Join writer and meditation teacher Jeff Warren for a journey into the mystery of meditation and what it can teach us about being human.
This will be a different kind of retreat. Less structured, more room for silence and spontaneity. The idea is to make space for some of the deeper and more personalized movements of practice that come through when we really listen. Hollyhock is perfect for this. The land is charged. Maple leaves the size of serving plates, towering old-growth Douglas-firs and Western redcedars. Mossy quiet in the forest. Clean air rolling in off the sea, the tide sculpting smooth every black and grey stone. Wandering through this landscape – extending our attention out to the more-than-human world – will be part of our practice.
As always with Jeff’s retreats, there will be an emphasis on the core skills of meditation, the basic cultivations we learn in stillness that can super-charge all other practices, from movement to ceremony to interpersonal relating. These skills lie at the headwaters of mental and emotional and spiritual health; we’ll come back to them again and again through guided explorations and discussion.
What happens when the mind settles? Mystery and gratitude. Insight and connection. A sense of our own life-as-path – what this means when it is based on the actual details of our lives.
Also jokes! Those happen. And joy! Culminating in an evening dance party, where – disarmed by our own ridiculousness – we forget any self-consciousness and accidentally have a good time.
Two of Jeff’s good friends will assist to weave some of their own teacherly goodness. Scott Davis, a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and yoga & movement genius, who’ll help us connect to our bodies. And Kalen Colson, a nature-based therapist, who’ll help us connect to the land.
Why This Program Matters
Meditation truly is incredible. It teaches us about healing stuck emotions and expanding stuck views. It teaches us mercy and forgiveness, majesty and humility. It teaches us about how we relate to ourselves, to other people, and ultimately to the wide world we’re intimately and inseparably a part of.
All this and more happens when we get quiet and connect to the mystery of the present moment. The goal is for everyone to leave the retreat with a clear understanding of why they meditate, and a clear feeling for their own strange and beautiful practice.
Who is This Program For
- This retreat is appropriate for all experience levels.
- This retreat is not intended as treatment for mental health conditions. If you are unsure as to whether this program is suitable for you, please contact our registration team for more information about the program.
What You’ll Gain
- Practice and experiment with the core skills of meditation, how they interact with each other, and how they deepen our relationship to the mystery and creativity of life.
- Explore how to apply – and find – these skills in other practices and activities, in part so we can honour where and how we are already committed to practice.
- A deeper understanding of the overall terrains of practice through a lifetime; what it means to see the distinctive details of our life as a bonafide spiritual path.
- Explore the place of service and activism and giving back according to our own changing circumstances and gifts and capacities..
Expected Activities
- Guided meditations
- Nature walks
- Mindful movement sessions
- Large group discussion
- Small group sharing (optional)
- Evening dance party (optional)
Testimonials
“Accessible, challenging, insightful and real. It will remind you or show you that being human is imperfect and beautiful.” –Past participant
“This was my first ever meditation retreat and it won’t be my last. It was a nice balance of meditation and discussion around a variety of practices and styles. I think it was appropriate for a beginner but also deep enough for a more experienced practitioner … Everyone was made to feel very welcome and safe. I think it elevated my practice and gave me additional confidence in what I am doing to help deepen my own personal practice.” –Past participant
Daily Schedule
A detailed schedule will be emailed to you about 30 days prior to your program. Click here to view a sample program schedule.
