Dharma of Spring Awakening

Dharma of Spring Awakening is a spiritual retreat led by Lama Rod Owens at EarthSpirit Centre in Compton Dundon, Somerset. It is for people drawn to Buddhist teachings who want to practise with a teacher known for joining spiritual life with questions of freedom, emotion and everyday living. The retreat sits within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, through a teacher authorized in the Kagyu School.

What to Expect

Lama Rod's teaching centres on freedom, self-expression and radical self-care. A thread through his work is the idea that nothing is freed by looking away. In his words: "There's no liberation without actually leaning forward and looking at the things that we habitually run away from, in order to see things as they really are, not as we have imagined them."

He is known for showing people how to turn challenging emotions such as grief and anger into liberation. He calls his healing approach "laying hands," a phrase that honours his southern roots. He explains it as guidance for making the day-to-day choices that free us from the traumas that bind us to self-sabotaging behaviours. Expect a retreat that treats the dharma as something to live with and apply, not only to study.

About Lama Rod Owens

Lama Rod Owens is a Buddhist minister, author, activist, yoga instructor and authorized lama in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. He describes himself as a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. He holds a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School, where his focus was the intersection of social change, identity and spiritual practice.

His stated mission is showing people how to heal and free themselves. He is the author of The New Saints, a book that calls for a spiritual path joining social and spiritual liberation, and that offers ways to build a sustainable practice that serves others and the planet. Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance, describes it as "a bold and powerful offering."

The Place

The retreat takes place at EarthSpirit Centre in Compton Dundon, a village in Somerset, in the south west of England.