Phendeling Retreat Center 2023 Activities

Our retreat place Phendeling is located in the beautiful nature of southern Bohemia in the Czech Republic. We can enjoy the luxury of a gönpa with a painted Vajra Dance mandala and a dark retreat cabin. It is perfect for retreats organized by the community and for practicing together or personal retreats. The Czech community organized various activities there in 2023:

In February we enjoyed a deepening retreat of pranayamas of the 3rd and 4th group with Honza Dolenský. And as every year we also followed the webcast of the Mandarava retreat from Dzamling Gar and a few people attended a very nice workshop of making Namkhas organised by Pavel Rusinko.

In March we had a deepening course of the Vajra Dance of the Three Vajras with Adriana Dal Borgo, which was followed by a Khaita Educational Program. So, we had the honor to host a group of Khaita school dancers aspiring to become instructors under the guidance of Adriana.

The beginning of May was devoted to deepening and practicing together the Vajra Dance that Benefits Beings with Milan Polášek. At the end of May we invited Vajra Dance and Yantra Yoga instructor Mónika Lakatos from Hungary and enjoyed a weekend connected with dance, yoga and practicing together the Avalokitésvara Khorwa Kongthrug. It was also a very nice meeting of members of the Czech, Hungarian and Slovak sangha.

In May we were also very thankful that we could follow the webcast teaching of Yeshi Namkhai for those who couldn´t travel to Merigar.

In June we enjoyed the explanation and practice retreat of Chöd with Steven Landsberg, who also arrived with his sitar and one evening we had a beautiful live concert when Steven also shared his story of how he met his sitar teacher and learned to play this interesting instrument.

Chöd retreat with Steven Landsberg, 21st-25th June 2023

Every year the beginning of summer is open for Yantra Yoga holidays with Fijalka and Jeff Sable. It has already been several years since this activity started and a very nice group of mostly families with children can enjoy various activities. Thanks to our vajra sister Bára Brosková and her helpers, who take care of children, parents can practice Yantra Yoga and Harmonious Breathing. Children also practice Kumar Kumari yoga every day. The program is enriched with various outdoor activities in the forest and nearby lake etc.

At the end of July Zoli Cser visited our place and he held a retreat devoted mostly to explanation and practice of Phowa, and of course the retreat also included morning practice of Yantra Yoga, in the evening Vajra Dance and Chöd at the end of the day.

In August there was a very joyful Khaita weekend with Petra Zezulková and also the experiential “Silent retreat” with Lukáš Chmelík – 9 days of intensive sitting practice on the absence of self-nature in the person and in phenomena with explanations, all combined with movement practices (walking, Yantra Yoga, Dance of the Vajra and Khaita).

Khaita Joyful Dances with Petra Zezulková, 18th – 20th August 2023

“The Silent retreat” with Lukáš Chmelík, 25th August – 3rd September 2023

In September again there was a Yantra Yoga weekend with Honza Dolenský, this time focused on variations of the 1st series and the 4th group of yantras.

Yantra Yoga with Honza Dolenský, 14th – 17th September

In November, besides the very joyful Annual community assembly, we did the Mandarava practice together and also had the opportunity to enjoy and deepen our practice of almost all of the Vajra Dances with Milan Polášek.

Annual assembly meeting of members, 4th November

Vajra Dance retreat with Milan Polášek, 25th – 26th November

The end of the calendar year will be connected with the practice on Green Tara. The retreat will be led by Lukáš Chmelík. It was a very good year, and we are slowly preparing for the next one. Some activities will be repeated and deepened, some will be new. In between the courses and during the courses we also enjoy Karma Yoga practice as we need to be responsible for keeping the retreat place in good shape.