“Kasinas,” “mandalas” and “psychedelia” are all different words referring to tools for the development of the mind. Kasinas comprise part of the ten recollections taught by the Buddha; they are known to develop calm and concentration while also leading to bliss. Using meditative objects — such as the four elements, colors and breathing — together we unlock the power of the here and now, opening the mind to its natural state: clear, radiant, spacious wonder. A traditional Tibetan empowerment (or “Wong Kur”) for White Tara will be offered during this silent retreat. White Tara represents our connection with the transcendental, and is also known for her compassion, serenity, and ability to confer healing and longevity. This silent meditation retreat is beneficial for all levels of practitioner, from the beginning meditation student to advanced practitioners. It includes two daily teachings with Sensei plus an opportunity for personal interviews as well as three daily group sits and time for personal practice. There will be a one hour yoga class each day with our beloved and skillful teacher, Rae Ishe. Villa Sumaya has generously priced this retreat to make it accessible to all practitioners. Please contact Lizzy or visit Villa Sumaya website for more details.

An opportunity for retreat work at Clear Sky Centre: Take advantage of private meditation cabins to learn to better understand your own and thus others' minds and hearts. To use others' realization to further your own, and vice versa, see the group retreats elsewhere in this schedule. Participating in "awakening in action" through living and working in awakening community is another option, as part of the Clear Sky Experience.

Reclaim the personal power that’s every human’s birthright by growing mindfulness habits, thereby liberating your finest qualities and decreasing obstacles to your best manifestations in the world. Together we explore receptive and active exercises, solo and in small groups, supplying useful tools for practice throughout the year in both daily and exceptional situations. Connect three times daily to hear teachings and play with creative visualization, movement, meditation, speech/writing and artistic exercises. Become empowered to unveil mindful ease via the different senses and various parts of the brain. Rediscover your strengths and develop your weaker areas. Cultivate a more balanced, holistic life full of the natural pleasures of relationships, work, humour and joy. For more details and registration information, please refer to the Hollyhock course page. Learn more about Hollyhock here. New on the Hollyhock website, our article "Spiritual Healing".

Are you longing for a greater sense of the mystical in your life? It awaits us, as part of the human birthright of awakening. This four-week retreat from December 19 addresses four stages of the mystical life, and may be attended in its entirety or for particular stages: 1) Building an Unassailable Spiritual Aspiration (Dec 20 – 26) Like any stable creation, our spiritual life needs to be built on a strong and sound foundation. During this stage we lay or strengthen the groundwork for the fundamentals of the spiritual life. Highlights include teachings and meditations on impermanence and the preciousness of this human birth, as well as cornerstones of spiritual aspiration such as generosity and others means of generating merit. 2) Abiding with the Divine (Dec 27 – Jan 2) Compassion and loving kindness are two of the indescribably precious “divine abidings,” where fully awakened beings spend all their time! We go in depth to craft our practice of building, maintaining and growing these prized assets, so that we spend more and more of our time there. This stage also reveals how we can continue to fertilize their growth while we go about our daily lives, a crucial component to the virtual monastery. 3) Catalyzing Growth Through Universal Archetypes (Jan 3- Jan 9) We all live by creating and sustaining images and appearances – we have to appear somehow! This stage examines a variety of historical archetypes of how we humans have modeled ourselves around the world and over […]