Being Human Takes Practice

Join writer and meditation teacher Jeff Warren for a journey through the core skills of meditation practice and what they have to teach us about being human.

These skills lie at the headwaters of mental and emotional and spiritual health. Through a mix of guided, seated and movement meditation, nature practice, small group sharing and group discussion, we explore different simple techniques and share the insights that emerge from our own experience. Also, there are jokes. Sometimes people fall asleep – and wake up refreshed! Zeal! New convictions! Confusion, poignancy, the simple satisfaction in things as they are. We get human together and it’s all welcome.

Jeff’s primary interest as a guide is helping people become their own teachers, both by customizing meditation to work for their own weird neurodiverse nervous system, and also by integrating meditation into the larger story of life-as-path. Meditation is incredible – it teaches us about healing stuck emotions and expanding stuck views. It teaches us mercy and forgiveness, majesty and humility. It teaches us about how we relate to other people and to ourselves.

All this and more happens when we sit and do nothing. It’s mind-blowing. It makes Jeff want to weep. Maybe you will weep too, or laugh uproariously, or pass out in a patch of drool. Who can say?

The goal is for everyone to leave the weekend with a clear understanding of why they meditate, and a clear feeling for their own strange and beautiful practice.

Being human takes practice, and meditation is the practice of being human.

It’s everything. So come get some!

This retreat is appropriate for all experience levels.

This program is not intended as treatment for  mental health conditions. If you are unsure as to whether this program is suitable for you, please contact our registration team for more information about the program.

Program Highlights

• Understand the core skills of meditation and how they interact with each other
• Understand how to apply the skills of meditation to other practices and life activities
• Understand the overall terrain of practice through a lifetime, and what it means to see your own life as a spiritual path
• The role of service and giving back in all of this

Expected Activities

• Guided meditation
• Nature walks
• Some movement meditation
• Small group sharing (optional)
• Large group discussion

Testimonials

“Accessible, challenging, insightful and real. It will remind you or show you that being human is imperfect and beautiful.” – Past participant

“This was my first ever meditation retreat and it won’t be my last. It was a nice balance of meditation and discussion around a variety of practices and styles. I think it was appropriate for a beginner but also deep enough for a more experienced practitioner. The setting was great (except for the Hurricane). Everyone was made to feel very welcome and safe. I think it elevated my practice and gave me additional confidence in what I am doing to help deepen my own personal practice.” – Past participant

Daily Schedule

A detailed schedule will be emailed to you about 30 days prior to your program. Click here to view a sample program schedule.