Event: 2-Day Retreat: Sounds and Silence: Music and Mindfulness.
Facilitator: Susanne Olbrich.
Venue: Skye Room, Gillis Centre, 100 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh, EH9 1BB.
Dates: Saturday 30 April - Sunday 1 May 2016.
Time: Registration: 9.30am-10am. Retreat Days: 10am-5pm.
Event Description: This weekend combines the ‘miracle of mindfulness’ (Thich Nhat Hanh) with the magic of music: we will meditate, play, reflect, create and explore. We will take time to really listen: to the sounds around us, the sounds within us and the soundscapes we produce together. We will also spend some time in silence together, allowing ourselves to be replenished and renewed. And we will take time to explore intuitive music, the music of this very moment.
Mindfulness is being here now, with kindness and open-hearted curiosity. It has the capacity to heal and transform. Intuitive music-making and mindfulness practice can mutually enhance and support each other. Mindful breathing, sitting and walking meditation open doors to our inherent creativity.
You are invited to explore music and sound with an attitude of curiosity, playfulness and deep listening. Gentle movement exercises, sound walks and other listening practices help opening up our senses. Guided improvisations encourage confidence and a spirit of adventure, offering a safe space for experimentation. Weather permitting, we will spend time in the beautiful grounds of Gillis Centre for walking meditation and spontaneous creation.
This non-residential retreat is a gathering of players of all instruments including singers. It is suitable for those new to mindfulness practice and experienced practitioners alike. No previous experience in music improvisation necessary.
Susanne Olbrich has been engaged in mindfulness practice for 20 years. A lay member of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing, she also studied Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) with Bangor University.
Susanne’s work as a pianist and composer embraces classical, jazz, folk and world music as well as a love for experiment. She has been offering creative music workshops in Scotland and Germany, collaborating with music schools, the NHS, adult education providers and community groups. In 2012 she co-founded the Mindful Artists Network.
www.susanneolbrich.net
Cost: £100/£80 (Concessions).
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.