and zero-waste living habits. It is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for anyone who wants to experience fast, simple, extremely creative, health-conscious, and environmentally friendly cooking.
PROGRAM
Since our personal experience teaches us that—even though the theory seems simple, clear, and attractive—putting it into practice is usually the real challenge, we want to divide the three days as follows, allowing ourselves an uninterrupted day dedicated to practice.
Friday 1st November
INTENTIONS of the day:
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Welcome participants
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Get to know each other
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Create a relaxed and friendly atmosphere
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Learn the principles and theory of mindfulness
Schedule:
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Arrival at 4:00 pm, room assignments, and welcome
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Introduction round, expectations for the retreat
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Theory: Principles and foundations of mindfulness practice
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“Set your intention to direct your attention”: How, when, and why?
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Dinner
Saturday 2nd November
INTENTIONS of the day:
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Focus attention on internal events, body awareness, and perceptions
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A day of meditation, silence, and inner listening, minimizing verbal interactions
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Prepare and enjoy healthy, nutritious food
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Detox: Abstain from electronic devices, including smartphones
Schedule:
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Qigong exercises with Maria-Lucrezia, learning to pay attention to body posture
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Seated meditation guided by Frank
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Breakfast
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Meditation and mindfulness exercises in the kitchen with Maria-Lucrezia for lunch preparation
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Silent lunch
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Break
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Seated meditation guided by Frank
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Meditation and mindfulness exercises in the kitchen with Maria-Lucrezia for dinner preparation
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Silent dinner
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Goodnight reading
we practice
Mindfulness
Art of Cucina Povera
Sustainability
Sunday 3rd November
INTENTIONS of the day:
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Share our experiences
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Understand mindfulness in theory and practice
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What will I take with me into my daily life?
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Individual practice and adoption of mindfulness techniques
Schedule:
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Qigong exercises with Maria-Lucrezia
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Sitting meditation guided by Frank
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Check-out
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Mindful breakfast
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Sharing session
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Mindful lunch
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Farewell and departure at 3:00 PM
meet the team
landpraxis altfriedland
We are delighted to offer you our retreat at a wonderful location in the picturesque Altfriedland in the Oderbruch region! The venue is idyllically situated on an island, surrounded by two lakes, the Märkische Schweiz Nature Park, and the European bird sanctuary Kietzer See.
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LANDPRAXIS ALTFRIEDLAND
Meirangasse 5
15320 Neuhardenberg, Oderbruch
Brandenburg
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ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS
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Double room per person: €100 for 2 nights
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Single room per person: €130 for 2 nights
You can pay for the accommodation on-site.
partecipation fee
PARTICIPATION FEE
Our value orientation is also expressed in our scaled price model, which we consider to be more comprehensive (inclusive) and solidary. You have the possibility to choose between 3 price levels named after 3 flowers, symbols of gratitude.
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Tulpe 289 €
Lilie 339 €
Rose 389 €
Accommodation costs are to be charged separately.