Living Tantra 1

Living Tantra 1 is a week-long tantra retreat led by Ed and Bethan at EarthSpirit Centre in Compton Dundon, Somerset, England. It is the first in the Living Tantra series and is held in the Main Centre, the larger of the two retreat buildings on the site. It suits people who want to study tantra in a residential setting, away from the pace of ordinary life, with teachers who work together as a pair.

What to Expect

The organizer describes the event simply as Living Tantra, and no daily schedule or session times are published. What can be said is the shape of it: a full week in residence, from the start of one weekend to the middle of the next, with the same group of people and the same two teachers throughout. A tantra retreat of this length gives time for the work to unfold gradually rather than being squeezed into a single weekend. Ed and Bethan each keep their own teaching pages, which are the best place to get a sense of their approach before you decide.

Your Teachers, Ed and Bethan

Ed and Bethan teach Living Tantra together, and each has an independent teaching practice with a website of their own. The material does not give their training, lineage or backgrounds, so those are best explored through their own pages. What is clear is that this is a partnership: two people leading one retreat, rather than a single guest teacher.

The Setting

EarthSpirit Centre sits in Compton Dundon, in the Somerset Levels, an area of open, low-lying countryside close to Glastonbury. The Centre has a Main Centre and a smaller, self-contained eco building called Little Earth, and the Main Centre hosts this retreat. The Centre offers on-site accommodation and catering, and it publishes pages on its facilities, surroundings and accessibility for anyone with particular needs. Castle Cary is the nearest railway station, which is useful to know if you plan to arrive by train.

Before You Go

The material does not state any prerequisites or experience level, so it is worth reading the teachers' own pages or contacting them if you are unsure whether this first Living Tantra week is right for you. Because the retreat runs for several days and is residential, plan for a full week away. The Centre's own pages cover rooms, meals and getting there, and they are the place to check practical arrangements, including dietary needs and accessibility, before you travel.