A five-day training workshop-retreat exploring the world-changing arts and soft skills of facilitation and holding supportive space for educational and empowerment programmes.
Overview
Program type: Residential training workshop-retreat
Topic: The Arts of Facilitation and Holding Space
Dates: 16-21 October 2026
Facilitators: Robyn Hewson, Mark Moore, et al.
Language: English
Building a Better World? Yes, this programme qualifies as a module within the Building a Better World course and earns credit toward the completion of that course.
Introduction
One of Dharmalaya Institute’s most-recognized strengths is its approach to holding supportive space for learning, empowerment, and personal transformation.
This programme is designed to share Dharmalaya’s ‘secret sauce’ with caring people who want to support the education and empowerment of changemakers and the healing of our communities.
Participation in this workshop-retreat is a first step in the training for holding or assisting events at Dharmalaya Institute, and is also useful for people involved with such events anywhere in the world.
““The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention.””
Key features of the retreat:
The arts of holding space:
The qualities of a spaceholder
Embodying these qualities
Coming into presence and awareness
Intro to facilitation: what, how and why, and the key fine points
Meeting people where they are
Working with challenging dynamics
Program delivery:
Creating a program container
Setting up the physical space
Establishing a conducive cultural container through lived examples and behaviours (e.g. service, self-regulation, energy and joy, clarity, spaciousness, etc.)
The spirit of service:
Joyfulness in giving, observation and awareness
Anticipation of what is needed
Identifying the dynamics and energy we are working with and responding to them skillfully
Empowering others to be of service through collaboration, training, and delegation
Enduring endeavours of purpose:
Crafting containers to catalyze life-changing and world-changing experiences
The arts of building harmonious community
The fundamental importance of cultivating an intentional culture, and the arts of enculturation
Wise, compassionate, and appropriately humble leadership
Effective compassionate communication
Successful conflict resolution
Harmony in diversity
“Good leadership means not limiting yourself due to lack of personal knowledge, skills, or resources, but being open to tapping into the well of collective knowledge and other resources around you, for the benefit of society.”
— Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
“Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them.”
— Paul Hawken
What kind of experience to expect
Balanced programme: A combination of instruction, group discussions, and quiet time for reflection and journalling.
Natural simplicity: Rustic accommodations in natural earthen buildings in a beautiful forest setting.
Healthy food: Natural and mostly organic, purely vegetarian meals (100% plant-based, vegan).
Digital detox: There will be no use of mobile phones or internet during the retreat.
Yogic lifestyle: Clean and simple ashram-style lifestyle in which everyone contributes to the group experience by helping with washing dishes, etc.
Dates & times
Start and end dates and times
The programme will begin at 2:00pm on the first day. All participants should plan to arrive between 9:00am and 1:15pm .
As this is a traditional ‘closed’ retreat, all participants will stay on Dharmalaya Institute’s campus for the entire duration of the retreat.
The programme will conclude at 4:00pm on the last day.
Daily schedule: What will the flow of the days be like?
Although the day-to-day schedule may vary a bit, the schedule for a typical day during this program would more or less as follows:
6:30 Wake
7:00 Morning movement and practice session
8:00 BREAKFAST
9:00 Morning session
12:30 LUNCH
2:00 Afternoon session
5:00 Personal time
6:00 DINNER
7:00 Evening session
8:00 Quiet time for reading and meditation
10:00 Lights out
About your facilitators
The main in-person facilitator for this retreat will be Robyin Hewson. There will also be online sessions with Dharmalaya Institute’s cofounder, Mark Moore (see below for bios). Other skilled facilitators from the Dharmalaya community may also contribute (TBD).
Cost
Recognizing that our participants come from diverse backgrounds, we are providing a sliding scale with three tiers, to make it possible for everyone to donate according to their means. Total fees for the retreat (including shared accommodation, three meals daily, and tea) are as follows:
Standard rate
(For most participants)
Rs 11,250*
For transparency: This standard rate is essentially a break-even rate, just enough to cover the Institute’s total average monthly costs in providing this service-learning opportunity.
Subsidized rate
(For low-income participants who can’t afford the standard rate)
Rs 7,500*
For transparency: This subsidized rate is approximately 33% below our break-even rate, which means it is not enough to cover the Institute’s costs in providing the programme, though that shortfall might be covered by participants who choose to pay the ‘Supporter rate’ to the right.
Supporter rate
(For those who can afford to help subsidize lower-income participants)
Rs 15,000*
For transparency: This supporter rate is approximately 33% above the break-even rate, and 100% of that surplus will be used to support lower-income applicants to participate at the subsidized rate. We thank you sincerely for your generosity in choosing this rate if you can.
*Notes about fees:
Accommodation: Rates above are for shared accommodation. A very limited number of private rooms are available at extra cost. Please contact us for details.
Practicum opportunity: A tuition fee discount of Rs 500/day is available for up to two qualifying participants (with sufficient training) who make a firm commitment to stay on at Dharmalaya from the 23rd-30th of October to assist during a retreat that will take place during that time, which will provide an opportunity to put this training into practice. For those selected for this opportunity, the standard rate would be Rs 7500; the subsidized rate would be Rs 5000; and the supporter rate would be Rs 10,000.
Work-study scholarship option: We do not want cost to be a barrier to anyone’s participation, so if you have exceptional financial hardship and cannot afford even the lowest subsidized rate, you can contact us to let us know about your situation and your needs and we’ll be happy to discuss options for work-study scholarships (subject to limited availability and requiring long-term commitment).
Application & payment
Participation in this programme is by application and subject to acceptance.
STEP 1 — APPLY: Click the button below to complete and submit the application form here on our website and then wait for our reply. We may email you to ask follow-up questions if necessary.
STEP 2 — ACCEPTANCE: If you are accepted for the retreat, then at that time we will send you an acceptance letter by email, which will include more detailed information about the programme and how to prepare.
STEP 3 — DEPOSIT: You will then have one week from the date of acceptance to make your nonrefundable payment to hold your place in the programme. Once we have received your payment, your registration for the programme will be complete.
We look forward to connecting with you!