Questions & Answers About Our Retreats

What is a meditation retreat? A meditation retreat, in general, is an extended period of time during which we leave our worldly matters behind, come back to ourselves, and immerse ourselves in a simple environment, nature, nourishing food, community, and true quiet. We let go of all responsibilities and begin to “listen” more fully to the unfolding of inner experience, which may have been largely hidden until now. We develop a powerful capacity to observe and relax. We develop a radical sense of presence with regard to regular activities such as walking, listening, eating, drinking tea, etc. 

Why go on retreat? Meditating on retreat is an extremely different experience than meditating in the midst of our daily lives. Retreat affords us the opportunity to unearth layers of the practice we may not have known about and then integrate the practice more fully into our lives. It is an opportunity to become much more intimate with the practice—to get to know the practice much more deeply. We experience the practice much more directly. There is often a sense of “Ah, this is what those instructions have meant all this time!”

What kind of meditation will we practice? These retreats emphasize the practices of mindfulness, Vipassana, and the heart practices (loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity). We will cultivate a strong and radiant balance in the heart-mind over the course of a few days. 

What is the format of retreat? On Thursday afternoon, participants may socialize, hike, meditate, read, journal, and relax into nature (basically whatever you want to do). There will be a required evening session after dinner on Thursday. After breakfast on Friday morning, we will move into a more traditional mindfulness/Vipassana retreat until Sunday around lunch. This will include alternating periods of sitting meditation, walking meditation, gentle movement, and open time (journal, tea, rest, etc).

Is there guidance? Yes, we will be practicing in a meditation hall and outside for walking meditation. There will be plenty of guidance, instructions, and also periods for group reflection.

That sounds like a lot of meditation. Is it challenging? Our retreats emphasize a gentle approach. And generally any challenges that surface on retreat are signs that the practice is working. When we learn to work with our challenges with care and skill, we gain powerful insights and a strong sense of inner knowing and liberation. Retreat is almost never challenging the whole time. It is often quite a wonderful relief to be quiet, immersed in kindness and a unique and beautiful form of community.

I have body pain and/or an injury. Do I have to sit for long periods of time? Our retreats are not as demanding as other Vipassana or mindfulness retreats you may have heard about. Anyone may lie down with a blanket/yoga mat in the meditation hall at any time. Chairs will be available if you do not want to use a cushion. Gentle movement will be offered. There is time to rest and reflect.

Will there be silence? Although we have plenty of time for group reflection, we do let go of all regular conversations for a period of time. During that period we eat in silence and maintain silence during transitions and free time. We move into silence to support you—and all participants—to finally have the chance to truly let go of all doing, all responsibilities, and fully receive the nourishment of your own attention and the gentle practices.

We spend massive quantities of energy and life force speaking and listening to others in our daily lives. We lose huge amounts of energy through our devices. Silence helps us to recenter ourselves and reclaim and regenerate our personal life energy. There is a kind of relief in putting it all down and knowing everyone else in the container is doing that too. In other words, we want you—and everyone—to fully receive the gift of retreat! You deserve it.

The invitation also relates to mindfulness practice, which helps us see the truth of our minds and and hearts, which is so often obscured by our busy, communicative lives. From the mindfulness perspective, we need occasional retreat—periods of true quiet and letting go of the external world so that we can finally begin to see our inner world clearly—and see the possibility of peace. We also let go of all physical contact during that time. We refrain from using devices or reading. A little journaling is encouraged. Once we break the silence, there is plenty of time to reconnect through conversation (for those who wish). Getting quiet in this way can be such a refuge for our hearts.

Silence provides an unparalleled opportunity to develop inner stability, mindfulness, and peace. It makes it much easier to experience insight and let go of the deeply entrenched struggles in the heart-mind. This letting go is at the heart of spiritual practice.