Learn to meditate with a beginner's mind and discover faith and community

Don’t Settle for Less

3 - 8 February 2026 | Bonnevaux Centre for Peace, France

The easiest time to learn to meditate is in early childhood. But the right time to learn is always now. In each of the retreats in this series, we ask you to bring a childlike, open mind and heart and to be ready to be surprised at discovering what wonder simplicity can reveal. The sessions include basic teaching on what meditation is and will explore common misperceptions about it. The series builds a universal insight into meditation while also reconnecting with the Christian contemplative tradition through the community that meditation creates. Together we explore a first-hand experience of Christ wherever truth and wisdom are found. In the following aspects we will learn why faith is not the same as belief:

Practical advice on posture and timing
Developing and sustaining a daily practice
Discovering how meditation creates community
The liberating difference between mere technique and spiritual discipline

Each retreat balances teaching, regular meditation together, time in quiet, and the opportunity for personal meetings. Each retreat is linked to the others but can be usefully followed by itself.

This retreat offers a unique opportunity to meditate together and go to a deeper and simpler place – together in solitude into the ‘great silence’ in the beautiful and serene settings of the French countryside.

Reviews

"The place, the people, the rhythm, everything is part of it. The conferences with Father Laurence were also very enriching. He really is a very special and enlightened person and helps us a lot and these conferences with him, it looks like a conversation. They are very beautiful and enriching.

Susan

Deep Silent Retreat 2024

Learning to Meditate | 3 - 8 February 2026

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About the Speaker

Fr Laurence is a Benedictine monk of the Congregation of Monte Oliveto. He is Director of Bonnevaux and of The World Community for Christian Meditation.

Highlights:

Skill level:

"Meditation breaks down defensiveness, encourages generosity and helps us become more open to seeing all creation forming one extended household or estate on our planet."

Kerry James from Australia

Accommodation:

Single room with ensuite bathroom

950€ (per person)

Single room with shared bathroom

800€ (per person)

Shared twin room with ensuite bathroom

600€ (per person)

The Venue: Bonnevaux Centre for Peace, France

Bonnevaux (Bonne Vallée , or Good Valley) is set within a beautiful valley formed by the river Rhune (la Rhûne) which descends past the Chapel and the 12th-century Abbaye, emptying into the lake beyond. The beauty and peace of Bonnevaux´s 65 hectares (160 acres) reflects the contemplative life lived here from its foundation as a Benedictine monastery in 1119 until the French Revolution. The community is continuing this policy as a living witness to the link between ecology and the human spirit. The land has over 20 different plant habitats, some of which are of heritage value.

How to Get There

Bonnevaux is located near Poitiers, in the southwest of France. The closest airport and train station is in Poitiers. You can get a taxi from there to Bonnevaux which is about a 20 minute drive away.