Mindfulness On and Off the Cushion: Your Life as Practice

March 24 - 28, 2027

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Arrival: March 24th, 2:00 – 5:00 PM

Departure: March 28th, 12:30 PM

Teacher Compensation This retreat is offered on a dana (generosity) basis for the teacher. Dating back to the time of Buddha, the dana system is an ancient form of reciprocity and a healthy gift economy based on open-handedness and trust in community. It is the foundation of Buddhist practice rooted in the understanding that generosity opens the heart, creates connection to others, and keeps the teachings alive. Your registration fee covers lodging and meals only. At the end of the retreat, there will be an opportunity to offer dana directly to the teachers. Any amount is welcome!

Add extra nights at 50% off

Teacher Compensation This retreat is offered on a dana (generosity) basis for the teacher. Dating back to the time of Buddha, the dana system is an ancient form of reciprocity and a healthy gift economy based on open-handedness and trust in community. It is the foundation of Buddhist practice rooted in the understanding that generosity opens the heart, creates connection to others, and keeps the teachings alive. Your registration fee covers lodging and meals only. At the end of the retreat, there will be an opportunity to offer dana directly to the teachers. Any amount is welcome!

Add extra nights at 50% off

About the Retreat

What if mindfulness could become more than something you practice while sitting on a meditation cushion? What if it could change the way you move through your entire day?

In this silent retreat, we’ll explore how mindfulness can become a way of living, helping us meet the ordinary moments of daily life, as well as life’s inevitable ups and downs, with greater awareness and presence.

Led by longtime meditation teacher Barry Gillespie, this retreat offers an opportunity to explore mindfulness as a way of life. Through traditional mindfulness meditation, walking practice, Buddhist teachings, chanting, silence, and time in nature, we’ll explore both the foundations of mindfulness and how to carry these practices back into our lives.

Whether you are new to meditation or have an established practice, this retreat offers an opportunity to deepen your understanding of mindfulness and discover how practice can continue long after you leave the cushion.

What to Expect

  • The entire retreat will be in silence except for brief Q&A periods

  • Sitting meditation with instruction

  • Formal walking meditation with instructions

  • Daily Damma talks

  • Opening and closing chants

  • 1-on-1 meetings with Barry

What You’ll Get from this Retreat

This retreat is an opportunity to discover how mindfulness can become a practical resource for living. You’ll explore how to:

  • Bring greater awareness and presence into ordinary activities

  • Be present throughout all of life’s ups and downs

  • Develop a more consistent meditation practice

  • Carry the qualities of silence, stillness, and attention back into daily life

Why Attend?

This retreat is an invitation to explore mindfulness as a way of relating to your life.

  • Take a close look at traditional Buddhist teachings and practices

  • Learn how you can apply Buddhist teachings to your daily life out in the world

  • Learn the value of silence and stillness in a world that encourages the opposite.

“Barry is an incredibly embodied, patient, and generous teacher of the Buddha’s dharma and a true scholar-practitioner. You can tell that he has not only studied thousands of pages of scripture in depth, sat at the feet of great teachers for hundreds, if not thousands, of hours, but has also sat in meditation for at least as many hours, walking the talk, you might say. One of the things I love about the way Barry teaches is that, despite his decades-long practice, he maintains a beginner’s mind–he’s just one of us!–yet he can answer even the most nuanced and esoteric questions and always offers profound and practical insights.” –Jaimee E.

Retreat Faculty

Barry Gillespie

Barry Gillespie was introduced to formal meditation practice in 1978, through the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashram. After taking a combined Ashtanga Yoga and Vipassana retreat in 1999 he began exploring Theravaden Buddhist practice, sitting many long retreats at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA and Spirit Rock in Woodacre, CA. His principal teacher is [...]

Lodging

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

Car Camping
We have 5 primitive parking spots in the Rigden parking lot, for simply parking and sleeping. This includes food and access our bathhouses in Rigden Lodge.
Note: We don’t have any water or electric hook ups for RV’s.

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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