Taraloka started in 1985 as a run-down farm in the Shropshire countryside. But before the farm was even found, Taraloka was a vision held by a handful of women who realised the benefits of providing a context in which the practice of meditation and Buddhism could be developed and built upon.

After eight years of planning, the farm that would become Taraloka was finally bought. Women living in the old farm house converted the barns and outbuildings into the existing retreat centre and gardens. The farm house still accommodates the Taraloka residential community.

Since then, thousands of women have attended retreats here and many thousands of hours of meditation have been practised.

Taraloka's reputation as a retreat centre is well known across many parts of the world with about 500 women visiting every year. Many are regular visitors, participating in a network of friendships that spans different cultures, languages and ages - a network based around meditation, Buddhism and the desire to grow and change.

See some photos of the landscape at Taraloka.