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REFLECTIONS RETREAT

Tuesday 16 - Sunday 21 December 2025 LOCATION: This is a silent meditation and dance retreat happening in a seminarhaus approx. 1h30 min drive from Berlin and 2h30 by public transport. PROGRAM: The silence starts Tuesday evening and finishes Sunday at midday. There will be meditation instructions, dharma talks, group activities and shared meals from 7.30 until 21.30 each day. There will be a 6-hour dance music ritual on Saturday at the end of the day. COSTS: The mattresses and pillows are provided and you will only be asked to bring comfortable clothes and toiletries. The price of the retreat is 245e including 5 nights of accommodations and 3 meals per day with the option to donate for the teachings. TEACHERS: There will be meditation instructions, talks and interviews by and with Noon Baldwin with support from Laura Toropainen.

More info at the bottom of the form!

If you would like to participate, you need to fill the form below. Once your application is confirmed, you will need to pay a reservation fee to reserve your spot. Whatever you share in the form below will be held confidentially.

What is your first name?

What is your surname?

What pronouns do you use?

What is your email?

What is your phone number?

The guidance and teachings will be facilitated in English. Would you need any translation?

This is a silent retreat: apart from individual or group meetings with the teachers you will be invited into silence for the duration of the event. Could you tell us about your experience with retreats or silence or meditation? If you have never been in such an environment, how do you feel about being in silence?

We need a contact in case of emergency: could you share their relation to you, their name and surname and their phone number?

All meals will be vegan and gluten-free. Do you have any health-related diet restrictions (please mention only allergies to certain foods rather than simple preferences)?

In support of your retreat, four weeks before you arrive, we will send a list of questions about your physical, mental health and dietary needs. This will help us to support you during your retreat. Do you have any concerns about this that you already would like to share? Do you have any other access needs you would like us to know about?

We ask you to participate from Tuesday 16 from 4pm latest - Sunday 21 midday earliest, are you able to commit to this timeframe?

You will be asked to contribute with service meditation, helping out as a volunteer (chopping vegetables, washing dishes, etc.): are you ok with that? Would you potentially like to help more and if so how?

You will be sleeping in shared rooms of up to 8 beds. Is this ok for you?

This retreat runs in the tradition of dana: this is a voluntary expression of generosity.

This retreat runs in the tradition of dana: this is a voluntary expression of generosity. Here's how it works: We have a set price to cover our mandatory costs, read below. Additional contributions for the teachings will be collected at the end of the retreat week. We ask each person to give from their heart what they are able and moved to give for the teachings. Covering costs: These two payments cover the basic costs to run the retreat (food, accommodation, etc.). There is a minimum of 100e deposit which we ask you to pay now. This is non-refundable and is necessary to reserve your participation.

One month before the event we will ask you to confirm your participation and pay the 145e remaining.

We hope to make this accessible to all. Do you have any concerns about the costs of the retreat or questions about dana?

How did you find out about this retreat/who recommended it to you?

WHO ARE WE?

Nono, Ugo and Ollie share a common passion for spiritual exploration, dancing and bringing people together. Nono and Ugo have been organising the Fictions parties in Berlin for years and Ollie started dance:music in London.

We invited Noon, who is a Buddhist teacher in the forest tradition of Ajahn Chah to guide us with meditation through these days. Noon Baldwin is an ex circus artist & street performer who retired from the circus in 2004 to dedicate his life to spiritual practice. He teaches Dharma in English and French and has experience with teaching queer retreats.

We will also be joined by Sarj and Laura. Sarj loves dancing and somatics, has a daily meditation practice, and works as a community care organizer and group facilitator, especially through running the aequa community since 2018. Laura is a passionate music & dance lover, and a facilitator of nature connection and relational practices. Laura lives and works at the meditation center Gaia House. Laura has practiced in insight meditation tradition for 8 years and her first retreat was taught by Noon in 2018.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE "IN SILENCE"?

As the collective silence is declared shortly after we gather, you will be invited to refrain from talking to other people, communicating using your phone or reading books.

You will be allowed to make eye contact with other retreatants and we invite you to not take it personally if other people aren’t smiling or are retiring in their “bubble”. There will be some exceptions to the silence: the organisers will share instructions, the teacher will give talks and there may be brief and quiet dialogues as part of the coordination in the kitchen or elsewhere.

Please note that this is a sober event: we won’t provide or allow alcohol or other substances. If you are a smoker, we ask you to smoke outside and away from the common areas.

Your silence is a gift to yourself and to the community!

WHAT WILL WE BE DOING?

We will wake up together, sit in silence, cook and eat together and in silence, go on silent walks and sleep loads. There will be no music throughout the week, except on Saturday at the end of the day for 6 hours.

There is the option to use the sauna in the evening.

WHY ARE WE ORGANISING THIS?

As music lovers, we’ve increasingly struggled finding spaces where we were able to deep listen and collectively dance to it. We are finding that the particular sounds that we like are often showcased within economic and social structures that don’t allow the kind of experiences that we long for

Some of us attended the Dharma Techno retreats organised by Debbie and Denis. We thank them for the inspiration they brought into our lives and which led to this project. We are borrowing some aspects of these retreats and adapting them to our particular aesthetic sensitivities and the needs of our community.

You do not need to have experience with meditation to attend the retreat!! We hope to make the exploration accessible, playful and open! Nono has a daily practice, has been on several retreats and follows the teachings of Rob Burbea and Than Ajahn Geoff. Ollie regularly sits Zazen and has visited Plum Village whilst Ugo has been on retreat several times with Denis Robberechts. Noon will introduce you to the Buddhist teachings in a non-dogmatic way.

WHAT ARE WE DREAMING OF?

Not only are we fantasising of creating a space that allows the kind of collective dancing that we are missing, we would also like this moment to be restorative. When most of us come back from parties or festivals feeling physically and socially exhausted, we hope creating this space will give you an opportunity to catch up on sleep, step back from your usual routine and dream up with us. We fantasise of growing our capacities collectively!

December can be a difficult moment: lack of light, end-of-the year blues, family obligations, financial stress, illnesses, etc. We chose the winter solstice as a crucial moment to support each other and celebrate the darkest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Finally, most of us have quit flying or avoid more extractive modes of transport where possible. We invite you to consider the ethical, ecological and political impacts of your travel as part of participation, and will share train travel tips and resources for those it may be new for.

Even though this whole project is a bit overwhelming for our small team, we are verrry excited to meet again at the end of the year and share these moments together… This is the first time we’re organising this, feel free to give us feedback and please be patient with us :)

For any further questions please use: [email protected]