Info for Retreat Teams
Thank you so much for offering a retreat at Taraloka. We really appreciate your generosity of time, energy and experience.
- If you are new to leading Taraloka retreats, this info will hopefully answer a lot of your questions.
- If you are an old hand, PLEASE READ the initial sections marked ESSENTIAL as they are things we’d like you to do / be aware of.
ESSENTIAL: Safeguarding & Cooks
Safeguarding & Ethics - you and your team need to read and sign register
Everyone leading or supporting a Taraloka retreat needs to read our Safeguarding Summary and Ethical Guidelines and sign our online register BEFORE the retreat begins. As the retreat leader, please email your whole team, including the organiser, asking them to do this. If you like, you can copy and paste this request:
Taraloka now needs everyone involved in leading or supporting retreats to read and sign to say they consent to follow Taraloka’s safeguarding policy and ethical guidelines. They have cut it down as much as possible so it shouldn’t take too long. The link is here. Please make sure you do this before the retreat starts (ideally, now!!) Thanks very much from the Taraloka Community xxx
Supporting Volunteer Cooks
If you have a Volunteer Cook on your retreat, they need support from your retreat team. The Taraloka Operations Team will fully support them from a practical perspective with anything to do with the cooking or kitchen management. But they are also on your retreat, and need to feel a valued part of your team.
Please:
- Allocate a team member to support the cook. They should talk to them about what they wish to attend and if they want a meditation review / to be included in groups. Volunteer cooks choose how much or how little of the retreat programme they come to.
- Invite them to the check in part of your team meetings (ideally) as it helps them to feel part of the whole team OR if not possible, allocate one of your team to check in with them every day about how they are doing.
- Thank them at the end of the retreat!
ESSENTIAL: Welcoming retreatants
Pronouns
Taraloka policy is to invite retreatants to share their pronouns, but only if they wish to do so.
- A simple way to do this: when you invite retreatants to introduce themselves and where they are from, also invite them: ‘if you want to say something about your pronouns, you could do that now.’
- Please don’t ask everyone for their pronouns as this is offputting/ difficult for some, including some of those exploring their gender.
Mobile phones
Taraloka policy: ‘Please switch off any phones or internet devices for the duration of the retreat. If you choose to check your phone, please go off Taraloka premises to do this’.
This is an area for retreat leaders to talk about and is no longer included in the organisers’ announcements. Points you may wish to bring out:
- Screen addiction – opportunity to ‘detox’
- Effect on our own minds of checking phones – keeps us scattered and superficial, stops us being present.
- Effect on others if we use our phones in shared spaces including bedrooms
- Give info about Taraloka emergency mobile – always carried by someone in community who would come and find you immediately if contacted
Physical / sensory access needs
- Invite retreatants to share any information with the whole retreat which they feel would be helpful. Examples: serious allergies, lifting or walking difficulties, impaired hearing or sight.
- What help would they appreciate? What help would they not appreciate?
ESSENTIAL: Supporting retreatants with access needs
Supporting those with physical access needs
We will do our best to let you know in advance if there is someone on your retreat with significant access needs (eg: difficulties with seeing, hearing, moving around) and some people will have an Access Document. This helps you adjust your planned activities before the retreat begins. However we do not always know ahead of time.
It makes a huge difference to the retreatant’s experience when the retreat team has an awareness of their needs and challenges. Here are some tips to help you hold them well.
Emotional / samskaric
One of the most difficult things that retreatants with physical difficulties meet is emotional complication from others. Typical unhelpful responses are horrified anxiety, fussing, sentimentality and over-helping (particularly from women who are ‘carers’ in their life), or else fear, avoidance and ignoring. We mention these so you can be aware of them arising in yourselves or in retreatants, and do your best to minimise them!
Practicals:
It really helps the experience of the retreatant if practical areas are considered BEFORE they prevent the retreatant participating – rather than after.
BEFORE the retreat starts:
- Check with them that all the different areas they need to use are set up in a way that works for them (bedroom, dining room, bathroom, lounge, shrine room, group room. If we know in advance the Taraloka Ops team will have set this up.)
- How are they going to make offerings (EG: Do they need help or not? What help? Do they need clear route between where they are sitting and shrine? Can they reach offerings?)
- Do they need serving with drinks / breakfast / lunch? This works well as a simple sign-up rota.
- Can they access the programme?
(EG: Can they read it ok? Do doors need propping open so it’s simple for them to get into the lobby to see the programme?)
- Would they like to say anything in Introductory session about their situation / needs. Often people find it helpful to say what they do / don’t want help with, as people ‘over-helping’ can be very difficult.
DURING retreat:
Please have this person as a standing item in your team meeting.
- It can be helpful to give one person responsibility for remembering this person’s needs.
- How will they participate in your session? It’s easy to forget, or to remember too late.
What needs to be put in place? Talk it through with them.
- EG: Does your session involve sight / hearing / mobility?
- Do people need to move around? Is it outside?
- If there’s a handout / visuals, can they read it?
Please feel free to talk through any of this with the Taraloka Retreat Team (Maitridevi, Maitrisiddhi, Satyakavi) – we will want to help!
Hearing loop
Non-native English speakers
If you have people whose first language is not English on the retreat, please do:
- Invite them to ask teachers to repeat or rephrase if they are not understanding
- Ask them if they would like copies of unfamiliar pujas to look at beforehand / follow during puja. This can really help their understanding and participation.
