The Barn Retreat Centre

I had a wonderful experience at The Barn. From the moment I arrived, the co-ordinators were warm and helpful, which put me at ease and made my whole experience a positive one from the get go.

They held and ran the experience of the retreat with much love, clarity and integrity: whether that was in communicating the tasks, or the timetable for each day; doing the early morning Chi Gong practice; cooking and eating mindfully together; or carefully holding the space in the dharma hall, giving their own insights and honest reflections in the feedback sessions.

The Barn itself is in such a beautiful location, that it would be very hard not to be touched by all that surrounds you there. It was lovely having my own room to have a space to retreat to, if I wanted some quiet time during the periods of talking. However, I also very much enjoyed the sense of shared community and conversations about the Dharma which arose during the periods when we could speak, as well as during the silent times. There was a feeling of intimacy and connection with the other people on retreat, also reflected in the sitting circle, which I’ve not experienced before.

The teachings given by Colette Power were also fabulous. She had a way of presenting difficult concepts with easily accessible metaphors, engaging stories and much humour. Consequently, there was a lot of joy and laughter during this retreat.

Thanks also to the resident cat Sirius, who brought a lot of comfort to myself, but also to others, particularly during my more challenging moments.

You can really feel the wonderful energy at The Barn, born from all those teachers, co-ordinators and people coming to meditate over the years. The views and rawness of the weather conditions, being up so high, also contributed to a sense of aliveness and vitality that was unforgettable. I’ll definitely be back!

I attended The Barn for a 5 day retreat on metta (loving kindness) with Ethan Pollock.

I’ve been practicing mindfulness and Buddhism for a few years now and I found the teaching at this retreat incredible. I learnt so much in such a short time and found the experience extremely powerful and profound.

The coordinators, Nic and Viren, were wonderful. All three set such a great example to follow with the practice and how to relate to one another whilst on retreat.

The grounds were wonderful and peaceful with lots of places to sit quietly or walk around. An incredible view of the river Dart which I routinely enjoyed multiple times a day when I wanted to just be.

The place itself, despite its name, was very lovely and well equipped with a well stocked library a kitchen, comfortable separate rooms and plenty of bathrooms a short walk from the rooms.

The retreat was very intimate due to the low number of retreatants which made the experience very special and provided many informal access to the teacher in conversation over meals and in passing around the Barn.

The schedule was a great balance of allowing us to give back to the Barn for our stay, with some easy chores, practice and free time to practice as we wished.

We were not pressured into practicing in a particular way and I felt I could relax and practice in a way I felt would be most beneficial to me. However, we also had plenty of guidance to follow as well if we felt we needed it.

Overall, it was a fantastic retreat and truly important and rich experience. I shall be returning.🥰🥰🥰

I attended the Eco Gardening Mindfulness Retreat at The Barn, Sharpham. The retreat totally exceeded my expectations. The facilitators were supportive, knowledgeable and authentic. We truly experienced living and practising in community and in nature. The Barn is secluded, tucked away in the most beautiful countryside and the walks around the Sharpham Estate were breathtaking. Im so grateful for a truly wonderful experience and I hope to return again. 🙏