Awakening the Five Freedoms within the Mandala of Space

The two Space Awareness practices created by Chögyam Trungpa offer a compassionate and vivid framework for cultivating the strength, flexibility, and wakefulness needed to live fully in our rapidly changing world. In this retreat, these teachings come alive through the joyful blend of Mudra and Maitri Space Awareness, humorous and heartfelt performance work, and the serene beauty of the French countryside. Together, we will leap into both outer and inner space – discovering the mandala as a living expression of playfulness, color, and embodied wisdom.

This ten-day retreat invites you to explore the dynamic interplay of Mudra Space Awareness and Maitri Space Awareness, two transformative practices that open perception and ground awareness in the immediacy of the present moment.

Upon the spacious ground of Mudra Space Awareness, we cultivate the ability to co-create with space itself – aligning body, voice, and mind through movement, stillness, and improvisation. Mudra awakens the body as an instrument of presence, revealing how awareness and form continually arise together.

From this embodied openness, we then enter the realm of Maitri Space Awareness, encountering the five elemental energies that make up space’s vivid display. Rather than viewing these as psychological patterns, we engage them as expressions of liberated awareness – the Five Freedoms – that emerge when fixation and struggle dissolve.

At Dechen Chöling, participants will have the rare opportunity to practice within the five Maitri rooms, each resonating with a distinct energetic quality of space. These rooms serve as tools for direct experience, allowing us to sense and work with these elemental fields beyond interpretation or preference – as invitations to freedom, balance, and compassionate clarity.

Through meditation, improvisation, group exercises, solitary Maitri sessions, open space, and periods of reflection, we will integrate these complementary practices into a mandala of experience – one that mirrors both our individual being and our shared humanity.

Together we will inquire:What does it mean to live freely?What if we could be free from desire, anger, dissatisfaction, unmindful communication, and -ultimately – delusion?

By engaging the Five Freedoms, we begin to loosen habitual patterns and rediscover our natural confidence and humor. Living and practicing as an ensemble, we create the conditions to meet each moment – joyful or challenging – with courage, tenderness, and spacious awareness.

This retreat welcomes all who feel called to explore these practices. Some prior experience with meditation or body-mind disciplines is helpful. The work can be physically and mentally demanding, yet adaptations can be made to meet individual needs.

Participation is limited to 25 people to ensure depth and intimacy of practice.

Discover the full potential of mandala – in a playful, colorful, and mind-opening way.

Practical details

Arrival day: Wednesday March 18. You’re invited to come from 4 pm in order to register and settle in your room. Dinner is served at 6.30 pm. Orientation talk at 8 pm. 

End of program: Saturday March 28. Closing and banquet in the evening.

Departure day: Sunday March 29. You may leave anytime (no program). You are welcome to stay for lunch.

This programme will be taught in English. 

What to bring:

Please bring clothes in which you can easily move and play, and t-shirts or blouses in the five mandala colors. Weather permitting, some exercises may take place outside, making use of Dechen Chöling’s beautiful grounds. Bring waterproof and sturdy shoes or boots, raincoat and a sweater. Knee pads can be useful for floor work. If you have extra room in your bag, scarves, hats or other costume pieces might come in handy. 

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