Quiet Strength: Reconnecting with What Sustains You
A weekend retreat with Suzie Brown and Megan Layton
Friday 6 November – Sunday 8 November
A mindfulness meditation retreat focused on our relationship with nature.
When the world feels overwhelming, the most powerful thing we can do is return to the soil, the trees, and the sky. This retreat is an invitation to step out of climate anxiety and step back into the living web of life.
This isn’t about solving the world’s problems in a weekend. It’s about reconnecting with what sustains you—your breath, your body, the earth beneath your feet, and the quiet strength that lives within you.
Whether you’re simply someone who loves the natural world, an activist, a parent, a teacher, or concerned citizen, this retreat offers a gentle but transformative space to rest, reflect, and return home reinspired.
Held in our peaceful meditation centre and garden, this meditation retreat is designed to soothe your nervous system. Together, we will remember that we do not just live on the Earth—we are part of it, and we belong. You will leave feeling deeply nourished, spiritually restored, and quietly reinspired.
Here, you’ll have the space to:
- Unplug and unwind in a supportive, compassionate environment.
- Reawaken your relationship with the Earth through mindful walks, meditations, and practices that honor the living world.
- Release the burden of overwhelm and rediscover a sense of hope, purpose, and inspiration.
- Explore EcoDharma (wisdom teachings from Buddhist practice) — the wisdom of aligning ecological awareness with spiritual practice—so you can care for the planet and yourself with renewed energy and clarity.
Is This Retreat for You?
This retreat is open to new and experienced meditators from any tradition. No prior meditation experience is needed.
It’s for you, if you:
- Feel exhausted or discouraged by the constant influx of heavy environmental news
- Want to slow down and practice mindfulness in a natural setting
- Seek a deeper relationship with the environment and human community, or you want to rekindle or heal these relationships
- You would benefit from time spent with a like-minded community of those who care just like you do
RETREAT VENUE
The Gathering Place is a small retreat centre and garden oasis in the heart of inner north Canberra.
It features 12 simple, comfortable bedrooms, retreat facilities, and a large, beautiful garden. The centre is also close to the Dickson wetlands and the bushwalking areas of Mt Ainslie and Mt Majura.
You can choose between residential or non-residential options—participate fully in the retreat and either stay overnight or go home each evening.
Located in Dickson, Canberra, The Gathering Place is a former convent and a peaceful venue with two beautiful meditation rooms and comfortable, simple accommodation.
Each bedroom includes a single bed, cupboard, desk, chair, lamp, mirror, and sink. All beds are equipped with electric blankets, doonas, pillows, and two spare blankets. Bathrooms and toilets are shared and unisex.
Learn more about The Gathering Place here.
What to Expect
Silent meditation
Quiet the mind, attend to needs and open to connection and deeper understanding
Outdoor contemplation
Spend time interacting deeply with living nature.
Heart-centred
Space to hold ecological grief and experiences in a caring, supportive community
Restorative practices
Gentle yoga and movement.
Mindful bushwalking
Group silent walking in nearby bushland
retreat Program
Arrive between 3:45pm and 4:45pm Friday 6 November, for the 5pm welcome. This will be followed by dinner at 6pm.
After dinner on Friday evening, Suzie will give a dharma talk; read about the topic of the talk here.
We will finish at 3:30pm on Sunday 8 November.
Each day will include:
- Silent and guided meditation
- Yoga and mindful movement
- Walking meditation, including bushwalks
- Teacher talks
- Structured reflective interactive exercises
- Meal & rest breaks
Meet your teachers
Suzie Brown is an Insight Dharma teacher who brings her life experiences as an environmental advocate, parent and community organiser to offer the Buddha Dharma teachings in a contemporary way relevant to the challenges we face.
Suzie completed Dharma Teacher Training in Australia with the Insight Meditation Institute and also with US Insight teacher, James Baraz (co-founder of Spirit Rock). She also previously trained as a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher and taught community mindfulness programs for many years.
Suzie co-founded Melbourne Insight Meditation (MIM) in 2009 where she led sitting groups for over a decade. She now also teaches with Sydney Insight Meditators and offers retreats around Australia and online. Suzie has been a mentor in Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach’s Mindfulness Mentor Teacher Training Program (MMTCP) — she now teaches in their online meditation platform, Banyan.
Suzie has also worked as a climate and environmental activist for two decades, founding the group, Parents for Climate. She regularly teaches Eco-Dharma and mindful approaches to dealing with climate anxiety and grief.
Megan Layton has been exploring questions of healing, freedom and how to live well since childhood. Her work asks how we can meet ourselves, each other and the world with more kindness, wisdom and joy, rather than adding to suffering and stress. She has approached this through psychology, sociology, science, neuroscience, activism, creative arts, spirituality and meditation.
Megan has meditated for decades, first encountering the Dharma through MBSR and a 7-day Insight meditation retreat in the mid 2000s, which felt immediately like home and continues to shape her life and practice. She is director of Simply Mindful and The Gathering Place, and has worked in mental health for thirty years.
She works as a Mental Health Social Worker, MBSR, yoga, meditation, self-compassion and Positive Neuroplasticity teacher. Her teaching brings together traditional wisdom and contemporary mental health insights in service of individual and collective wellbeing.
Retreat fees
Base costs cover food and venue fees and some administration only.
At the end of the retreat you will be invited to give Dana to the teachers. Read more about the philosophy and practice of Dana below.
Residential fee: $495 + Dana
Non-residential fee: $295 + Dana
Friday night talk only: (open to anyone): $15 + Dana
Additional Cost: Dana
In keeping with a 2,500 year old tradition no fee is charged for the teachings. The cost does not include any payment to the teachers.
At the end of the retreat you are invited to give a dana to express your appreciation and to support the teachers to continue their work. The teachings can be seen as a gift and dana can be seen as a reciprocal gift.
Attend as our retreat cook
We’re looking for a cook to help nourish our community during the Quiet Strength weekend retreat.
You’ll receive free retreat attendance and accommodation, plenty of support, and a small stipend. You don’t need previous retreat cooking experience, and you won’t need to do the shopping unless you’d like to.
If you enjoy cooking and would like to support the retreat in this way, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us.
reserve your spot at the WEEKEND retreat
If you have questions about the retreat, please contact us before registering.