Bhagavad Gita Retreat — Step Out to Look In
Join Thomas's retreat — a contemplative four days rooted in the Bhagavad Gita, but grounded in real-world clarity and insight.
This retreat isn't religious or doctrinal. It's a space to step away from the noise, reflect on your place in the universe, and reconnect with deeper clarity — inspired by the timeless wisdom of the Gita.
At some point, all of us stop and ask: What am I really doing here? What matters most? Where do I fit in the vastness of it all?
To live well in the world, we must also visit the world within.
1 — 4 May 2025, Protea Ranch Centurion
This four-day retreat is an invitation to sit with those questions — not in search of dogma or answers from others, but in search of your own inner clarity. It's not about becoming spiritual. It's about becoming still enough to listen to something that's always been there.
For nearly a decade, Thomas has held this space — a quiet retreat guided by themes from the Bhagavad Gita. But make no mistake: this isn't a religious gathering. The Gita is simply a powerful mirror. One that, through poetry and ancient dialogue, helps us see what we might have forgotten about ourselves.
At its heart, the Gita tells of a man paralysed by uncertainty — and the quiet, enduring conversation that helps him choose wisely and move forward with purpose. That conversation could be ours.
We don't come together to follow a path. We come together to find our own: To reconnect with a sense of order in the chaos. To recognise that while we live in a world of deadlines, distractions, and endless decisions, there is also a deeper world — one of awareness, virtue, and self-knowledge.
It is a return to virtuosity, as Socrates might say.
Not perfection. But the capacity to live well. With courage, with clarity, with care.
Virtue over velocity. Stillness over stimulation. Meaning over motion.
You don't have to believe anything; you just have to be willing to look inwardly.
About Thomas' Retreat
Occasionally, a small group gathers in a tranquil setting. We share reflections, silence, conversations. We read. We pause. We step back from the noise — and remember what matters.
There's no belief system to adopt. No rituals. No expectations. Just a shared agreement to spend time with ideas that have outlasted empires.
If you're looking for something that helps you feel more grounded, more aligned, more you — Thom would love to share this time with you.
We don't follow the Gita; we reflect with it.
This retreat won't change your life but it might help you live it differently.
Accompany Thom in easy steps…
Step Contacting our group
If you wish to join the group, and are not yet sure if you can commit the time, that's okay. Please join our chat group anyway — there is absolutely no need to commit to anything.
Step Get your copy of the Bhagavad Gita
There are many, many scholarly translations of the Gita, however, Thomas reads from his favourite translation by Eknath Easwaran, and we strongly suggest that you bring to the retreat your personal copy of this book.
Easwaran's translation of the Gita is generally found at most leading bookshops, and it is readily available from online outlets like Amazon and Takealot (South Africa). Know that there may be a lead-time of a few weeks before your book reaches you, so early planning is advised.
Eknath Easwaran's best-selling translation is reliable, readable and profound. He grew up in the Hindu tradition in India and learned Sanskrit from a young age. He was a professor of English literature before coming to the West on a Fulbright scholarship. Easwaran is a gifted teacher and a recognised authority on the Indian classics.
— Nilgiri Press.
Step Making a fair contribution
This is not a traditional course, and Thomas insists that it never gets marketed as such. Instead, he prefers that attendees decide where to hold the retreat and that everyone helps in arranging the logistics around it.
Understandably, Thomas fully dedicates himself to facilitating and presenting the Gita, and it is only fair and reasonable to ask attendees to reciprocate by making a suitable cash donation to cover Thom's out-of-pocket expenses.
The ancient world didn't offer answers; it offered better questions.
How to arrange additional Gita retreats
Should you and a group of your friends wish to invite Thomas to lead a private reading and discussion of the Gita outside his normal annual event, then please feel free to make contact with us by clicking BOOKMARKS → CONTACT US located at the top of this page, and we will contact you to discuss this with you. You must be willing to arrange the venue, cover Thomas' travel and subsistence expenses in advance, and compensate him fairly for his time and effort.
Shared experiences from those who have accompanied Thom
The Gita retreat was an incredibly special time for me. Tom is an expert facilitator, and he provides a beautiful understanding of this ancient text. Coupled with Tom's insights, stories, and his life experiences, you're in for a real 'treat'. I believe everyone gets out exactly what they need to. Tom's insights and gentle guidance during this retreat was so filled with unconditional love and support. The 4 days taken to delve into this text were astoundingly special and it touched me deeply. I am forever grateful to Tom, and look forward to many more. — Devon Hasenbroek, Ballito
I found the retreat in Oban to have arrived at the perfect time in my life. During the retreat there were some very 'wow' moments. In these moments the marrying up of what was in the Bhagavad Gita in my life, was remarkable. The venue, the silence, Tom's guidance and those wonderful people who participated, made the experience unforgettable. — Heather Fountain, Howick
The Gita Retreat was a real treat. I had read the Bhagavad Gita before during my days as a Hare Krishna, but this time Thomas helped me find myself in the text. Not only did we read through it, but we also did various exercises under Thomas's expert guidance, which were quite revealing on a very personal level. I found the time deeply inspiring, and it ignited my spiritual flame again, helping me to restart my meditation practice. I am looking forward to the next time, with the hope of deepening my practice even more. — Hendrik Baird, Centurion