July 16 - 24; Thursday to Friday, 8 days with Phillip Moffitt and Adrianne Ross

Silent Vipassana Meditation with Somatic Movement

This unique week-long vipassana retreat will be held in noble silence and offer sitting and walking meditation, and mindful movement instruction. The movement class will emphasize bringing attention to the inner experience of the body in order to strengthen the concentration in the sitting and walking practices. This retreat will emphasize both the wisdom practices and the compassion practices in order to achieve a healing balance in mind, body and heart.

Phillip Moffitt is a member of the Teacher's Collective at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and president of the Life Balance Institute. He also writes the "Dharma Wisdom" column for Yoga Journal. Moffitt's teaching style combines the idealism and insight of Eastern spiritual practices and Western psychology into practical application for achieving harmony in daily life. He has been practicing Sivananda and Iyengar yoga for 25 years.

Adrianne Ross MD, has been involved with meditaton and healing since 1978. Her teaching is influenced by Burmese and Thai streams of Therevada, as well as Dzogchen. She leads retreats in Canada and the US and teaches Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction to people with chronic pain and illness. She has enjoyed giving womens retreats for over 10 years.

Retreat cost: $480 plus dana offering.  Register Here

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July 24 - 30; Friday to Thursday, 6 days with Master Wu

Taiqi Level VI
Pre-requisite: Taiqi level I to V

Description: to be announced.

Master Zhongxian Wu was born on China’s eastern shore in the city of Wenlin in Zhejiang Province, where the sun’s rays first touch the Chinese mainland. He began practicing Qigong and Taiji at an early age. Inspired by the immediate strengthening effects of this practice, Master Wu committed himself to the life-long pursuit of the ancient arts of internal cultivation. He devoted himself to the study of Qigong, martial arts, Chinese medicine, Yijing science, Chinese calligraphy, ancient Chinese music and Tibetan Buddhism over the next thirty years, studying with some of the best teachers in these fields.

Registration for this program is done directly with Master Wu.
Contact him at: qi@masterwu.net or 503-936-3390
His web site is: www.masterwu.net

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July 31 - August 3; 3 days with Tina Rasmussen and Stephen Snyder

Description to be announced

Tina Rasmussen learned to meditate in 1976, at the age of 13. She has meditated daily since 1993. When she was 28, she started doing silent solo retreats every year. During that time, her career as an organizational development consultant and coach took off, and in 1995 she completed her Ph.D. At the age of 30, her first business book was published by McGraw-Hill. Her second book was published in 2006.

Tina attended her first month-long Buddhist meditation retreat in 1996. In 2000, she became drawn to the idea of having an “urban cave experience”--doing an extended solo retreat at home, rather than traveling to a foreign country to practice at a monastery. In 2003, she began a year-long solo retreat in her condo near San Francisco, spending 8 to 12 hours every day for over a year engaged in spiritual practice. Her practices included the Jhanas, Vipassana, the Bramaviharas, Tibetan Dzogchen Rigpa, Qi Gong, and Yoga. In 2004, the solo retreat ended and she began integrating the pristine awareness that had developed with the realities of everyday life.

In 2005, Tina attended the 2-month jhana retreat with Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw, who ordained her as the Theravada Buddhist nun "Ayya Pesala." During the retreat, Tina became the first American and the first Western woman to complete the eight jhanas (as well as other practices) in the lineage of Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw. She now works as a spiritual mentor, professional coach, and OD consultant. You can reach her at RasmussenT@aol.com, or 415-457-4580.

Stephen Snyder began practicing Zen Buddhism in 1976 at the age of 19, and has had a daily meditation practice from that time on. He practiced for 20 years with several Western Zen masters. He participated in more than 50 retreats, receiving several ordinations and the Zen dharma name Hoe’ Doetsu (“Peak Wisdom, Mutual Joy”). His primary practices over the years have been the Zen practices of Koans and Shikantaza, the Tibetan Dzogchen Rigpa practice, and the Theravadan Jhanas.

In 1983, Stephen began law school in order to assist Buddhist Centers as a lawyer in preserving the vessel of the dharma. He went on to work as a practicing lawyer, also serving as an advisor to a number of Buddhist and spiritual teachers. Stephen attended the two-month retreat with Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw in 2005. He attained the eight jhanas (as well as other practices) in the span of the retreat, becoming the first American male to complete this attainment. Stephen now works as a spiritual mentor, professional coach, and lawyer. You can reach him at enohoe@yahoo.com, or 415-453-4470.

Retreat cost: $TBA plus dana offering.  Register Here

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