Speaking Peace: Deepening Connection

Radically transform your Life with this three-day Residential Mindful Communication Retreat In Udaipur, India

Date : 11-14 January, 2025

Imagine a life where your relationships are stronger, your connections are deeper, and your interactions are filled with empathy and understanding. This is the power of mindful communication—a practice that allows you to engage with others in a way that is both compassionate and transformative.

Mindful Communication applies mindfulness skills to the area of communication. We will be learning, living and practicing together the elements of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Nonviolent Communication (NVC) , to help us enhance our ability to stay present and listen to the people around us, even when there’s conflict.

When:	11 January, 2025 – 14 January, 2025
Where:	Hill Garden Resort, Udaipur (India)
Trainers:	Shantigarbha Warren, (Founder of Seed of Peace) Gesine Schrader, (Co-Director of Seed of Peace)

About this Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Level One Retreat

The retreat integrates approaches and exercises from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Nonviolent Communication (NVC), to help us enhance our ability to stay present and listen to the people around us, even when there’s conflict.

Feel more fully and richly alive – moment by moment.
Think and communicate more clearly and effectively.
Start communicating mindfully in your daily life.
Develop deeper, more satisfying and longer-lasting relationships.
Discover that stress and anxiety are optional.
Free yourself from ‘re-active’ impulses and habit patterns.
Recognise and challenge unhelpful thoughts and beliefs.
Develop safe and positive ways of dealing with chronic mental or physical pain.
Express and receive anger in ways that increase safety.

The Program

Fee

Accommodation

Food

Fee

Accommodation

Food

Provisional Daily Timetable

We will be arriving in the afternoon on Saturday 11 January, starting in the evening, with tea and an evening meal.

Date	Time	Activity
Saturday 11 January (Arrival Day)	16:00	Arrive, settle-in, tea and snacks available
	19:00	Evening meal
	20:00	Getting to know each other – connecting activities
Sunday 12 – Monday 13 January	7:30	Meditation / yoga / sound bath
	9:00	Breakfast
	10:30	Planning the day/ Session One
	11:30	Tea break
	12:00	Session Two
	13:00	Lunch and integration time
	15:00	Empathy Home Groups (Individual cohort)
	16:00	Tea & snacks
	16:30 – 18:30	Session Three
	19:00	Evening meal
	20:00	Open space
Tuesday 14 January (Departure Day)	7:30	Meditation
	9:00	Breakfast
	10:00	Departure

What will you get in this retreat?

Guided instruction in mindfulness meditation practices.
Gentle mindful stretching.
Group dialogue and mindful communication exercises to enhance awareness in everyday life.
Experiential exercises to bring mindfulness to self-connection, empathizing with others and expressing ourselves.
Transforming anger using the Nonviolent Communication Anger process.
Individually tailored instruction.
Guided meditations and handouts.
Challenge, learning, support and fun!

Who is this retreat for?

This retreat is also for you if:

You want to experience and practice slow living for 3 days (not running, not having routine stress).
You want to have a deep connection with yourself.
You are feeling lost, lack of purpose, burnt out, overly exhausted with current life.
You have conflicts with their near and dear ones and feel helpless in those.
You are facing some pain and don’t know how to move beyond it. You are facing trauma, anger management, anxiety, overthinking, etc.
You feel that life is not fair to you.
You are on the spiritual path of finding yourself.

Meet Our Trainers

Shantigarbha Warren

Founder of Seed of Peace, Certified NVC Trainer and Author

Shantigarbha is an international NVC trainer, certified with the Centre for Nonviolent Communication. He has taught on International Intensive Trainings (IITs) and coordinated the New Future Process’s Social Change and Peacemaking working group.

In 1996 he was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order. He was given the name Shantigarbha, which means “seed of peace”, hence the name of our organization. He currently serves on the Triratna International Council, is Secretary of the Triratna Trust (the Order charity), and coordinates the Triratna Restorative Pilot Project.

Shantigarbha has led NVC workshops and retreats in the UK, the Middle East, the US, India and Sri Lanka and offers coaching / counselling for individuals and couples. In 2011 he ran a reconciliation retreat for 100 Israelis and Palestinians near the Dead Sea. He’s author of a book on empathy: I’ll Meet You There and The Burning House: A Buddhist response to the climate and ecological emergency.

He says: “Communication can change the world. I want to connect with people, to create a safe learning environment, to have fun, to mourn and celebrate!”

Gesine is a CNVC-certified trainer and a Montessori-certified teacher, living in Bristol, UK. Since 2015 she has been facilitating NVC events in the UK, India, USA and Germany. Gesine is passionate about her work and how it encourages self development, deepening compassionate connection with self and others, conflict resolution and community building. When she is not working, Gesine enjoys being out in nature whether that is going for walks, wild swims or doing creative projects in the garden

Gesine says: “I really love to be connected with like-minded people – here and globally – and co-create a world where everyone’s needs matter. It’s so enriching and diverse.”

Gesine Schrader

Founder of Seed of Peace, Certified NVC Trainer and Author

Meet Our Host

Kriti Mathur

Chopra-Certified Meditation Coach, Life Coach

Kriti is a certified Meditation Coach and devoted Ayurveda practitioner committed to guiding others on their inward journey. She is skilled in Life Coaching and Nonviolent Communication, focusing on bringing Aikyam (Oneness), Ananda (Joy), and Ahimsa (Compassion) to life. Her approach combines Meditation, Life Coaching, NVC, and Ayurveda to help one cultivate self-awareness, inner peace, and a purposeful life.

Through her offerings in Meditation, Life Coaching, NVC and Ayurveda, she presents a comprehensive approach to help individuals cultivate self awareness, inner peace and a life filled with purpose.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do we have parking at the venue?

Yes. There is parking at the venue. However, we request you inform us in advance so the space can be managed and reserved.

2. What if I need to leave midway?

While we understand the emergency, no amount will be refunded if you leave midway. For more information, we request that you connect with us at [email protected].

3. What was the swimming pool like? Were the hygiene arrangements good and the water completely safe.?

Yes. The hygiene arrangement and water will be completely safe. The Temperature during January varies from a maximum of 25 to a minimum of 8 degrees Celcius.

4. Can you help with flight booking?

The flights need to be booked independently, but you can get a ticket to Udaipur from Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Banglore and many other major cities in India. There are direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai, and Banglore.

5. What is the recommendation for the transfer to the venue?

Our retreat property is connected to the airport, bus station, and railway station. The Maharana Pratap Airport is a 45-60 minute drive (18.4 km). The railway and bus station is a 30-minute drive. You can easily find the property on Google Maps. There are multiple private and paid taxi services available at every property. You can also book an Uber or Ola easily.

6. Where should I go after the retreat?

After the retreat, you have several attractive options:

Rajasthan: This state offers multiple destinations to explore:
- Jaipur: Known as the “Pink City,” famous for its historical palaces and forts.
- Jaisalmer: Home to the Thar Desert, offering unique experiences like camel safaris and desert camping.
Goa: If you prefer beaches and a more relaxed atmosphere, Goa is an excellent alternative to Rajasthan. It’s known for its beautiful coastline, vibrant culture, and Portuguese-influenced architecture.
Udaipur is well-connected to various cities, so you can easily go to any nearby place that you want to visit.

Testimonial

It was truly an experience I cherish. It was a complete delight like some Turkish sweet. We learnt so much about Feelings and processed some of our difficult emotions. It healed me at quite a deeper level and opened a path to follow in future. It is also a safe framework to work on own emotions.

- Ushma Khare, Voluntary Organization - Sanchetana as Program Lead and Emotional Health Trainer