Resting in Stillness

Annual Meditation Retreat with Pema Khandro Online

July 22-26th

Reconnect with your Inner Wisdom. During these times of great change and uncertainty, cultivating a sense of inner stability is crucial.  It is a fact of life that self-care and contemplation are the foundation for showing up more fully to the world. Thus this live-stream event is offered as support when support is needed the most. 

Rest deeply and Renew your life. The focus of this retreat is to support you to experience deep rest, deep calm and a sense of mind-body renewal. This is meditation practice with support. It is meditation with its full system of methods intact, from breathing practice, to buddhist philosophy, yoga to ritual and mantra. Let the profound knowledge of the Tibetan Buddhist meditation tradition hold you in tranquility and peace. 

Body and Mind integration. Learn how to sit well. This is a practice of meditation that is embodied, synchronizing and harmonizing body and mind. Yoga classes each afternoon will focus on restorative, gentle yoga to peel away layers of tension and reveal the sense of spaciousness that is available from within. Instructions on how to sit will focus on how to work gently with your body rather than force it. Give your body the support it needs to let go.

“Through the stillness of the mind

And through its luminosity

The two accumulations, skillful means and wisdom,

Generation and perfection stages are all achieved.

Deep insight brings to birth the wisdom of realization

And in abiding in tranquility there is rest.”

– From Longchenpa’s Finding Comfort & Ease in the Nature of Mind

Finding Comfort & Ease in the Nature of Mind. Practice meditation in the brilliant tradition of Tibetan Buddhism’s esoteric yogis known as Dzogchen, the great perfection. This retreat will follow the instruction of one of the greatest Buddhist masters of all time, the philosopher-yogi, Longchenpa. It is an immersion in Longchenpa’s instructions for Finding Comfort & Ease in the Nature of Mind and his instructions for Holding on to the Nature of Mind. These are the practices that have been the focus of the annual meditation retreat for the last four years. They provide simple, profound guidelines to experience mind in its spacious and open expanse. It is the direct path to becoming more fully present, towards the uncontrived state of clarity.

The Benefits of Meditation

Meditation for its Practical and Ultimate Purpose. Studies have shown that meditation has been proven to reduce anxiety, promote emotional health, reduce long-term depression, reduce feelings of loneliness, lengthen the attention span, increase problem solving abilities, reduce memory loss and increase compassion towards oneself and others and more. (1) Yet these practical benefits are not the only reason to meditate. The spiritual benefits of meditation retreats have long been discussed in Tibetan literature as a path to liberating oneself from self-deception and confusion, clearing negative karma and awakening to the depths of one’s being.

About the Retreat

The annual summer meditation retreat with Pema Khandro is one of the most cherished events of the year attended by sangha members and friends from all religious backgrounds.

Create a Dedicated Container for Meditation. Experience a supportive environment for creating an at home retreat. The schedule for the retreat has been tailored for the complexity and demands of these pandemic times to foster safety, support, time for rest, self-care and integration. 

Unprecedented Access to This Special Event. The annual meditation retreat has previously been held annual in the forests of Northern California. However this year, due to the global pandemic, this retreat has been moved online. The online format provides an opportunity to learn how to have a home retreat with profound support of the teacher, teachings and community. 

Finally, Compassion For Your Life. We support householders and people with careers who want to do in-depth practice, therefore attendance of all sessions are optional. You are welcome to join in for the sessions you can attend. To accommodate schedules of our diverse retreatants, two registration options are offered, one for the full retreat and one for just the weekend.

The Retreat will Include:

• Guided meditations and classes with Pema Khandro
• Tibetan yoga practices for clearing obscurations and fostering insight
• Instructions and Practice Longchenpa’s Finding Comfort & Ease in the Nature of Mind
• Instructions for Practice from Longchenpa’s Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle
• Instruction on the Tibetan esoteric meditation systems of Zhine and Semdzin
• Guided small group periods for social connection
• Transmission and instruction for smoke offering
• Instruction on how to set up a shrine
• Instruction on best postures for meditation
• Antidotes to meditation obstacles
• Daily Bliss Yoga Sessions

The Retreat Schedule:

Dates:  July 22-26th

Wednesday, July 22nd 

• Orientation, Transmission to Practice (Lung), & Meet and Greet 4pm-6pm

Thursday-Saturday July 23-25th 

• Daily Schedule 10am-6pm *See Below

Sunday, July 26th

• Final Teachings & Closing 10am-1pm

Daily Schedule (Thurs-Sat)
Times are approximate and subject to change

10am-1pm PST Sessions with Pema Khandro
1pm-3pm PST Lunch break
3pm-4pm PST Bliss Yoga at Home
4pm-5pm PST Chanting & Meditation
5pm-6pm PST Small Group Sessions**
*Friday Schedule will accommodate a 24-hour period of silence
*Sunday schedule goes from 10am- 1pm and includes teaching, meditation, large group discussion, protector practice and smoke offering. 

**A separate Zoom Meeting Link will be used for small group sessions to allow for breakout rooms. This link will be sent in the same email as your Zoom Webinar Link and Password for the retreat 24-48hrs after completion of your registration. 

The Orientation July 22nd 4pm-6pm

Orientation will include instructions on how to sit, how to set up a sacred space for meditation practice, and necessary Lung (the oral transmission) will be given, how to set up a shrine as well as a meet and greet for all the participants. 

Tuition 
Full Registration $405-$595 Sliding Scale (Wed Orientation & Lung, Thurs-Sun)
Partial Registration $270 – $395 Sliding Scale (Wed Orientation & Lung, Sat-Sun)
All Access Pass: Tuition Free* (All Access Pass Members register for a minimum of three months)
Inquire for scholarship application at info@buddhistyogis.org

*Apply Member Discount Codes at Checkout

1. Research listed in this description was compiled in this article: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation#section9