Deep Rest Meditation Retreat
with Jaya Ashmore
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Catalonia​
21 - 28 June 2026
About the retreat:
Jaya welcomes new and experienced meditators to this week of connecting with aliveness in silence, nature and deep rest meditation. The teachings on this retreat are offered on donation.
Simple rest facilitates healing and learning. Deep rest helps us to remember what is important in life, and to shift into alignment with our deepest wisdom. The supportive conditions of retreat can help us feel more at home in life, and in ourselves, so that we can listen more deeply to our own experience and guidance. Jaya offers embodied, finely-tuned meditation instructions to help lower the “alarm system” and to connect directly with aliveness beyond ideas. With deep rest, old programming can resolve with less drama than when we force things. And we are more likely to fall into natural spaciousness, joy and insight. These shifts can help us orient, live, learn what is precious in life, and to awaken to what is.
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Set in lush meadowland in the foothills of the Pyrenees, K-shanti Les Gavatxes allows us to be at home in the wild. Padding on soft grass along the paths to the meditation hall, we have the company of forested mountains near and far. During the long lunch break, the river or shaded mountain trails may call. After the evening meditation, we can enjoy unhurried stargazing. The schedule, the friendly yet dignified atmosphere, Jaya’s practical and inspiring guidance--and the surrounding forested hills-- together help retreatants discover and follow their unique paths towards unfolding freedom.
On this retreat, you are welcome to lie down or sit for meditation in the hall—whatever position best supports depth in your meditation. In addition to 45-minute meditations in the hall, the daily schedule also encourages meditation during periods of walking, meals, rest, and collaborating with daily tasks such as cleaning and gardening. Jaya also offers three optional activities: one-to-one meetings, meditative movement and meditative singing.
The silence of retreat--complemented by instructions, teachings, question-and-answer sessions and singing--is not the silence of censorship or of trying to be good. Rather, it is the sweet silence of freedom that allows us all space for our own inner explorations and for the unconditional belonging of aliveness.
Jaya offers her teachings and support on a radical donation basis—following an age-old tradition of offering teachings in trust and allowing participants to feel the joy and challenge of engaging in mutual support. Jaya receives no income from retreat fees, apart from travel costs and her stay during the retreat. Similarly, the retreat manager offers her support--without which this retreat would be impossible--on a donation basis. At the end of the retreat, we will invite you to give conscious donations from the heart for teacher and manager.
Language: The retreat will be held in English. Jaya can understand and speak in Catalan and Spanish for one-to-one meetings, if needed.
About Jaya:
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Jaya Ashmore has taught meditation and awakening to thousands of people in a dozen countries since 1999. She revolutionized silent retreats by introducing deep rest meditation over twenty years ago.
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Born in the U.S., where she studied religion and art at Harvard, Jaya began practicing meditation in 1985, and was authorized to teach in 1998 by Christopher Titmuss. Jaya has immersed in Buddhism, Yoga, Advaita (non-duality), Christianity and Hindu mysticism, as well as ecology, poetry, embodied movement, and the Japanese art of Jin Shin Jyutsu.
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Based in India with her teachers for two decades, Jaya founded the nonprofit Open Dharma in the early 2000s to support awakening for people from any and no religion. She is also grateful to have co-founded Open Dharma in Catalonia and, from 2008-2016, the eco-retreat center Dharmaloca in Catalonia, Spain.
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Also an artist and mother, she published Already Here in 2022, and recently came out with compilation of essays, Just Wondering. Her teachings and art also feature in the Open Dharma anthology Out of Nowhere. All three books are available on jayaashmore.org/books. Find her introductory audio courses on deep rest meditation at www.patreon.com/jayaashmore, and access hundreds of free meditations and talks on both jayaasshmore.org and opendharma.org.
Retreat Practicalities:
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Accommodation
~ Shared room
Indoor accommodation is in simple yet beautiful rooms in the stone houses and a wood cabin, shared among 2-6 people. All bathrooms are shared. Bedding and towels are provided.
~ Bell tents
Nestled in the forest, in a secluded location but at easy reach from the main track, there are 3 private bell tents with bed and bedding included. A compost toilet and shower are nearby. There is no electricity. Please note this is a short walk uphill.
~ Camping
In designated areas, amongst trees. Please bring your own camping equipment, including bedding/sleeping bag, towel, torch/flashlight, tent, and everything else you need to be comfortable. Please be aware that camping spots on flat ground are grouped together so there will be other tents close by. If you wish to pitch a tent in a more secluded location, the ground is not very level.
* Please note, camping spots and bell tents are limited and tend to fill up early. We may need to allocate you to a shared room if these are full.
Food
Our meals will be vegetarian, cooked with love and dedication.
