Date
- 26 Sep 2026
Time
- 10:00 am - 3:30 pm
Location
- Jamyang London Buddhist Centre
- The Old Courthouse, 43 Renfrew Road, London SE11 4NA, UK
In our hectic lives, we often neglect the most important relationship we have: our relationship with ourselves.
Most of us would never speak to a friend the way we speak to ourselves. We criticise, compare, replay mistakes, and struggle to forgive. This can be so ingrained that it becomes a kind of background noise we stop noticing.
Drawing on insights from Buddhist psychology and modern wellbeing research, we’ll explore what’s really driving the inner critic: self-cherishing turned against itself, guilt, comparison, perfectionism, and other deeply ingrained patterns that make it so hard to simply be kind to ourselves. We’ll look honestly at the barriers, like why self-compassion can feel wrong, undeserved, or frankly impossible, and how we work with them directly.
Buddhism and psychology both point to the same thing: that underneath all of it, there is something in us that is genuinely worthy of love and kindness. Learning to see that, and meet ourselves there, can change everything.
Expect guided meditation, teaching, and time for personal reflection, as we explore this together.
We hope you’ll be able to join us, online or in person, for this retreat day focused on self-kindness and making peace with ourselves.
These Buddhist meditation day retreats, which can be attended online or in-person, offer the opportunity to discover what meditation and Buddhist mind training can do for mental well-being and to meet and share with like-minded people.
The sessions are perfect for both beginners and those with more experience. We hope to provide you with the foundation for developing your own practice, and help you develop tools that reduce stress, anxiety and worry; and nurture a happier, calmer, and more positive approach to life.
There are limited in-person places available for this day retreat. We will also be live-streaming and recording the teachings on Zoom. Please book in advance by using the options below.
We embrace a sliding scale policy for their event fees, guided by the Buddhist principle of generosity and inclusivity. There are suggested donations to help cover event costs and support our ongoing activities, for the benefit of all. However, we firmly believe that financial constraints should never be a barrier to participation. If the suggested amount is beyond your means, please contribute what you can — every offering helps us sustain and continue providing our events and courses for the collective good.
By booking with us, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions, which can be viewed here.
David is a Buddhist contemplative, author, meditation guide and retreat leader. He is the Co-Founder of Samadhi, an organisation based in the UK and a member of the UK’s Network of Buddhist Organisations. He teaches workshops internationally and online and leads retreats across the UK. Through his clear and practical teaching style and warm and humorous approach, David inspires people to take back control of their thoughts and feelings and discover genuine wellbeing within.
Samadhi is an inclusive organisation and we welcome people of all ages, genders (including gender identity), sexual orientation, abilities, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origin), religion or belief.
As an LGBTQ-led Buddhist organisation, we strongly believe that no one should be discriminated against for any reason at all and subscribe to the ideals of non-harm and loving-kindness. You’re welcome no matter who you are and you’re free to express yourself authentically.