In this three-day meditation retreat we draw from Buddhist teachings, becoming more intimate with nature in our own minds while deepening our relations with nature in the more-than-human world. In so doing, we experience the mutuality of these ways in deepening our relationship with all of life.

During our days we will weave together three threads: silent meditation with instructions, group council practice, and nature-based ceremony. Each of these consciously entered doorways have the potential to bring forth a deeper presence and connection with life.

A significant part of the retreat will be held in silence; meditation instruction will be offered around the Buddha’s four foundations of mindfulness alongside a range of experiential nature-based practices that complement these foundations. Specifically, we will explore through ceremony and practice the relationship between the four foundations and the four directions  -- a developmental wheel that draws upon generations of indigenous cultures’ intimacy with the wider natural world and can also be considered a model of human development. 

The wider context of this retreat is as a support for meeting the times we are living through and contributing toward, a time where the marriage of outer engagement and inner understanding is an essential feature of the movement toward a mutually beneficial human presence on this earth. This retreat is an opportunity to explore this through slowing down and settling into a rhythm and quality of presence that supports us in remembering what is most important, what nourishes us and allows us to more freely bring ourselves to this life.

Please register through their website: https://offgridretreats.org/upcoming-2022-retreats/may2022