Vipassana silent retreat
5 Days in Naot Smadar 2027
With Keren Arbel and Lila Kimhi
A five-day retreat of learning and practicing Vipassana meditation, which over time has become an annual tradition and has moved to Neot Smadar.
There is great value in stopping, in a quiet time that allows us to cultivate a stable and clear inner space. A space where we can listen, look inward and outward and rediscover stability, compassion and clear vision.
The practice of retreat offers us this possibility: a special time when the qualities of heart and mind develop naturally, becoming living resources that accompany us even outside the retreat.
At the retreat we will stay together as a benevolent community, among the open desert spaces of Neot Smadar.
The practice will be conducted in silence and will include sitting, walking, standing and lying meditation and study of the Buddhist path. In good conditions with a pleasant hall and comfortable, air-conditioned rooms.
The retreat will be invoiced as a professional workshop for the self-employed.
About the Workshop
Vipassana meditation is a practice of direct and curious observation, moment by moment, of the processes of the body and mind. In the practice of Vipassana (mindfulness) we learn to observe ourselves and the world in a liberating way, with friendship and wisdom. This observation has the potential to heal wounds from the past and deeply free us from limiting perceptions. The practice of Vipassana aims for awakening and freedom within the world.
The retreat provides a supportive community and guidance from experienced teachers with decades of practice. The retreat will be held in silence and will include the study and practice of sitting, walking, standing and lying meditation, lectures on Buddhist spiritual teachings and meetings with the teachers in small groups. The sessions will be held in a large spacious hall.
The retreat is open to people with previous experience who have participated in at least one silent meditation retreat.
The cost of the retreat includes accommodation, production and meals for all days and does not include dana for teachers. The invoice for the retreat is adjusted for reimbursement for a professional workshop for freelancers.
Telephones are deposited at the retreat and the production backs up the retreat with an emergency phone that will be provided for everyone for messages from home when necessary and will assist each participant with a request or help to get to the retreat, relax and practice.
The retreat will serve delicious and precise vegetarian and vegan food. A coffee and tea corner will be open all day and there is also a tea corner and a small refrigerator in the rooms for your convenience.
A carpool list to the retreat will be issued to make it easier for participants to arrive.
We are here for you with any questions, we will be happy to help.
Neot Smadar
The retreat takes place in the Neot Smadar hospitality center, which offers the tranquility of the magical beauty of the desert inside beautiful and pampering ecological rooms, with green corners, lovingly cared for and connected to the powerful nature that surrounds the place. The quiet desert, together with the beauty of the hospitality center, greatly support our ability to put aside the stresses of everyday life and free ourselves to listen and look inward and outward.
The beauty of the place, surrounded by a vast desert, is ideal for an intimate and clear encounter with ourselves, with our deep powers and resources, and with the wellspring of strength, wisdom and love that exists within us. The kibbutz is in a zone of zero alerts and there is a shelter in the complex.
Kibbutz Neot Smadar – Located in the southern Negev above the Arava, the kibbutz was established in 1989 with the intention of creating a learning community where questions about the human condition in the world will be examined in practice through relationships, action and observation. Neot Smadar was established out of a fascinating journey of research and observation, and is tested every day in the common life and joint activities of members who live permanently and volunteer. The workshop complex is located next to the kibbutz itself in a secluded and quiet area overlooking the magnificent Edom Mountains.
The trip from Tel Aviv is about three hours without stopping. It is recommended to stop eat and refresh at Mitzpe Ramon, the production will give recommendations for places.
There will be a carpool list to the workshop to share the trip together.
The retreat teachers
The teachers
Keren has been practicing, studying and living the Buddhist way since 1997. Since then she studied and practiced with many teachers in the Buddhist tradition in Israel and around the world. Since 2010, Keren devotes two months of the year to long retreats of solitude and practice. Keren teaches Dharma, mindfulness and Vipassana meditation at the Tovana association, at “Nalanda”: a space for studying and practicing the Buddhist path and in other settings and she holds a doctorate in Buddhist studies. Her book “Words of the Buddha” was published by Tel Aviv University Press. The personal meditative training, along with the continuous dialogue with Buddhist wisdom and its relevance to our lives here and now, guide her path and the way she teaches.
