Living with Illness and Loss (online)

Living with Illness & Loss is a two-day online meditation retreat in the Insight Meditation tradition, held on Zoom and hosted by Gaia House in West Ogwell, Devon, England. It is led by Zohar Lavie and Nathan Glyde, assisted by Tilly Khalef, and is meant for people for whom illness, loss, or vulnerability is a live part of life right now. All levels of meditation experience are welcome.

The retreat draws on ancient Buddhist teachings, using wisdom and compassion practices to help participants hold their hearts tenderly, ground their being, and open their view. The hope is that each person can meet illness, loss, and vulnerability with courage and wisdom.

What to Expect

Each day runs from 09:00 to 18:00 GMT, with a steady rhythm of teaching, sitting, and movement. The first morning opens with an opening session and meditation instructions. The second day begins with meditation instructions straight away and ends with a closing session.

Between these, the days alternate between stillness practice (sitting, standing, or reclining) and practice in movement, such as walking meditation or an alternative. Each day includes a Dharma talk before lunch and a guided meditation after the midday break, which runs from 13:00 to 15:00. Late afternoon holds a creative exercise, where writing and drawing help participants touch into our shared human condition in a personal way. The final hour of each day, from 18:00, is left open for rest or further practice.

Come to as much as you can. The opening and closing, meditation instructions, talks, and creative sessions are the parts to prioritise. Recordings of each session are posted to the event noticeboard soon afterwards, so missed content can be caught up on.

About the Teachers

Zohar Lavie has practised meditation in different traditions since 1995. Her path has moved from the cushion into other ways of expressing truth and love, and in 2004 she co-founded SanghaSeva. She now spends most of her time facilitating retreats that offer service as a spiritual path, and has taught silent retreats and Dharma gatherings in India, Europe, and Israel since 2006.

Nathan Glyde has practised and studied meditation since 1997 and has shared teachings on retreats since 2007. He co-founded SanghaSeva in 2004, whose retreats emphasise wisdom and compassion in ecological and humanitarian service. He is an Insight Meditation teacher recognised by Gaia House, and with Zohar he writes and runs DependentOrigination.org, an accessible exploration of the Buddha's teaching on dependent origination.

Tilly Khalef assists the retreat. She has practised mindfulness meditation since 2008 and meditation in the Insight tradition since 2014. Living with long-term illness herself, she finds steady support in the Buddha's teachings, and her offerings are rooted in that lived experience. She graduated as a CDL in 2025 and cares about making the Dharma accessible to every body and every mind. The Gaia House Teacher Council invited her to assist because of the skills she brings to this context.

Before You Go

Please sign up only if the theme is relevant to you at the moment, so the time is as helpful as possible for everyone present. Gaia House also asks participants to be in a relatively stable period of psychological well-being. If you have recently experienced significant trauma or psychiatric illness, or are in acute emotional distress, an online setting may not offer the individual care you need, and it is worth reading the well-being guidelines before booking and speaking with any mental health professional you see.

The retreat is in English and uses Zoom, so you will need a suitable device and a connection. Accommodation and meals are not part of an online offering, so plan your own lunch and shop beforehand if you can. It helps to set up a quiet, welcoming space, tell the people you live with what you are doing, arrive on time, and avoid multitasking during sessions.

None of the registration fee goes to the teachers, who rely on dana, the practice of generosity. An optional offering to Zohar and Nathan can be made at the end of the retreat.