Special dietary requirements including lactose free or gluten free can be provided for, for an additional 2,50 € per day—thank you for indicating this on your registration form. The retreat center does not charge a supplement for vegan diets but please inform us if you are vegan so we can make sure your needs are met.
To ensure your food requirements are best met, we ask you to let us know no fewer than 14 days before the retreat begins, so that the cook can prepare menus and supplies accordingly.
We ask you to bring the food supplement payment in euros cash, to pay on arrival.
Thank you for your understanding.
The cost and payment
We wish to make this retreat as accessible as possible.
For the whole retreat, not including donations for manager and teacher:
Shared indoor accommodation: € 475
Camping and Bell tents: € 465
Please note that we cannot accommodate requests for specific rooms or sharing arrangements.
Thank you for paying the full amount when you book your place.
We can offer a full refund for cancellations up to 21st May 2026, minus an administration fee of 50 euros. We cannot offer any refunds after this date, unless someone else is able to fill the spot. Thank you for understanding that as a small non-profit, this helps Open Dharma to honor our commitments and plan our resources with care.
You will need to bring cash in euros to pay for any special dietary needs (2.50 Euros/day for special diets) and lifts to and from the retreat center (see below).
We have a small scholarship fund for this retreat, please contact the retreat manager if you’d like to request some support.
Donations (dana) for managers and teacher
Your retreat payment covers your own room and food, and also the travel costs, food and accommodation of both teacher and manager.
At the end of this retreat you will be welcomed to offer donations to Jaya and Emma. Their work begins many months before–and continues during and after–the retreat. They take it all on joyfully and in the spirit of generosity, and your donations help make their support sustainable.
Jaya is able to teach this retreat because past donations have sustained her life as a mother, artist, meditator, householder, and taxpayer. She lives on donations even in a time when many teachers have had to start charging for teachings. Your support is very welcome.
Timings
Please arrive between 4-5 pm on Sunday, June 21. On arrival, Emma and some helpers will welcome you, and there will be some time to register and get settled. Retreat center staff will be able to show you to your accommodation from 4pm. The retreat will begin that day at 6pm.
The retreat will end after lunch on Sunday, June 28th, at 2pm. Please make sure your departure is between 2pm and 5pm.
You may be able to stay at the retreat center a day or two before/after retreat. To arrange this, you will need to book this directly with the retreat center and arrange lifts with them. You can email Sara at info@kshanti.org to arrange this.
Transport and what to bring
The nearest airport is Girona, (and further away is Barcelona) and from there it is possible to take public transport to Olot or Castellfollit de la Roca. Rides from there, and from Beget can be arranged with Les Gavatxes for between 10-20 euros. Once you have registered you will receive information about booking rides. There is also an international train station in Figueres, and an airport and international train station nearby in Perpignan, France.
To arrange your ride please let the retreat manager know if you require a lift to the retreat, and from where. She will arrange this with the retreat center. This way we can have ride shares organized before the retreat begins.
Please bring everything you need for the retreat as there are no shops or cashpoints nearby, Les Gavatxes is quite remote. If you plan to do errands on the way, please be aware that in Spain shops often close from 1-5pm.
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Cash: please bring enough cash in Euros for any special dietary requirement supplements and your lifts. You may also wish to bring cash for donations to Jaya and Emma (it will also be possible to donate online).
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A wrist watch or other time piece—not your phone—so that you can follow the retreat schedule. We only ring bells outside the meditation hall for wake-up and after the siesta time.
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Mats, blankets and cushions to be comfortable lying down in the hall (see below).
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Any medications and toiletries you might need, including sun protection, and insect repellent.
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Clothing: you might consider bringing shoes that are easy to take off and put on since the hall is a shoe-free space; warm clothes for early mornings and evenings; walking shoes, raingear, swim gear to dip in the river (optional).
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Torch/flashlight
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Reusable water bottle
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If camping: tent, bedding, mattress/roll mat, towel
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What you will need in the Dharma/Meditation Hall
We encourage lying down comfortably for meditation. If this approach is new to you, we’d encourage you to experiment with this revolutionary way of sinking deeper into awareness.
Of course you are welcome to practice sitting if you prefer.
To be comfortable lying down or sitting for meditation, you’ll need:
~ Enough cushioning underneath: an extra thick yoga mat and a folded blanket, or a camping or travel mattress.
~ A bolster or regular bed pillow to go under your knees, or two for both knees and feet.
~ A blanket.
Les Gavatxes provides some cushions and yoga mats, but you will need more in order to settle comfortably into practice. If you’re driving and able to bring more of the above, as support for yourself, and possibly others, it would be much appreciated, and you could let Emma know.
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For more inspiration on Deep Rest Meditation: https://www.jayaashmore.org/retreats
