2019 Summer Meditation & Yoga Retreat

deep rest & self care

beloved community

embodied inquiry

renew your refuge

And what, bhikkhus, is the origin of the world? In dependence on the eye [ear, nose, tongue, body, mind] and forms, eye-consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, feeling comes to be; with feeling as condition, craving; with craving as condition, clinging; with clinging as condition, existence; with existence as condition, birth; with birth as condition, aging-and-death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair come to be. This, bhikkhus, is the origin of the world.   

The Buddha (SN 12.44)

From the earliest contemplative practitioners, meditating and gathering together in the woods was considered one of the most conducive situations for deep practice.

Join me and an intimate group of dedicated seekers for a long weekend in the power of spiritual community and the sublime environment of the deep woods. We will integrate the practices of movement and stillness, dynamic breath work and precise mindfulness meditation, embedded within a mostly traditional silent Insight Meditation retreat structure.

This 4-night silent meditation and yoga retreat is for practitioners with at least 2 years experience in yoga and meditation. We will work with the Haṭha Yoga Sadhana movement form and integrate aspects of the Buddhist and Hindu streams of energetic cultivation and embodied inquiry.

• meditation & mindfulness based in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition
• yogāsana as movement inquiry, transforming posture work into meditative & energetic process
• prānāyāma and bandha, the energetic practices at the heart of Classical Haṭha Yoga
• Relational practice in the Open Circle form based in the discipline of Authentic Movement

To support the skillful unfolding of these practices, all participants will receive individual guidance with Dr. Oakes. For details on the retreat structure we’ll use, including how we work with silence, self-guided practice, chanting, and movement, read more here.

As a framework for our inquiry in this retreat, we will explore the gorgeous Buddhist model of identity, suffering, and liberation known as Dependent Origination, the basis of the quote at the top of this page, and the heart of the Buddha’s unique vision.

Join us for a very special period of focused practice in the deep redwoods.