Meditation & Mindfulness
Calm & Clear Mind
Personal Development
The Mysterious Heart of Meditation
Unwind for this gleeful exploratory romp into the mysterious heart of meditation, with meditation instructor and award-winning writer Jeff Warren, co-author of the best-selling Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics.
On this retreat, we will explore the common language that is the foundation for all practices. Underneath the external form of a practice—whether playing music, or noticing the breath, or moving the body in martial arts—deep life skills are being trained. Understanding these skills is central to building your own practice, to being your own life teacher, and to sharing practice with others.
“The goal is not to clear your mind but to focus your mind—for a few nanoseconds at a time—and whenever you become distracted, just start again. Getting lost and starting over is not failing at meditation, it is succeeding.”
― Jeff Warren, Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics
In this workshop, we will
- Look at four skills in particular, as one way to understand how practice works.
- Learn to recognize and develop these deep skills not only while meditating, but also in other areas of life.
This is about healing, exploration and empowerment—there is no greater adventure.
Nurtured by breathtaking views, this retreat is suitable for total beginners to more experienced practitioners. Three days of sitting and discussion, with some movement and nature excursions to keep the energy moving and the body limber. Excitement will be had, as well as peaceful sighing and a great many terrible jokes.
A NOTE FROM JEFF
Welcome to How to Be Your Own Meditation Teacher—where it doesn’t matter how many techniques and paths you’ve explored and accidentally screwed-up. In this workshop, we start again fresh!
We’ll dig into the magical mystery weirdness of concentration, clarity, equanimity, and care, and then we’ll build an understanding of practice that works for each of us. We’ll do all this in a rigorously humanistic way that nevertheless gets cool and mystical at the end, because, frankly, that’s where the fun is.
The community is the real teacher. I’m always amazed by the everyday wisdom that comes out when people get honest and real about their lives and their practice. We all have something to teach each other about being human. There’s no hierarchy from this perspective: no special artist over here, or enlightened person over there.
As you take a break from daily life in this retreat, you’ll
- Unwind in an environment of comparative simplicity
- Keep your body still and your mind awake
- Learn the core life skills that exist within all meditation types
- Make space to do is nothing at all
- Enjoy the sense of connection through group meditation
- Create a custom meditation practice just for yourself.
Meditation can be ridiculously helpful, and it doesn’t have to look anything like the stereotypes, nor do you need to buy into a particular worldview to enjoy its benefits and perspective.
When we understand how the practice works in our own nervous systems, we can begin to be our own teacher. And then we pass it on, so the practice can find its unique expression in someone else. This is how sanity becomes a social movement.
Hope to see you in October!
Jeff
Features
A Retreat in the Mountains
During your stay, you have time for personal R & R also. Whether you want to explore forest trails and bask in the fresh mountain air, enjoy a pottery or watercolor painting class, release stress with a therapeutic spa treatment, the choice is yours. (Additional fees may apply.)
Make Your Retreat Extra Special
Combine your retreat with authentic Ayurveda for rejuvenation on all levels, body, mind and spirit. The recommended Ayurveda treatment for this retreat is an Abhyanga massage (“Abby” for short), followed by a relaxing steam to further release stress. Pre-requisite: 18 years of age or older
Presenter
Jeff Warren is a meditation instructor and journalist who is celebrated for his dynamic and accessible style of teaching. He is co-author of the New York Times bestselling Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, author of The Head Trip—a travel guide to sleeping, dreaming and waking—and founder of The Consciousness Explorers Club, a nonprofit meditation adventure group based in Toronto. His mission is to empower people to take responsibility for their own mental health, through the realistic, intelligent, and sometimes irreverent exploration of meditation and personal growth practices. …
Reviews
Rooms & Pricing
All options include daily vegetarian meals from dinner on the night of check-in through lunch on the day of checkout. (Rates below are per person.)
