Kum Nye Retreats
Kum Nye is a body-oriented movement and contemplative practice, developed by Tarthang Tulku, a contemporary Vajrayana teacher at the Nyingma Institute in Berkeley. This practice helps develop multi-level awareness skills that are rooted in embodied experience within a meditative context. It also enables us to experience at subtle and deep levels, the healing potential within the human energy system.
The practice of Kum Nye helps develop stamina and the capacity to enquire into resistance as it is held in a person’s psychophysical structure.
‘In mastering Kum Nye, we learn how to benefit from all manner of experience, we gain confidence that is grounded in self-knowledge and establish a foundation for joy that can sustain us throughout our lives. We learn what it means to be complete in ourselves. We discover what it means to be.’ (Tarthang Tulku, 2006)
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Residential Kum Nye Retreats
Our individual in person Kum Nye Retreats. These are 5 day retreats held at Karuna Dartmoor.
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1 Year Kum Nye Residential Training
This is a 1 year training for people who are either looking to teach Kum Nye, or are looking to further their Kum Nye experience. It is 20 days residentially, in 5 day blocks throughout the year.
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The Brahmaviharas (Online Kum Nye Retreats)
These are single day Kum Nye retreats, held on Saturdays.
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Flow Of Feeling, Inner Sun
We are delighted to announce a transformative four-day residential Kum Nye retreat, Flow of Feeling: Inner Sun, scheduled from July 25th to July 28th, 2025, at Karuna Dartmoor in Devon.
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A Kum Nye Training With Maura Sills (Residential In Italy)
We are linking each of our four five-day Retreats to the Seasons including the Elemental Qualities and how they manifest in our embodied presence, including particular Qualities of Being. Earth Element can open us up to how the body holds fear and the opportunity to transform this and connect with courage.
The Paramita, essential qualities of heart support the enquiry in these Retreats. During this Training we will include practices from Kum Nye and Mindfulness that help us cultivate generosity; discipline; patience; diligence; concentration and wisdom. The Buddha spoke about ten perfections or parami. Later these were described as six perfections within Mahayana Buddhism. Whether ten or six, these qualities were recognized as needing to be cultivated in order to become fully self- awakened.
You need to feel comfortable with silent retreats.This training is a Foundation for those wanting to teach Kum Nye, or to further their experience with Kum Nye.
Date and venue
The Training is made of 4 five-days Retreats in Northern Italy in the lovely surroundings of Maguzzano Abbey on Lake Garda in Via Maguzzano 4, Lonato (BS) from 4 pm of the first day to 12 am of the last day:
– from Wednesday 15th of October to Sunday 19th of October 2025;
– from Wednesday 13th of May to Sunday 17th of May 2026;
– from Wednesday 14th of October to Sunday 18th of October 2026;
– from Wednesday 12th of May to Sunday 16th of May 2027.
The link below will take you to an external website with more information and how to book.
NOTE - you can also just apply to do the single training that takes place in October 2025.
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SINGLE RETREAT IN OCTOBER 2025.
Guidelines for Dana
Dana means “generosity” and “giving” in Pali, the language in which the Buddha’s teachings were originally recorded. The Buddha regularly emphasised in his teaching the value of generosity and sharing what we have with others, as an essential practice of cultivating happiness and wellbeing.
Dana is a foundation principle underlying the running of Retreats, and also at other Insight Meditation centres and Buddhist monasteries, around the world. This follows a two and a half thousand year-old tradition in the transmission of the dharma.
In order to make this opportunity to practice as accessible as possible, Karuna Dartmoor seeks to keep costs to a minimum. The charge you paid to attend this retreat covers only the ongoing costs of running the centre, including: food; heating; electricity; water; administration etc. The teachers serve and support your retreat out of kindness and generosity: they are not paid for the work they do.
As your time here comes to an end, you have the opportunity to support the teachers who have supported your retreat.
The Buddha encouraged dana and generosity, in recognition of our interdependence, and as a wholesome practice which helps release the heart and mind from greed and negativity. In receiving with gratitude, and giving with generosity, we become more fully conscious participants in the interconnected web of life that supports us all.
Take it as a practice: there is no expected “right amount”, so please listen to your heart and give what you are moved to offer, while also respecting your practical circumstances. Your dana ensures the continued transmission of the dharma teachings, and their accessibility to all who wish to receive them.
The Directors and Teachers at Karuna Dartmoor deeply appreciate and thank you for your kindness and generosity.
Thank you.