music and mindfulness retreat exploring sound and silence · instruments such as the shakuhachi zen...
TRANSCRIPT
Music and Mindfulness Retreat
exploring sound and silence
Hilary Kromberg and John Roff
Sun 12 July – Tues 14 July 2020
Buddhist Retreat CentreBookings: [email protected] www.brcixopo.co.za
Exploring sound and silence Our busy lives are fragmented by noise. We struggle to hear the rhythms and resonances at the heart of life. Drawing on their musical, spiritual and academic journeys, Hilary Kromberg and John Roff will lead an exploration of sound and silence: listening, reflecting and creating, through music and mindfulness.
The retreat is an experiential and immersive journey through music and meditation, creating spaces for participants to discover their innate musicality. Moving meditations will include mindful walking and yoga, amidst the sounds of nature.
A musical journey will be used to facilitate creative expression through visual art. Retreatants will also have opportunities for meditative music-making with an array of instruments such as the Shakuhachi Zen Flute, the Mbira, Djembe Drums, the Uhadi Bow and Tibetan Singing Bowls.
Join us in the tranquility of The Buddhist Retreat Centre to connect to the universal rhythms at the heart of life.
"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to
everything." Plato
Booking is essential through [email protected]. More information about the retreat [email protected]
More information about The Buddhist Retreat Centre can be found at www.brcixopo.co.za
PLEASE NOTE: No previous music training is necessary!
More about Hilary and John … Hilary Kromberg believes in the power of music to transform and to heal... whether it be hip hop, Mozart, the beating of a djembe drum, or the sound of a bird singing in a tree. Hilary has a bachelor’s degree in social anthropology and an MMus in musicology. She is a specialist in music communications and is the creative director of Jive Media Africa, as well as founder of the Hip Hop U, youth development programme. Hilary is a pianist, married to Robert (a tenor) and together they have raised three musical human beings. She believes in the restorative power of both sound and silence. She spends her spare time practicing yoga and walking in wild gardens. Her dream is to be fit enough to climb a few steep mountain paths in Nepal.
John Roff is a multi-instrumentalist musician, with a leaning towards bamboo flutes, kalimbas, and the didgeridoo. He has witnessed the restorative power of music many times and looks forward to sharing this with retreatants. For the past 30 years, John has been a nature guide and environmental educator, sharing the beauty and wonder of the natural world with thousands of people in diverse locations. John's meditative musicianship and deep appreciation for, and understanding of, the natural world promise to make his contribution to this retreat an especially meaningful one. John is married to Jo, with whom he runs Strong Heart Retreats. They have four children, and live in Pietermaritzburg.
About the BRC ''There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it. The road climbs seven miles into them, to Carisbrooke; and from there, if there is no mist, you look down on one of the fairest valleys of Africa.’'
From Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country
Nestled amongst these hills is The Buddhist Retreat Centre, featured by CNN as one of the 10 finest meditation centres in the world.
The BRC was declared a Natural Heritage Site by President Nelson Mandela. It nurtures and encourages indigenous biodiversity and is a birder’s paradise, with more than 160 species recorded. The labyrinth, the Zen gardens, the deer park and the Buddha Boma invite travellers in, for reflection and contemplation. http://www.brcixopo.co.za
Less than an hour’s drive from the Province’s capital, Pietermaritzburg, a short flight from Johannesburg, the BRC provides full accommodation and meals for this three-day guided retreat.
Getting there and away:
Yes Please Travel and Tours: +27 (0)82 578 9841Dankiza Tours: +27 (0)33 346 0252
Other things to do in the area… The Buddhist Retreat Centre lies in the heart of the Zulu Kingdom, nestled between the mountains of the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the sun-drenched beaches of the Indian Ocean.
Contact our tour operator to plan addition visits to these unprecedentedly beautiful parts of South Africa…
“On this retreat I experienced something deeply transcendent and joyfully real, which happened through a sacred coming together of people, music and place, in an atmosphere of respect, vulnerability and discovery.”
“The combination of mindfullness/silence with music-in-community reflected the life-giving rhythm of nature”
“Thank you to Hilary Kromberg and John Roff for guiding us with such gentleness, insight and sensitivity.”
“What a joy to enfold peace and harmony with music and solitude. It is well with my soul.”