In the shrine room cupboard we have copies of the book of Positive Precepts in many languages.
Neurodiversity
Neurodiversity presents very differently in different individuals. However it can be helpful to:
- Invite people to eat their meals elsewhere in the retreat centre if the noise in the dining room is distressing for them.
- Give advance information if a puja or other activity will have loud noises or people milling around in a chaotic way.
- Be aware that some people may find eye contact in pairs exercises very difficult/unhelpful.
Things to tell us
Confirming your team
Do let us know who is on your team as soon as you know, including the organiser. Then we can put their names up on the website. Please also ask your team if they are happy to share rooms, and let us know – it’s very helpful if they are able to.
What you can’t eat
Please do let us know IN ADVANCE if there are things you can’t eat. We do not keep records of restricted diets (as they change too much) so you need to tell us this information every time. Menu plans and food deliveries are complex and planned in advance, which is why our Kitchen Manager needs to know ahead of time.
Would you like a pre-retreat?
Your team is welcome to arrive the day before your retreat starts. You’ll eat and sleep in the community (supper is 6.30pm) and can hold team meetings in the Taraloka library. The retreat centre will be available from lunchtime on the day your retreat starts. Do let us know if you would like this.
Available from Taraloka
Travel expenses
Taraloka will pay your travel expenses via bank transfer. Your organiser will be given travel expense claims forms for you to fill in on arrival.
If arriving by train – please book your train tickets in advance. Do let us know if you need collecting from the station.
If arriving by car – please bring a fuel receipt in order to claim your fuel.
Access to WiFi and Community Library
You are welcome to use Taraloka’s library in the community house, which has folders of pujas as well as many standard Dharma books. The library has WiFi access for your own devices, and a PC and printer (which usually but not always works!!!) There is no internet available in the retreat centre.
Please do not offer this space to retreatants without discussing with your Taraloka Liaison person.
Printing
You can use the printer in the library or send your printing to admin@taraloka.org.uk for us to print out for you. Please leave a note in the Liaison tray requesting this, and give us a bit of notice!
Extra shrine / ritual items
We keep many shrine items in the community house due to lack of space in the retreat centre. Just ask your Taraloka Liaison person for them.
Rupas:
- All 5 Jinas – various styles
- Standing Green Tara
- White Tara
- Largish Padmasambhava
- Vajrayogini
- Four armed Avalokitesvara
- Standing Kuan Yin
- Prajna Paramita
- Various Shakyamuni rupas
- Vajrasattva
Thankas:
- Prajnaparamita
- Avalokiteshvara
- Green Tara
- White Tara
- Padmasambhava
- Vajrayogini
Pictures:
- A3 set of Aloka’s paintings of the 5 Buddhas
- Maitreya – Aloka original
Other:
- Vajrakilaya (Demon Dagger)
- Jamjars for outdoor tealights
- Red, amber and blue outdoor beehive-jar candles
Support available from Taraloka Retreat Team
If you come up against a difficult situation on your retreat (for example a retreatant with tricky behaviour or with an active mental health problem), feel free to come over to the White House to talk it through with one of the Taraloka Retreat Team members. We are always happy to be called on.
Programme timings / things to include
Start times on first day
Retreatants arrive from 4pm. Supper on the day of arrival is always at 6.30pm.
Mealtimes
You can choose the exact timings for meals for the rest of your retreat – usually around 9.00 for breakfast, around 1pm for lunch, and around 6.15 for supper.
Work period
Please allow 1 hr 15 between the end of breakfast and the start of the next activity, so the kitchen helpers have a full hour to assist the cook, then have 15 mins space. For example:
- breakfast 9.00
- work period 9.30 – 10.30
- morning activity 10.45
Dana appeal
Community members will give the dana appeal, then collect donations afterwards.
- Longer retreats: During lunch on the last full day. Eg: lunch starts 1.00, dana appeal 1.15.
- Weekend retreats: During breakfast on the last day eg: Breakfast 8.30, dana appeal 8.45
If these slots don’t work for you, please talk to us as other options are possible.
Please include dana appeal on the noticeboard programme.
Clearing meditation places after last shrine room session
At end of final shrine room session please ask retreatants to clear their places by:
- shaking mats and blankets inside or outside (depending on weather)
- folding blankets and stacking them in racking or against a wall
- returning cushions to racks.
Packing time on last day
Allow 30 minutes before the final meal (breakfast or lunch) for retreatants to pack their belongings and clear all luggage from their rooms.
Clear Up on last day
We have standard timings for clear-ups which co-ordinate with local train times. If they don’t work for your retreat, please let us know in advance.
- After a weekend retreat finishing after lunch, the clear up lasts for 45 minutes from 1.30 – 2.15pm
- After a longer retreat, the clear up is one hour, between 9-10am.
We very much appreciate it if you and your team can model willing participation in the clear up, but of course if that’s not possible that’s fine.
Example final morning programme
- 8-8.30 Pack and clear rooms
- 8.30-9 Breakfast
- 9-10 Clear Up
- 10-10.15 Brief Closing Ritual in Earth Sky Garden or Dining Room
Final team meeting
If you wish to have a final team meeting during the clear up or in the hour after the clear up, you are welcome to do so. Usually this would be in the Annexe conservatory.