niel van zyl
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mindful trails guide
This is it.- Thich Nhat Hanh
welcome/welkomthis is a small digital corner where I would like to introduce myselfplease feel free to take a breath
what do you do?
mindfulness teacher
retreat host and co-facilitator
trails guide
co-manager of retreat center
holder of space for healing, connecting
maintenance and repair person
deep listener
buddhist meditation practitioner
lifelong student of nature
co-custodian of land
professional cellist
contemplative
partner
friend
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flow into trees. The winds will blow their freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off you like falling leaves.- John Muir, Nature Writings
where are you from?
I was born and raised on a sheep farm in the southern Free State, the ninth generation of my family born in South Africa. Playing the cello from an early age, I was fortunate to receive music scholarships which allowed me to complete high school and undergraduate degrees in the USA. This was followed by about five years of work as a South African diplomat, including a posting in Vienna.I followed my heart and traded suits for robes, training as a novice monk at the Chithurst Buddhist Monastery in the UK. After a year of monastic life, I returned to South Africa and cycled for about nine months on pilgrimage across Southern Africa, listening to the land and finding my way back home.Since then, I’ve co-founded and co-run the retreat center Lalela. a place of listening near Magaliesberg, and now live, work and love at Dharmagiri sacred mountain retreat in the southern Drakensberg.I live here with my partner Maia and our small community of fellow practitioners, custodians, and mountain-dwellers. I'm grateful every day to welcome people here, and to walk with them as they reconnect with the deep stillness within and around them.
values I hold dear
some relevant trainings and experiences
-Four-year BA in Political Science (with Honours) from the University of Michigan (USA)-Post-Grad Diploma in Diplomacy (NQF7) from the Diplomatic Academy of SA (DIRCO)-Ordained and trained as Anagarika (novice monk) at Chithurst Buddhist Monastery (UK)-Certified Yoga teacher (200 hours) with Ananda Sanga in Somerset West-Two-year Dharmapala training with Kittisaro and Thanissara from Sacred Mountain Sangha-Field Guide Association of SA (FGASA) Nature Guide (NQF2)-FGASA Apprentice Trails Guide (NQF2) - In training-Foreign Service Officer within SA's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), 2009-2013-Facilitator of silent meditation retreats and hiking retreats, 2018-current-Co-founder and co-host of Lalela. a place of listening, 2017-2022-Co-manager and co-host of Dharmagiri sacred mountain retreat, 2022-current
enlightenment is intimacy with all things-Dogen
links
thank you kindly
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting—
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.-From Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
