Compassion in Nature Weekend
Do you need to fill up your own cup? If the idea of letting go of roles and responsibilities for a weekend just sounds like heaven, then this compassion retreat is for you.
Although we will be touching on compassion for others, our main focus will be self-compassion. We all need to rest and restore sometimes, in order to continue giving. Self-compassion as a practice teaches us how to do this in the deepest and most efficient way.
Nature can be an unconditional refuge from the complexities of life. What better way to fill your own cup than to practice compassion in nature!
You will leave this weekend with:
- Several self-compassion practices that you can turn to in the midst of life in order to develop resilience
- More connection with yourself and what makes you happy
- An understanding of the need to balance compassion for others with compassion for self, along with the knowhow to be able to begin afresh with this in mind
- Practices that ground you in the body with mindfulness, combined with practices that use the power of the imagination to connect you with compassion
This is an introduction to the practice of compassion for everyone, taught by experienced mindfulness teacher Jacky Seery. The weekend can be taken in isolation as a retreat or as a refresher for those with experience already. It is a perfect way to begin your training in mindfulness with lots of follow-on options available if you want to continue.
The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry
When despair for the world grows in meand I wake in the night at the least soundin fear of what my life and my children’s lives might be,I go and lie down where the wood drakerests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.I come into the peace of wild thingswho do not tax their lives with forethoughtof grief. I come into the presence of still water.And I feel above me the day-blind starswaiting with their light. For a timeI rest in the grace of the world, and am free. |
Tutor: Jacky Seery and Karen Baird
Dates: 15-16 August 2026
Price: Weekend – £185.00
Times: The course will run from 10.00am-17.00pm on Saturday and 10.00- 16.00pm on Sunday.
Venue: Crichton Central, The Crichton, Bankend Road, Dumfries, DG1 4TA. For more details about the Crichton please click here.
The cafe in Crichton Central is open for food/drinks from 10am until 4pm (last food orders being 3.30pm) and the Bistro in Easterbrook Hall serves food Thursday-Sunday 11am-4pm. Please find the Bistro menu attached here and the cafe menu here to see all the options.
There is an on-site Bankend Bar & Brasserie Holiday Inn, for room rates and availability please click here. Breakfast is served between 7.00am and 10.30am on a weekend and 7.00am- 10.00am on weekdays and dinner between 17.00pm and 21.30pm. There are over 200 complimentary car parking spaces for hotel guests.
There is a room rate for Mindfulness Association participants. Please ring the Holiday Inn (01387 272410) and quote ‘Mindfulness Association’ the room rate is £105.00 per night B&B single occupancy and £110.00 per night B&B double occupancy.
Please click here for the evening menu at the Holiday Inn, tables are available to book via the website. Please find here a list of alternative accommodation in the area and there is also Air B & B and booking.com. These are purely suggestions, not personal recommendations.
There is free car parking outside Crichton Central and in the large car park outside Easterbrook Hall. Electric charging points and cycle racks are available outside Crichton Central and across the estate. The number 5 bus route from Dumfries town centre takes you from Great King Street to The Crichton Campus. The venue is a 10-minute car ride from Dumfries train station and 45 minutes from the M6.
Accessible parking spaces and a Changing Places Toilet are available at the venue.
There is a 12 metre swimming pool, sauna and steamroom which is open daily from 7am-8pm. Booking is essential and you can pay as you go if you are not staying as a guest, please just book at the Bistro.
Booking: To book this course please click the booking button.
FAQs
• When and where is the retreat taking place?
The weekend retreat is scheduled for 15-16 August 2026. It will be held at Crichton Central, The Crichton, Bankend Road, Dumfries.
• What is the main focus of the weekend?
- While the course touches on compassion for others, the primary focus is self-compassion. The goal is to help you “fill up your own cup” and find an unconditional refuge in nature from the complexities of life.
• Is this course suitable for beginners?
- Yes! This is an introduction to compassion practice for everyone. It can be taken as a standalone retreat or as a refresher for those with previous experience.
• What will I leave with?
- You will gain several self-compassion practices for resilience, a deeper connection with yourself, and an understanding of how to balance care for others with care for yourself. You will also learn practices that ground you in the body and use imagination to connect with compassion.
• What is the "scientific" basis for this training?
- The training is based on the Evolutionary Model, which suggests compassion is wired into our brains through the soothing/affiliation system. Neuroscience shows that “neurons that fire together wire together,” meaning we can actively train compassion like a muscle to create new neural “superhighways” in the brain.
• I struggle with being self-critical. Will this help?
- Absolutely. Our brains have a built-in “negativity bias”—acting like Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones. This training helps you “take in the good” and counter the self-critical “threat system” that increases stress hormones like cortisol.
• Is there accommodation on-site?
- Yes, the Holiday Inn is located on the Crichton estate. Participants can receive a special room rate by calling 01387 272410 and quoting ‘Mindfulness Association’.
• What about food and drink?
- The Crichton Central cafe is open for food and drinks until 4:00 pm, and the Bistro in Easterbrook Hall also serves food. For those staying at the hotel, dinner is served between 5:00 pm and 9:30 pm.
• Is the venue accessible?
- Yes, there are accessible parking spaces and a Changing Places Toilet at the venue.
• How do I get there?
- The venue is a 10-minute car ride from Dumfries train station and is accessible via the number 5 bus route from the town centre. There are also over 200 complimentary car parking spaces available.
