Vipassana silent retreat
4 Days in Naot Smadar 2025
With Keren Arbel and Lila Kimhi
A four-day retreat of study and practice of Vipassana meditation that has become an annual tradition over the years and moved to Naot Smadar.
In the complex period that we are going through in the last year, our need to find benevolent, balanced and clear inner spaces within our lives becomes even clearer. Practicing meditation allows us an anchor from which we can find resources of inner freedom and resilience that help us and those around us. At the retreat we will practice together as a benevolent community in the beautiful natural spaces of the desert.
The retreat takes place in the peaceful magical beauty of Naot Smadar and the desert, located in a zone of zero alert, so that we will have the opportunity to experience the combination of silent meditation practice with being in nature, in good conditions with a pleasant hall and comfortable, air-conditioned rooms.
A carpool list to the retreat will be issued.
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 friendliness and intelligence. This observation has the potential to heal wounds from the past and a deep release from limiting perceptions. Vipassana practice aims at awakening and freedom within the world.
The retreat moved to Naot Samdar this year. Mati Lieblich, who has participated as a facilitator in retreats in Moa over the years, will not come to teach this time. For those interested in details about her activities, click here.
Keren Arbel and Lila Kimhi will teach a four-day retreat (next year we will return to five days).
The retreat provides a supportive community and guidance from teachers with decades of practice experience. The retreat will take place in silence and will include study and practice of meditation while sitting, walking, standing and lying down, lectures on Buddhist spirituality and meetings with the teachers in small groups. Sitting in a large and special wide hall.
The retreat is open to those who have participated in a silence retreat in the past, those who have studied a mindfulness course or a Buddhist meditation course. Those who do not meet these conditions but have experience practicing mindfulness, please clearly write it down on the registration form and we will contact you.
The cost of the retreat includes accommodation, production and catering for all days and does not include Dana for the teachers. The invoice for the retreat is adapted to reimbursement for a professional workshop for professionals in the field of therapy.
At the retreat, phones are deposited and the production backs up the retreat with an emergency phone that will be provided for everyone for messages from home when needed and will assist each participant with a request or help to get to the retreat to relax and practice.
At Retreat, delicious and precise vegetarian, vegan food will be served from the loving hands of chef Avital Sabag. A coffee and tea corner will be open all day and is also available in the rooms.
A carpool list will be issued to make it easier for participants to get there,
We are here for any question for you, 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: 2750 NIS
Private Room:
The room is made of the local bricks and includes air conditioning, private bathroom facilities and a double bed
PRICE: 3,350 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: 1,950 NIS
PRICE FOR 4 IN A ROOM: 2,250 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 until January and then 3 payments. Your place will be reserved for 4 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 100 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 two weeks before the retreat at a cost of 200 NIS.
Cancellation of participation up to two weeks to a week before the retreat- 900 NIS.
Cancellation of participation between a week and two days before the retreat -half of the fee.
Two days 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 200, (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 26-29 th 2025
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.