Begin Where You Are: An Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation

January 29th - 31st, 2027

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Arrival: January 29th, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Departure: January 31st, 12:30 PM

Tiered Tuition:
Scholarship Tuition: $200 + 2 nights lodging

Standard Tuition: $250 + 2 nights lodging

Sponsor Tuition: $350 + 2 nights lodging
Combined at checkout

Meals & drinks included
Inc. V, VG, GF

Add extra nights at 50% off

Tiered Tuition:
Scholarship Tuition: $200 + 2 nights lodging

Standard Tuition: $250 + 2 nights lodging

Sponsor Tuition: $350 + 2 nights lodging

Combined at checkout

Meals & drinks included
Inc. V, VG, GF

Add extra nights at 50% off

About the Retreat

Mindfulness offers an invitation to come home to ourselves, let go of trying to be more, and to rest our attention in the present moment. This retreat offers an opportunity to slow down, reconnect with yourself, and explore practices that can reduce stress, increase awareness, and promote wellbeing.

Whether you are brand new to mindfulness or wanting to expand your understanding of secular practice, you will find a welcoming, experiential environment where you can deepen, learn, and reflect in a responsive and trauma-sensitive space.

Throughout the weekend, you’ll be guided in seated, standing, lying down, and walking meditation, gentle mindful movement, personal and group inquiry, and time immersed in the extraordinary beauty of Drala Mountain Center. Each experience is designed to help you release judgment and bring curiosity to your inner landscape while developing practical skills that support greater focus and balance in everyday life.

This introduction will include practices from evidence-based mindfulness-based interventions to help you respond to life’s real challenges with applicable skills and a greater understanding of your nervous system. You’ll learn practices that are proven to support long-term habit change and help manage anxiety, reduce reactivity, enhance sleep quality, lower blood pressure, and improve your relationships with others and with yourself.

What to Expect

  • Guided seated, walking, standing, and lying down meditation practices -Gentle mindful movement suitable for all bodies and abilities
  • Quiet time for personal reflection, journaling, and small-group inquiry
  • Time to hike, rest, and enjoy the beauty of Drala Mountain Center
  • Trauma-sensitive instruction in evidence-based mindfulness meditation and nervous system regulation
  • A welcoming, experiential retreat designed for beginners and experienced practitioners, or anyone wishing to deepen a secular mindfulness practice

Why Attend?

  • Learn simple, practical mindfulness skills to help reduce stress, heal burnout, tend to your own wellbeing, and improve your relationships
  • Cultivate attentional control, kindness, curiosity, and build the foundation for a consistent and manageable daily meditation practice
  • Increase your capacity to respond rather than react in moments of stress and anxiety
  • Understand how to work with your nervous system skillfully to navigate chronic pain, stress, and difficult relationships
  • Renew your energy, rest your heart, and tend to your spirit with simple, trauma-sensitive practices you can easily embed into your daily life

FAQs

Do I need any previous meditation experience?
No previous experience is required. The retreat begins with the foundations of mindfulness and builds gradually throughout the weekend.

Is the retreat trauma-sensitive?
Yes. The retreat is taught using a trauma-sensitive approach that emphasizes choice, curiosity, and self-awareness. You are always encouraged to honor your own experience and engage in ways that feel supportive.

Is this a silent retreat?
No. While periods of silence are woven throughout the weekend to support reflection and mindfulness practice, this is not a silent retreat. You will also engage in guided instruction, group discussion, and opportunities for personal inquiry.

Is this therapy?
No. This retreat is an educational program focused on teaching evidence-based mindfulness practices in a supportive learning environment. While many people find mindfulness deeply healing and personally meaningful, the retreat is not psychotherapy, group therapy, or a substitute for mental health treatment.

What if I have trouble sitting still or meditating?
Many people share this concern. Mindfulness is not about emptying the mind or remaining perfectly still. Throughout the weekend, you’ll be invited to explore seated, standing, walking, lying down, and movement-based practices, with encouragement to honor your own body and needs.

What if I’m feeling overwhelmed or emotionally activated?
Mindfulness invites us to meet our experience with kindness and curiosity, one moment at a time. Throughout the retreat, you are encouraged to honor your own pace, stay in choice, and care for yourself in whatever ways feel most supportive. The practices are invitational, and you are always welcome to modify or pause your participation as needed.

What should I bring?
Comfortable clothing for meditation and mindful movement, layers for Colorado’s mountain weather, sturdy shoes for walking outdoors, a journal if you enjoy writing, and anything else that helps you feel comfortable and at ease.

Teacher Testimonials

“This has really helped me get in touch with what it feels like to be kind to myself by taking the time. This course taught me to relax and focus on sensations when I am feeling anxious or overwhelmed. I got lots of tips to let things go and center myself. I appreciate being able to calm myself down to keep my personal life in balance at work.”

“I loved the mindful tools from this first module, because they have been so important on a daily basis for me. Since I’ve taken the course, I can calm down before I get frustrated or even angry at situations or people. I’m not an aggressive person by default, but sometimes after the long days and craziness of this job, I find my fuse a lot shorter than normal. Now, I take a few minutes just to focus on breathing and calming down.”

“I have made a change in how I approach work and chores and life in general. Instead of feeling like I need to barrel through chores to just get them done, with the hopes of having some time at the end for relaxation or fun, I am now mindfully doing as many things as I can, and finding enjoyment even in the simplest of tasks, or even unpleasant tasks. Enjoyment is in living life moment by moment.”

“Finally, I have learned how to relax in meditation because of this class.”

Learn more about Cynthia on her website, and subscribe to her Substack to receive her writing via email.

Retreat Faculty

Dr. Cynthia Garner

Dr. Cynthia Garner is a somatic therapist and boundary-setting coach who works with educators, mental health professionals, caregivers, and survivors of relational violence. She also teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, and is the author of Fierce Boundaries: Practical Skills and Somatic Exercises for Healing in a Traumatized World. 

Lodging

We have several accommodations to choose from during checkout.
All options include our healthy meals and drinks. Inc V, VG, GF.

Dormitories
Rooms with beds for up to 7-8 people. Gender-segregated with men in their own dorm and women in another. The dorms use a shared bathroom down the hall, which is also equipped with shower stalls.

Monk Rooms
A cost-effective option for participants looking for indoor, solitary lodging, but who don’t mind using a shared bathroom or are looking for a more affordable retreat solution. These rooms are in the same hall as the Ridgen Dormitories, but offer more privacy than the dorms. In addition to a bed, bedding, a private room and closet, the monk rooms also have a large window and a desk and desk chair for added comfort.

Single and Double Rooms
The perfect choice for a retreat where you want both your own space and your own bathroom. Each room offers a little more space, a dresser and closet, and a 3/4s bathroom (toilet, sink, and shower, no bathtub) attached to each room.

Junior Suite
Our Lodge Junior Suites include a queen-size bed topped by a cozy comforter, a desk, dresser, closet and private bath with bathtub, plus a sitting area.

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