In this teaching you will learn 4 meditation practices rooted in tradition and confirmed by neuroscience. One day is spent on each practice. This allows you to experience the meditation’s purpose, what it does to your consciousness, and how it supports awakening in unique and important ways. This helps you to make wise use of precious time spent in daily practice and retreat, and to better understand the overall trajectory of your spiritual unfoldment.

We also explore the question: “What is awakening?” Awakening is the inspiration for many on the spiritual journey, but we may be unclear about what it is, how it happens, and what we can commonly encounter. An overview of how awakening is understood across wisdom traditions is provided, misconceptions are clarified (as well as why scandals happen), and we learn more about how to integrate spiritual experience into everyday life. Participants are also guided in tuning in to their own “flame for awakening.”

(NOTE TO LAURA: the feedback on this has been good, I’ve taught it at Spirit Rock and Insight Meditation Tucson, and am scheduled to to teach it at Shambhala Mountain Center as well. The 4 practices happen to correlate with Dzogchen, and include Heart-based–metta/bodhicitta; focused attention–samatha; open monitoring–vipassana; and self-transcending–dogchen/rigpa. We could also include the categories in the description if you like.) TINA WILL UPDATE BEFORE POSTING.

Each participant will have a single room, and personal “safety bubbles” will be created in accordance with the current covid-19 conditions at the time to maximize individual and group health.

The following attendance prerequisites are currently in place as of this writing in order to provide the safest possible retreat environment under covid-19 conditions. In order for your registration to be accepted, we require that you:

1. Currently follow all covid-19 health and safety protocols recommended by the CDC, including mask-wearing, social distancing and hand hygiene.
2. Agree to abide by all covid-19 health and safety protocols in place at Cloud Mountain.

We reserve the right to amend these prerequisites and policies according to changing covid-19 conditions. PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR UPDATED INFORMATION ABOUT OUR COVID-19 HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS.

Scholarship funds are available on all retreats to assist those with financial challenges. For more information, read the Scholarship section of our overview information.