Teacher of dharma and Vipassana meditation and mindfulness since 2004. She has been studying, practicing and teaching in Israel and around the world for many years, including extended periods of study and seclusion in monasteries, ashrams and meditation centers, in the Buddhist tradition and the Hindu non-secondary tradition. Lives and teaches at ‘Alei Adamot’ – an ecological spiritual center that she established in Moshav Luzit. Artist and creator. Has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in Indian and Sanskrit studies.
TEACHERS’ “DANA” – the Buddhist heart economy. According to Buddhist traditions, teachers do not receive a salary or a fixed income, but allow each student to pay their tuition at the end of the retreat in a way that takes into consideration customary prices for such workshops in western society, as well as your financial abilities and generosity. ‘Dana’ is a term originating in the East, meaning ‘giving’. Giving is an integral part of spiritual practices: when we give ‘dana’, we practice charity and generosity in our lives, articulating the deep bond and solidarity among all living things. From the times of the Buddha and until today, teachers have been offering their teachings to us unconditionally, regardless of gender, class or the financial state of the student. Supporting our teachers expresses the solidarity and nourishing bond between giving and receiving, between teacher and pupil.
‘Naot Smadar’ room selection
Accommodation prices include three nights in Naot Smadar, production and meals for the duration of the stay and VAT (not including the Dana for teachers).
A business invoice will be issued for a professional workshop suitable for the self-employed and professionals if necessary.
Twin/Double Room:
The room is made of the local bricks and includes air conditioning, private bathroom facilities and two single beds.
PRICE PER PERSON: 3170 NIS
Private Room:
The room is made of the local bricks and includes air conditioning, private bathroom facilities and a double bed
PRICE: 4,270 NIS
4-5 person in a pagoda house:
A spacious, special and air-conditioned ecological mud hut with a large balcony overlooking the desert and the Edom Mountains. With air conditioner, shower and toilet and single beds.
PRICE FOR 5 IN A ROOM: 2,450 NIS
PRICE FOR 4 IN A ROOM: 2,770 NIS
Shared dormitory for 8 participants (new):
A large 100-meter heated room for eight participants in mixed accommodation (women and men). With mattresses and bedding, sheets, blanket and towel, shared toilets and showers outside the room.
Price per person: 1,970 NIS
Register for the workshop at the bottom of the page
Payment and registration terms
To register for the workshop, click on the registration form and fill it out. If you have comments or questions, you are welcome to write it at the end of the form and we will get back to you with answers by email. After registering for the workshop, you will be sent an email with a link to pay. You can split up to 4 interest-free payments. Your place will be reserved for 5 days until payment. (For those who need assistance with the distribution of more payments, please write to us and we will help) A carpool list will be published for the benefit of the practitioners before the workshop.
Cancelation policy
During this complex period, in the event of cancellation of the retreat by the production, the payment will be returned to the participant immediately, Minus registration and cancellation fees of 150 NIS per participant or the option of participation on a new date in the event of a postponement.
Due to the period, we have made the cancellation policy more flexible:
Cancellation of participation up to month before the retreat at a cost of 250 NIS.
Cancellation of participation from a month up to two weeks to a week before the retreat- 800 NIS.
Cancellation of participation between2 weeks until a week and before the retreat -half of the fee.
a week before and until the start of the retreat- the full amount will be charged.
In case of a personal or family emergency until the start of the retreat, a full refund less the registration fee of NIS 250, (for production consideration)
There is a possibility of finding a participant in your place at any time, We wish for quiet days to hold a benevolent retreat.
Retreat registration Form
Silent Vipassana retreat “Naot Smadar”
March 9-13th 2027
Please fill out the forms and an email with a link to a payment page will be sent to you shortly (according to your room selection). Please note that this form does not guarantee your reservation. Reservations will be finalized upon completion of the payment. Thank you.