Attending the retreat offers a unique opportunity to cultivate wisdom, mental peace, and purpose, which you can apply directly in your work and life. Participants will gain a practical understanding of how their mind functions, methods of inner healing, and adaptable roadmaps for continuing education in meditation and mindfulness.

You will learn practical techniques to manage stress, enhance mental clarity, and maintain a balanced and effective attitude especially during challenging situations. The retreats foster a sense of community and shared purpose, allowing you to connect with like-minded individuals and form lasting friendships.

Expert support from experienced guides will help you develop a deeper understanding of longevity and healthy living. Ultimately, you will leave with a renewed sense of meaning and a big smile to share with your loved ones.

There is ample research available around Mindfulness practices offering significant benefits for both employees and organizations. For employees, mindfulness reduces stress, anxiety, and burnout while improving focus, productivity, and overall well-being. For organizations, these individual benefits translate into enhanced employee engagement, improved decision-making capabilities, and more effective leadership.

There are many well-known concepts linking to the positive effects of mindfulness. For example, it helps balance fast thinking (intuitive and automatic responses) and slow thinking (deliberate and analytical processes), as described by Daniel Kahneman in his book "Thinking, Fast and Slow." By fostering present moment awareness, mindfulness allows employees to pause and engage in slow thinking, leading to more thoughtful and less reactive decisions. Additionally, mindfulness enhances emotional intelligence (self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy), cognitive flexibility, and the ability to achieve a flow state, all of which contribute to higher productivity and creativity. It also builds resilience, helping individuals manage stress and recover from setbacks more effectively.

In this time of AI, mindfulness and wisdom become even more important and are critical differentiators and fundamental skills. They provide a sense of meaning, clarity on outcome thinking, and improved decision-making.  

In a nutshell, wisdom in business involves sound judgment, ethical considerations, and a long-term perspective in decision-making. It supports effective use of our time (due to less distractions) and wholesome relationships within teams. It helps leaders navigate complex challenges with foresight and integrity.

Wise leaders demonstrate intellectual humility, consider diverse viewpoints, and adapt to changing circumstances. This approach fosters ethical decision-making, strategic thinking, and a resilient, innovative, and human-centered work environment.

The time commitment for the optional eight-week prep program is 45 minute for the weekly call (and any time you want to spend on your own). In addition we will schedule a single call with all confirmed participants with further explanation of the program, including an overview of the activities and objectives. This call will also provide you the opportunity to meet the other participants and to ask any questions you may have. The individual call is to clarify any outstanding individual questions, and, if you wish, discuss your learning goals.

We believe this structure ensures that you receive the necessary support and guidance while keeping the time commitment manageable.

The intake call will last 45 minutes and will be scheduled with Koen. The primary purpose of this call is to clarify any outstanding questions you may have and to establish a mutual connection. During the call, we will provide you with clarity on what you will gain from the retreat, how you can prepare, and what to expect during the retreat. This ensures that you are well-informed and ready to make the most of the experience.

Our retreats are led by experts who bring a unique blend of corporate leadership experience and long-term meditation and wisdom teaching experience. This combination ensures that the practices taught are not only rooted in ancient wisdom but also highly relevant and applicable to modern business contexts.

Participants benefit from practical insights on how to integrate mindfulness and wisdom into their professional lives, enhancing their leadership capabilities and overall performance. 

No, it is not. The retreat is aimed at developing “wise corporate leaders” with wisdom, mental clarity, and wholesome intentions.

We do specifically (especially in the 5-day program) combine this with longevity and integral health. Focus of the retreats is on cultivating lasting wisdom, health and mental peace, and purpose in the modern AI era. We integrate age-old proven practices into a contemporary context to help participants develop clarity, resilience, and effective thinking in their personal and professional lives.

Buddha in the Boardroom was established with the shared vision of integrating wisdom and meaning into the business world which we argue is especially relevant in this time of AI. It is founded by Koen van den Biggelaar, a technology executive based in the Netherlands with leadership roles at Microsoft, AWS, and Accenture). Following a long experience of seeking and exploring different meditation techniques, he started a foundation 5 years ago aimed at developing peace and wisdom based on Buddhist principles. He organized online and physical meditation retreats and supported academic research around the effect of different meditation states on the brain. He has used principles in his work and now reflects it is the right context and time to offer mindfulness and wisdom enabled services to people in a broader context.

Our core team brings a rich tapestry of expertise to guide you. Komnieve Singh (Manu), an AI transformation expert based in LA, is dedicated to helping companies innovate and is the founder of multiple startups. He's joined by Alexandra Hügel, a Microsoft Customer Success Manager in Berlin and a passionate longevity coach. Cas Boerkamp contributes his deep understanding as a meditation coach, social worker, and former Buddhist monk with extensive experience across Southeast Asia. Rounding out the team is Khin Lay Maw, who blends her corporate expertise with profound contemplative wisdom, helping leaders find peace and purpose across the US and Canada. We believe in building a diverse and committed community, so expect our team to grow over time.

The retreat is designed to provide a comprehensive experience with daily meditations, exercises, and ample time in nature. It emphasizes integral living and longevity and how it all can be applied in a professional context delivering lasting results for the individual, their team and business results. Participants will engage in guided practices, interactive workshops, and group activities, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose.

No, this is not a religious retreat by any means. While we base ourselves on ancient wisdom traditions, including Buddhism, our focus is on cultivating lasting human wisdom, mental peace, and purpose in the modern AI era. We integrate these age-old practices into a contemporary context to help participants develop clarity, resilience, and effective thinking in their personal and professional lives.

Our goal is to provide practical tools and insights that can be applied in everyday situations, regardless of one's religious beliefs. Think of Buddha representing the facets of life that allow us to be more present, mindful, and discerning and the Boardroom as the context in which we can apply these fundamental qualities.

The three-day retreat includes guided meditations, stress-relief exercises, and presentations on the relationship between wisdom and intelligence.

There will also be time dedicated on jointly preparing food while learning about healthy nutrition and nourishment and their effect on our mind, body, and performance in the workplace and our interactions with others.

Well, no. We strongly encourage a “digital detox,” including the option to ritually “hand-in your mobile phone” and providing your home front our contact details in case of emergency. Out of experience we (and assume also you!) know this provides the best results. At the same time, we know things can happen and it is up to you. We have found that a “digital detox” leads to a resetting of dopamine baselines, a peaceful mind and overall an effectiveness of the retreat.