Private Hotel Room
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- King bed or two full beds
- Flat Screen TV
- Refrigerator
- Private Bath
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Delicious Vegetarian Meals
- Complimentary Tea/Coffee & Fresh Fruit
- Daily Yoga & Meditation Classes
- Access to Grounds and Facilities, including Gym & Steam Rooms
Private Retreat Room
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- Two Twin Beds
- Private Bath
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Delicious Vegetarian Meals
- Complimentary Tea/Coffee & Fresh Fruit
- Daily Yoga & Meditation Classes
- Access to Grounds and Facilities, including Gym & Steam Rooms
Schedule
HOW TO BE YOUR OWN MEDITATION TEACHER
October 22–24
Your Program Session Times (subject to change)
Friday 7:30–9:00 pm
Saturday 9:30 am–12:30 pm and 2:00–4:00 pm
Sunday 9:30–11:30 am (Room check-out is 11:00 am; luggage can be held at Reception.)
General Information
All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST) unless otherwise noted.
Arrival Day
4:00 pm Check-in begins; Rooms are ready by 4:00 pm, but if you arrive early we will hold your luggage at Reception.
6:00–7:00 pm Dinner
7:00–7:20 pm Guest Orientation Session (Venue: Dining Hall)
Dining Hours Purna Dining Hall
7:30–9:30 am Breakfast
12:00–1:30 pm Lunch
6:00–7:30 pm Dinner
Optional Activities
Apart from the activities in your program schedule, we offer the following optional complementary activities. (Please join only if your program schedule permits.)
9:45–10:45 am Yoga | Sattva Studio | Thu–Sun
11:00 am–12:00 pm Mind & Meditation | Sattva Studio | Thu–Sun
1:30–2:15 pm Guided Hike | Assemble at Shankara Reception | Sat
2:30–3:45 pm Ayurveda Cooking Class* | Tulsi Kitchen
Thu: Sweet Treats • Sat: Chef’s Seasonal Recipe
4:15–5:15 pm Yoga | Sattva Studio | Wed–Sat
5:30–6:00 pm Guided Meditation | Sattva Studio | Wed–Sat
7:30–8:15 pm Meditative Chants/Kirtan | Sattva Studio | Wed–Sat
Saturday kirtan is outdoor by the bonfire; weather permitting.
*Included with Wellness Escapes and R&R; Other participants: $35.00/per person
Clay Studio
10:00 am–6:00 pm Saturday
Clay Handbuilding $30.00 (1 hour)
Throwing Wheel $45.00 (2 hours)
Shankara Ayurveda Wellness Appointments (Additional Cost)
Hours: 9:00 am–6:30 pm daily
We invite you to also make reservations for consultations, therapies, and treatments at our award-winning Shankara Ayurveda Wellness prior to arrival in order to ensure availability. Please call 828-264-8382 for details.
Actual schedules and venues may vary; please confirm with Front Desk upon check-in.
On-Campus Program FAQs
For room reservations, Ayurveda Wellness Retreats, and Art of Living Retreat Center (AOLRC) signature retreats, we have the following cancellation policy:
- Refunds are available (less a $50 processing fee) up to eight days before your program or stay.
- Nonrefundable credit toward a future AOLRC program or stay (less a $50 processing fee) is available if you give notice between seven and one day(s) before your program or stay. Credit may be applied to any AOLRC program or stay for one year following date of issue.
- No credit or refund is available if you cancel on the arrival day, if you do not show up, or if you leave an event early for any reason. No refund will be available if you attend a program and are dissatisfied with its presentation or content. AOLRC reserves the right to cancel a program at any time. If AOLRC cancels a program, you will receive a full refund. Some programs may have special cancellation policies; see individual workshop descriptions. For all other retreats, please be sure to check the registration page specific to that retreat.
To encourage a healthy environment we ask that guest to not consume alcohol or meat in our public spaces, however, guests may enjoy these items in their rooms.
Our property is always smoke-free.
Yes, we ask that guests with food allergies simply inform us so we can communicate those needs to our chef. Typically, we label potential allergens such as gluten, dairy, and nuts.
Testimonials
Location
Discover deep rest and rejuvenation in a pristine natural setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Boone, North Carolina. Set amidst 380 acres of pristine forest high up in the Blue Ridge Mountains is a tranquil sanctuary.
