Retreats at Home FAQs
Q: Who are Rupert’s Online Weekend Retreats at Home for?
Rupert’s online retreats are for anyone drawn to exploring the nature of reality, the non-dual understanding, or to uncovering the peace and happiness that form the essence of their being.
Whether you are new to this perspective or have been engaging with it for years, these retreats provide a welcoming space to deepen your understanding. They are ideal for those seeking peace, truth, love, freedom, or connection, as well as for individuals looking to be part of a community of like-minded people.
Rupert’s weekend online retreats offer a unique opportunity for those unable to attend in-person retreats due to time, financial, or logistical constraints. Participants can join from the comfort of their own homes, making these retreats perfect for those new to Rupert’s work who wish to immerse themselves in this understanding over a weekend, or for those who simply want to dedicate time to reconnect with the peace of their being.
Q: What if we’d love to join an Online Weekend retreat, but the ticket is unaffordable?
Our commitment is to make Rupert’s online events accessible to everyone, regardless of financial circumstances.
While online weekend retreats are designed to provide a more affordable alternative to in-person retreats, we also recognise that the regular ticket price may still be beyond your means. For information on supported tickets, please visit the web page for the event you would like to attend.
Q: I will miss sessions because of various other commitments. Can I still attend?
Yes.
We understand that it can be difficult to completely clear your schedule for an entire weekend. We also recognise that participants may reside in time zones that can make it challenging to attend all sessions live.
For those reasons, we make recordings of each session available to participants shortly after it concludes, typically within a few hours. These recordings allow attendees to catch up or revisit the content, and they will remain accessible for 30 days after the retreat ends.
Q: What are the benefits of joining a weekend online retreat?
Rupert’s online retreats offer a unique opportunity to create a deeply personal and meaningful retreat experience. Whether you prefer a quiet, peaceful time at home – taking reflective walks during breaks or reading your favourite book – or you wish to share the experience with friends, these online weekend retreats are highly flexible.
Some participants choose to invite friends to join them at home, or they might even rent a house or Airbnb together in a beautiful location, creating their own mini-retreat – enjoying walks in nature, meaningful conversations, shared meals, and a celebration of shared being.
While Rupert’s in-person retreats emphasise the expression of oneness through human connection, it brings us great joy to see groups of friends on Zoom coming together to celebrate this understanding.
At the end of each session, we open breakout rooms on Zoom, offering a lovely opportunity to meet and connect with other attendees in an informal way, much like at an in-person retreat. These breakout room meetings are entirely optional, but many participants have found them to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the retreat, forming deep friendships and meaningful connections.
Q: Do I need any prior understanding or experience with meditation to join?
No prior experience or understanding is required – the retreats are open to all. Through guided meditations, dialogues, and the supportive retreat environment, you will be gently pointed to the recognition that peace and happiness are your true nature and that we share our being with everyone.
However, for those new to Rupert’s work and who wish to explore this understanding further before joining a retreat, we recommend the following resources:
- Introduction to Non-Duality
- An Introduction to Non-Duality Volume I & II
- You Are the Happiness You Seek
- Being Aware of Being Aware
Q: How many meditation sessions are there per day?
Most days of a typical retreat schedule include hour-long meditation sessions, two or three times per day.
Q: Why are there not more meditation sessions during Rupert’s retreats?
In the non-dual understanding, true meditation is not an activity we do; it is the recognition of what we truly are. The guided sessions provide time to contemplate, enquire into our true nature, or simply rest as being – the essence of meditation.
The retreats are designed to encourage abiding in being, not just during formal sessions, but throughout all aspects of daily life. Online retreats, in particular, offer a unique opportunity to live this understanding and integrate it into the simplicity and challenges of everyday activities.
Q: Rupert often speaks about God or religious traditions. Are the retreats connected to any particular spiritual or religious tradition?
The retreats are not tied to any specific spiritual or religious tradition, and we warmly welcome individuals from all backgrounds. While Rupert may occasionally draw on the wisdom of traditions such as Mystical Christianity, Taoism, Zen Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta, and Sufism, this is done to highlight the universal truths they share rather than to promote any particular path.
At the heart of Rupert’s teachings is a distillation of the core message found in all great religious and spiritual traditions: happiness is the essence of our being, and our being is shared with everyone and everything.