Little Paradise: 2-week retreat // Nature, silence & meditation near Hamburg

Two weeks to come to yourself - find inner peace, find yourself, linger.
Experience has shown that our 14-day retreats are a very good choice for most people who really want to get away from everyday life - and yet also want to find their way back into their old processes.

The retreats take place in "Little Paradise". Little Paradise is a small, modern monastery and meditation and retreat center near Hamburg.
The house is characterized by a "paradisiacal" location with a view of the lake, which is repeatedly mentioned by guests.
Another highlight is our large meditation room, where we offer daily morning and evening group meditations.
The surroundings are characterized by the numerous lakes and forests, fields and meadows. Retreats with a strong focus on nature and long walks in the woods are possible here.
In addition, the convenient location (25 minutes to Hamburg, 35 minutes to Lübeck or the Baltic Sea) is attractive for many guests.

This is an individual retreat. It is possible to book a room as a couple (or generally two or three in a room).
Other retreat guests will also be on site. It is up to the guests to decide whether they want to keep to themselves or get together for walks, cooking, conversations or similar activities.

Competent retreat guidance is available on request.
We suggest a daily schedule for our retreat guests that includes times for meditation or prayer, contemplation, walks in nature, reading and small conversations to share the inner process. Guests are free to choose how far they want to follow this suggestion or follow their own retreat rhythm or schedule.

Included:
- Overnight stay in a single room with shower
- Organic vegetarian (or vegan) food from our communal kitchen (for self-preparation)
- Group meditations
- Retreat support

The retreat is particularly suitable for people with some previous experience through to those with many years of experience.
For absolute beginners, we recommend retreats with a group program and more intensive support.

Members of all religions and spiritual directions as well as atheists are welcome here. The house itself does not belong to any religious denomination. We simply love a quiet life in nature, embedded in shared meditation, reflection, contemplation and retreat.

We offer three rooms as an accommodation option:
- Single room with shower (WC is in the corridor)
- large maisonette room, south-facing with shower room
- large maisonette room with wonderful view over meadows and lake, with shower room

In the period from April to October we also offer accommodation in the "glamping tent" in the garden. The glamping tent is located as a "hermitage" in a separate area in the garden and offers a special accommodation experience.

The two maisonette rooms and the glamping tent can also be booked for two people. Otherwise, all bookings are usually individual bookings for the respective room.

Organic vegetarian (or vegan, or lactose/gluten/sucrose-free) food from our communal kitchen for self-preparation.
We provide a wide range of food on the shelves in the kitchen. Each guest takes what they want and prepares their own meal alone (or in a group if they wish).
There is also a shopping list on which guests can write their wishes (within normal limits).

We suggest a daily schedule to our retreat guests that includes daily times for meditation or prayer, contemplation, walks in nature, reading and small talks to share the inner process.
Guests are free to choose how far they want to follow this suggestion or follow their own retreat rhythm or schedule.

All retreats are designed to create optimal conditions for individual retreat processes. This means that the process and content of the retreat is ultimately your responsibility. However, we provide the following to support you in your retreat in the best possible way:

1. group meditations in the morning and evening (up to 5h daily). These are always 'open end': you leave when you have had enough.
2. supervision/mentoring: short one-to-one sessions on the topics of meditation, retreat or the content-related topics that are currently on your mind. The one-to-one sessions can take place up to once a day on request.
3. materials:
- Various questionnaires for self-reflection (e.g. to find your own purpose in life or your own passion)
- Brainwave entrainment (tracks and mp3 player): train the brain, e.g. to better achieve meditation states
4. the premises, the garden and the whole environment (nature reserve, forests, meadows, lake landscape) offer optimal retreat conditions.
5. retreat community: complete retreat or exchange with like-minded people - both are possible.
6. Large selection of suitable food (organic vegetarian) with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. All guests help themselves from the communal kitchen and cook individually or occasionally together.

The hostess of Little Paradise (Maria Lefèvre, long-term meditator, coach, author) is available daily for one-to-one conversations as required.

The morning meditations take place from 7.00 am until 9.30 am at the latest.
The evening meditations take place from 9.00 pm until 11.30 pm at the latest.
All meditations are "open-ended" - you leave when you have had enough.
You decide for yourself whether you want to take part and for how long.

How to find the Little Paradise:

By car:
Take the highway A1, exit Ahrensburg/Siek
Turn east onto Verlängerter Ostring
At the first traffic circle take Hoisdorfer Weg
At the end of the road, turn right onto Krütz
Find the large fire station on the left-hand side.
From there it is about 100 m on the left.

By public transportation:
Check hvv.de for the best connection.
Take the S-Bahn (regional train) to Ahrensburg or the U-Bahn U1 to the Großhansdorf terminus.
Take bus 369 to Alte Schmiede, Hoisdorf.
Our retreat center is located 30m from the bus stop.