Resting in Awareness is a contemplative retreat rooted in silence, simplicity, and direct experience. Drawing on the practices presented in Bruce Van Dongen’s recent book, A Path Through the Forest, the retreat invites participants into a gentle yet profound exploration of mindful presence, inner stillness, and embodied awareness.

Held within the sacred landscape of Dharmagiri, the retreat emphasises soft, quiet, internal attention — an attunement to what is already here. Supported by periods of respectful silence and the subtle warmth of shared community (sangha), participants are encouraged to rest deeply in awareness, allowing insight to arise organically rather than through effort or striving.

The retreat weaves together silent sitting, mindful mountain walking, guided awareness practices, and spacious periods of reflection. Moving between stillness and gentle movement, participants are supported in cultivating sustained presence — learning to meet each moment with openness, curiosity, and care. The natural rhythms of the mountain, the body, and the breath become trusted companions in this unfolding practice.

This is an invitation to slow down, listen more closely, and rediscover the quiet intelligence of awareness itself — not as something to be achieved, but as something to be recognised and lived, moment by moment.

Retreat Highlights

• Silent Practice in Nature
  The retreat is held largely in silence, creating a supportive container for inward listening, clarity, and depth. Silence is approached as a living presence — not an absence, but a fertile ground for awareness to settle and deepen.

• Mindful Mountain Walking
  Daily periods of slow, attentive walking in the mountain landscape form the heart of the retreat. Interspersed with pauses for silent sitting and guided practices, the walks support embodied awareness and an intimate relationship with the natural environment.

• Gentle Meditation Instruction
  Short, accessible teachings offer guidance in resting attention in the body, breath, and immediate experience, drawing directly from Bruce’s contemplative approach and writings.

• Early Morning & Evening Meditation
  Each day opens and closes with gentle seated meditation, grounding the retreat in stillness and continuity of practice.

• Time for Personal Reflection
  Spacious afternoons allow for self-practice, journaling, rest, and quiet integration, giving participants time to absorb and embody the day’s experiences.

• Held by Sangha
  While silence is central, the retreat is supported by the quiet joy of practising together — a shared field of presence that nourishes both individual and collective awareness.

About Your Facilitator

Bruce Van Dongen is a meditation teacher, retreat facilitator, and founder of the Waterfall Retreat & Environmental Centre, created as a sanctuary where people from all backgrounds can gather in kindness, practise mindfulness, and reconnect with nature.

Trained as a mechanical engineer, Bruce has worked across multiple continents and embodies the principle of “one foot on the concrete, one foot on the lotus” — integrating contemplative insight with grounded, everyday life. His personal journey with yoga and meditation spans many years, and he is a qualified teacher in both Hatha and Kundalini Yoga.

Bruce’s teaching is rooted in embodied mindfulness, gentle inquiry, and the cultivation of deep presence. His work honours both inner clarity and shared practice, supporting retreatants in discovering how simple, moment-to-moment awareness can become a stable ground for insight, compassion, and wise action.

Costs

R 3950 - Single ensuite

R 3650 - Single room with shared bathroom

R 3200 - Shared room with shared bathroom

Teaching on this retreat is offered freely in the spirit of dana. We welcome free will offerings in appreciation for the teacher. To book email office@dharmagiri.org. The above rates humbly cover food and accommodation for the reteat.