Sitting in Beauty: A 5-day Silent Meditation Retreat

Program Start Date & Time: April 25 at 7:00 pm MT

Program End Date & Time: April 30th at 12:30 pm MT

Meditation is a path in which we cultivate our innate capacity as human beings to inhabit qualities associated with well-being – openness, peace, caring, resilience, and insight. In order to enhance this capacity, we will directly explore the power of mindfulness meditation and related practices including yoga, slow walking, mindful eating, and loving-kindness practice.

The retreat emphasizes the direct experience of mind and heart in a silent and supportive atmosphere. This secular, accessible retreat will be offered in the tradition of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction as taught around the world. It will include guided meditation instruction and talks by the retreat leader and an opportunity to discuss your practice in a small group meeting. It can be a profound and strengthening opportunity to meet oneself in this kind of supported, extended, compassionate silent retreat setting.

The daily schedule will integrate sitting and walking meditation, mindful movement, and periods of informal practice, all held within the container of noble silence. The retreat leaders will offer meditation instruction and talks to illuminate the foundational principles of mindfulness, the universality of the human experience, and the cultivation of wisdom and compassion. Participants will have an opportunity to meet with a retreat leader in a small group setting to discuss their experience and ask questions.

Attendance Requirement: Participants must attend all practice sessions

Program Goals

• Provide a safe, nourishing environment for cultivating a deep and grounded mindfulness meditation practice.
• Foster a rigorous retreat experience independent of any religious outlook.
• Offer excellent support and guidance from highly trained, experienced teachers and meditation instructors.
• Practice noble silence to develop a strong container for deepening meditation practice.

“Whatever exists in us is a natural situation. It is another dimension of natural beauty.  People sometimes go to great lengths to appreciate nature by climbing mountains, going on safari to see giraffes and lions in Africa, or taking a cruise to Antarctica. It is much simpler and more immediate to appreciate the natural beauty of ourselves.”
Mindfulness in Action, Chögyam Trungpa