the Natural World
Our Natural World is a gift and a treasure. Connecting with the Natural World around us, learning new ways to care for and reciprocate the gifts of nature can be incredibly invigorating and healing. Join us in exploring nature, how nature supports us, and how we can best support nature in return.
Mindful Birding: Sounds of Spring
Dr. Barb Patterson
Program Date & Time: May 3rd | 9:30 am – 12:00 pm Discover the beauty of spring and the melody of birdsong at Drala Mountain Center through the practice of mindful birding. This approach blends birdwatching with mindfulness techniques, fostering a practice centered on heightened awareness. The focus is not on identifying or labeling birds, […]
Wild Tending: Nature and Forest Therapy
Laurie Fonken, Ph.D.
Program Date & Time: May 3rd | 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm Connect with the natural world in a respectful and reciprocal way while using your senses to engage with and experience the richness, magic and complex beauty that lies within. Wild Tending is a fundamental principle of forest therapy and is an act of […]
The Art of Zen Birding
Ryan Dibala
There are birders and there are Zen birders. What’s the difference? Intention. Join naturalist and Birding Man Adventures Founder Dr. Ryan Dibala in a series of workshops that explore what could be considered the paradoxical worlds of birding and Zen birding. The breeding birds of the montane and subalpine ecosystems surrounding Drala provide a plethora […]
Deepening Roots, Growing Branches: Cultivating Your Wildest, Wisest Self
Shea Armstrong, M.A and Tina Fields, Ph.D
Program Start Date & Time: June 26th | 5:00pm Program End Date & Time: June 29th | 12:30 pm Unwind from the stress and pace of life this summer during a joyful retreat deepening your connections with “nature” – our oldest kin and teacher – and your own wild soul. Guided by ecopsychology, animism, and […]
Yoga and Nature: Gifts of the Season
Melissa Lago
Program Start Date & Time: June 27th | 5:30pm Program End Date & Time: June 29th | 12:30 pm Replenish your body, mind, heart and spirit and bring it into harmony and balance with the seasons through yoga and spending time in the natural world. Many of us spend more time staring into screens, and […]
Quiet Mind, Open Heart: Cultivating Loving Kindness
Brooke Binstock, Marissa Knox and Kelly Lindsey
Come home to yourself. Say YES to a spacious retreat designed to nurture your body, heart, and mind. This retreat will offer opportunities to explore Buddhist teachings on six fundamental practices that can help us to awaken our hearts and invite more loving kindness, compassion, and joy into our everyday lives. The daily schedule will […]
Family Camp: Compassion in Family Life
Kelly Lindsey, Rachel Steele, Tessa Ladendorf and Judith Simmer-Brown and Richard Brown
Thank you everyone for Signing up! We are VERY full now, and are making sure to get as many families in as we can. Please be patient with us while we take this on. Thank you Again! Nurture family connections while rejuvenating your spirit in the beautiful terrain of Drala Mountain Center. Family Camp is […]
On Land – Course 3: COMING TO YOUR SENSES! In Nature
Rev. Dr. Heather Shea and Kim ("Kimla") Desrosiers
When: Thursday Evening, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, August 7th – 10th, 2025 In Tibetan Buddhism, we are taught that – in addition to the five senses, there is a sixth sense. As the world is going through increasingly turbulent times, you may sense consciousness is accelerating. You may sense your psychic and intuitive capability being […]
Carrying the Light: A Family Nature Retreat
Laura Goodrich
Program Start Date & Time: August 15th | 5:30 pm Program End Date & Time: August 17th | 1:00 pm Carrying the Light: A Family Nature Retreat before the School Year Begins As the summer wanes and the new school year begins, join us for a rejuvenating weekend immersed in nature designed to help families […]
A Gathering of Eco-Spiritual Practitioners: Deepening Kinship & Sharing Wild Wisdom
Shea Armstrong, M.A and Tina Fields, Ph.D
Program Start Date & Time: September 18th | 5:00pm Program End Date & Time: September 21st | 1:30 pm Gather in the spirit of the autumnal season to joyfully nourish and celebrate your wildest, wisest self within a supportive community of fellow eco-spiritual practitioners and those interested in deepening connections with our oldest kin and […]
Yoga and Nature: Gifts of the Season
Melissa Lago
Program Start Date & Time: October 10th | 5:30 pm Program End Date & Time: October 12th | 12:30 pm Replenish your body, mind, heart and spirit and bring it into harmony and balance with the seasons through yoga and spending time in the natural world. Many of us spend more time staring into screens, […]
Sensing Earth Energies – A Somatic and Contemplative Doorway into Communing with the Earth
Anne Zonne Parker PhD
Program Start Date & Time: November 21st | 5:30 pm Program End Date & Time: November 23rd | 12:30 pm During this enriching 3-day, 2-night program on the land, we will dive into somatic connection with the earth. By engaging with earth-based practices such as feeling and working with telluric earth energies, entering the energy fields […]
Yoga and Nature: Gifts of the Season
Melissa Lago
Program Start Date & Time: January 9th | 5:30 pm Program End Date & Time: January 11th | 12:30 pm Replenish your body, mind, heart and spirit and bring it into harmony and balance with the seasons through yoga and spending time in the natural world. Many of us spend more time staring into screens, […]
A Family Journey into Nature & Mindfulness
Laura Goodrich
Program Start Date & Time: June 21st | 10:00 am Program End Date & Time: June 21st | 2:00 pm A Family Journey into Nature, Connection, and Mindfulness Step into the heart of nature and into deeper connection over the Solstice weekend— with yourself, your family, and the earth. This is a conscious gathering designed […]