Please join us for a day of practice at St Marks.
Together, we will practise stopping and calming our body and mind in order to look deeply and to develop our capacity for understanding for the benefit of ourselves, our families and the world.
Open to everyone, of all faiths and none.
Saturday 6th September 10am to 4pm (Please arrive from around 9:45am for a 10am start)
Please bring some plant-based food to share for lunch.
St Mark’s Unitarian Church, 7 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2DP
As usual we will not be meeting at St Marks during the month of August. This is in the tradition of the monastics taking “lazy days” away from formal commitments once in a while – except we take a whole lazy month! It is also because St Marks becomes Edinburgh Festival Fringe Venue 125 in August. This means you can still come to St Marks and enjoy a variety of cultural events whilst we are not sitting formally. See the programme below.
In 2023 a plum tree was planted in the Community Garden on the Meadows to commemorate Thich Nhat Hanh’s visit to Edinburgh in 2003. It is marked by a plaque inscribed with the words ‘Peace is Every Step‘.
As a way to remember and continue this mindful energy, we will be holding a silent walking meditation on the Meadows on Sunday 20th July at 11:00 am starting from the tree. Before the walk there will be a short introduction to mindful walking. The walk will be complete within an hour.
If you are on Middle Meadow Walk facing South towards Marchmont, then the Community Garden is about 100m to your left just before you get to the tennis courts. Locate with What3Words: ///values.speak.intervals or Google Maps.
This event aims to provide a collective experience of ‘being peaceful’ together. It is not a protest or campaigning event, so please don’t bring any banners/placards etc, however we will share the energy with those who might benefit from it at the end.
Come and learn how we can bring great benefit to ourselves and others through mindfulness practice. We will sit, walk, rest and eat together in stillness and friendship, generating peaceful, healing energy for the benefit of ourselves, our families and for the world.
Open to everyone, of all faiths and none.
Saturday 5th July 2025. Please arrive from around 9:45 for a 10am start. We will finish by 4pm.
Please bring some plant-based food to share for lunch.
St Mark’s Unitarian Church, 7 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2DP
For further information or to contact us through the form.
This month of June, Buddhist Action Month, has the theme, this year, of ‘Sowing Seeds of Compassion in the World’. And at our Mindful Peace Walk on 29th June, we’ll be inviting you to direct your seeds of compassion towards the climate and ecological crisis facing us all.
Walking amongst beautiful trees, with peace as every step, we can feel the embrace of nature and open our hearts to its wonders. Each step a new opportunity to connect with the earth, the trees, with nature and all beings, and cherish them back. Fully mindful of the strain our precious planet is under.
And when we’ve finished walking, please feel free to join us in a litter pick over the castle grounds. Just a little helping hand, and gesture of goodwill, to the wonderful environment there and the folks who try their best to look after it.
This is not a protest or a campaigning event, so please do not use any banners. Our silence and togetherness in nature says it all at this time.
Meet: 11am in front of Lauriston Castle.
Duration: Walk will conclude by noon and be followed by an optional litter pick.
Suitability: Anyone who can walk slowly. There are some steps. Children are welcome when accompanied by adults.
This event is organised in collaboration with the Edinburgh International Centre for Spirituality and Peace who organise events throughout the year.
Here are a few photographs to give a feeling of the wonderful retreat some of us were lucky to enjoy in Stirling.
Come and enjoy a day immersed in mindfulness as we celebrate our capacity for gaining strength and peace from mindful contact with the natural world. We will sit, walk, rest and eat together in stillness and friendship, generating peaceful, healing energy for the benefit of ourselves, our families and for the world.
Open to everyone, of all faiths and none.
Saturday 7th June – 10am to 4pm (Please arrive from around 9:45 for a 10am start)
St Mark’s Unitarian Church, 7 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2DP
Please bring some plant-based food to share for lunch.
Join six monastics from Plum Village, France — the internationally respected mindfulness practice centre founded by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh — for a talk with in-depth teachings, and a full guided practice day.
With decades of collective experience leading retreats and mindfulness programmes around the world, these full-time practitioners offer practical tools and insights for living with clarity, compassion, and resilience.
Start the weekend with an evening of teachings and personal insights from the monastics. Drawing on lived experience and Buddhist psychology, they will explore how mindfulness can help us find joy and stability amidst uncertainty, and how we can stay connected to ourselves and others in times of challenge.
Spend the day immersed in guided practice and embodied learning. The programme includes:
Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, curious, or simply seeking deeper connection, this day offers space to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what matters most.
Please wear comfortable clothing, and bring a meditation cushion or mat if you prefer (chairs will be provided) Please bring a thermos of your favourite tea or coffee, or a cold non-alcoholic drink as well as a packed vegetarian or vegan lunch. There will not be time to go to the shops to get food during the lunch break.
Open to everyone — including students, researchers, professionals, and experienced mindfulness practitioners. No prior meditation experience is necessary.
Come and enjoy a day immersed in mindfulness as we cultivate our innate capacity for living a peaceful life. We will sit, walk, rest and eat together in stillness and friendship, generating peaceful, healing energy for the benefit of ourselves, our families and for the world.
Open to everyone, of all faiths and none.
Please arrive from around 9:45 for a 10am start and bring some plant-based food to share for lunch.
St Mark’s Unitarian Church, 7 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2DP
Any questions? Use the contact form and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Saturday 5th April 2025 9:30 am – 12 noon (Please arrive from around 9:15 for a 9:30 am start)
We will explore this theme together using guided meditation, walking meditation, readings and sharing (This is a morning session so no need to bring food to share for lunch)
St. Mark’s Unitarian Church, 7 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2DP
This practice is open to everyone, of all faiths and none.
Any questions please use the contact form.
Edinburgh Wild Geese Sangha 