The Power of Group Retreat at Drala Mountain Center
By Robbie Rettmer, Executive Director
For many years, I believed that a solo retreat was ‘the best’ way to meditate. While being alone in retreat can bring depth and stability to one’s practice, I found a different type of power that comes from group retreat.
As I reflect on the many retreats that I have participated in at Drala Mountain Center, powerful, poignant memories arise. From the personal connections that have remained over decades to feeling how my heart filled today as I listened to Family Camp parents and children singing in harmony as they closed their 10-day program. My life has been blessed beyond measure from this sacred land, the teachings, and fellow practitioners who strive to build kind and compassionate communities in every program.
Here are other pieces that provide a small insight into why our group retreats are so powerful.
Each Retreat is Different; Each Retreat has Similarities
At Drala Mountain Center, one weekend might gather experienced practitioners seeking a fresh start. Another might be filled with curious newcomers, arriving for the first time with open minds and tentativeness. Sometimes a teacher’s presence carries the blessing of a lineage. In others, it’s the quiet wisdom of nature or creative expression that leads the way. No two retreats are the same. Yet something reliable and intangible consistently happens when a group comes together, multiplying the power of each person’s intention and practice.
As mentioned, Family Camp was on the land this week bringing 180 parents and children of all ages. Being with the families and staff has brought lightness, laughter, and less seriousness to my daily experience. Here is their stated vision that speaks to the uniqueness of families in community and yet, we could say it is guidance for every retreat:
Families need an intentional situation in which they can unplug, relax, connect, practice, and celebrate being together in the context of a larger family and the natural world, nurturing a sense of belonging. We celebrate an awake and authentic container in which families can experience the joy of their simple humanity: Basic Goodness. Together we turn our care outward to create a global ethic of compassion, understanding, and peace.
Beyond the Science to the Dralas
Scientists who study consciousness fields and heart-brain coherence suggest that group meditation can influence the wider environment. Science also hints at the power of social regulation—the idea that our nervous systems co-regulate when we are near others who are calm and grounded. In group retreat, is has been found that:
- Breathing slows in synchrony.
- Emotional states stabilize more quickly.
- Shared silence magnifies insight and peace.
You’re not just practicing for yourself; you’re supported by and contributing to collective wellbeing. But you don’t need scientific data to feel it: there’s an overall positive vibration that begins to emerge.
We’ve seen again and again that when people come together to meditate, study, and contemplate, something profound happens. A dynamism of collective presence emerges. The subtle forces of this sacred land awaken when we practice together with discipline and care. In traditional Buddhist teachings, this is often referred to as drala—the unconditioned energy that arises when sacred view and genuine presence meet the phenomenal world. The dralas are more likely to be felt in such a container, and they help strengthen our minds towards basic goodness and all that is best in humanity.
The Group Holds What is Often Held Alone
Meditation can be a solitary journey, but when shared with others, it becomes community transformation. One person’s insight can become another’s inspiration. One person’s tears might invite someone else’s release. As each person turns inward, a container is formed that holds everyone.
There’s something sacred about sitting together through discomfort, through joy, and through not knowing. We witness each other in the deep, quiet truth of shared presence. This witnessing, free from commentary or judgment, creates a space for authenticity to arise. Group retreat becomes a mirror, not only for the self but for our shared human condition. The joy, the sorrow, the fear, the love—they are not “mine” or “yours,” they simply are.
Why Now?
We are constantly being pulled in different directions with ceaseless distractions by screens, noise, tasks, and demands. Gathering in stillness has become a rare act. Deciding to do a retreat is not a luxury, it is medicine.
As we greet people at Guest Services, we see how often people arrive burned out or overwhelmed, carrying invisible burdens. Within a day or two of group practice, the shoulders soften. The gaze becomes gentler. Conversations become more authentic. Laughter returns, unforced. Sometimes, silence becomes more nourishing than speaking.
When we retreat together, we are not escaping life—we are returning to simple humanity. We are saying yes to depth, to presence, to real connection. We are remembering that we are not alone in our longing for peace and a saner world. And when the retreat ends, something comes home with us: a quieter mind, a more open heart, and a felt sense of belonging that lingers after the closing ring of the gong.
The Land Itself Joins the Practice
Our 600-acre valley, surrounded by forested peaks and unique rock formations that seem to become more alive during retreat. The land awakens the stronger the retreat energy. There’s a quality of support from the environment that amplifies the group’s practice, an interweaving of human and drala presence.
For myself, this has been true for the past 40 years that I’ve been coming to this land and through all the different chapters.
This is not abstract. People have said, “It feels like the land is practicing with us.” Perhaps it is. Perhaps our shared stillness brings a union between us and the sacred land of Drala Mountain Center.