Loving Awareness in the Living World (Residential)

This is the RESIDENTIAL component of the retreat. Residential registration will open on Monday, April 27 at 7:00 pm ET. To register for the ONLINE component, please click here.

Join us for NDF’s core summer retreat, a 10-day silent immersion dedicated to remembering who we truly are. Guided by the “way” of nature, and in collaboration with the Council on the Uncertain Human Future, we will explore pathways to access and rest in the underlying awareness beneath our self-conceptions and judgments—reconnecting with the living web of our world and cosmos.

Together, we will explore five experiential gateways—Allowing, Prayer, Recognition, Nature, and Love—offering direct access to our deepest essence and supporting the rewilding of heart, mind, and body. Daily practices will include meditation, movement, journaling, small group inquiry, Dharma reflection, and Council, cultivating a spacious, compassionate awareness that naturally dissolves separation and reveals our belonging within the living world.

Please join us to:

• Deepen connection to the ground of your being
• Slow down, come present, and listen deeply through Council practice
• Learn the ways of Allowing, Prayer, Recognition, Nature, and Love
• Rewild the soul through nature-based practices that support ease and embodiment
• Reconnect with the living web of our world and cosmos

Loving Awareness in the Living World is Natural Dharma Fellowship’s core summer retreat. This year, we emphasize remembering who we truly are through the “way” of nature, and celebrate our ongoing collaboration with the Council on the Uncertain Human Future and our practices of rewilding. In this silent 10-day meditation retreat, we will explore multiple ways to access and rest in our deepest essence—the substrate of our being that lies beneath all self-conceptions and judgments—through practices that unite us with the living web of our world and cosmos.

When we connect to this deepest sense of being, a greater field of love becomes visible, one that includes compassion for the more challenging parts of ourselves and others. This retreat takes us through five gateways for knowing and experiencing ourselves and our inseparability more deeply: “The Way of Allowing,” “The Way of Prayer,” “The Way of Recognition,” “The Way of Nature,” and “The Way of Love.” We will practice these ways of being through daily sitting meditation, movement, meditation journaling, small group inquiry, Dharma reflection, and the profound practice of Council.

Practicing these five ways helps us see beyond the thinking mind, to the one who witnesses. We come to understand that this witness is not a “self” in the conventional sense; it is innate awareness—vivid receptivity, a loving gaze on all experience—capable of dissolving the sense of separation into a felt sense of oneness with the whole living world. 

Please join Lama Willa, Lama Liz and Sarah for this unique event in the summer mountains of northern New Hampshire, or from the living landscapes on your side of the Zoom screen—whether a front porch, backyard, nearby natural space, houseplants, or simply the sky seen through a window.

Council is a shared contemplative practice of deep listening and authentic expression, held in a small group setting. Rooted in presence and mutual respect, Council invites us to sit with complexity rather than resolve it, allowing insight, connection, and a sense of shared humanity to emerge naturally. 

Visit the Council on the Uncertain Human Future’s website to learn more about this profound practice.

Residential retreat is an opportunity to deepen meditation practice and be nurtured by nature on Wonderwell Mountain Refuge’s verdant campus, tucked in New Hampshire’s Upper Valley. Daily teachings, guided and silent meditation, delicious meals and supportive group discussions structure the day, while contemplative walks and resting in the surrounding fields and forest gently nourish your connection with the more than human world.  

Typical Retreat Schedule

(All times are Eastern time zone)

First Day — Orientation at 6:45 pm. Opening session begins around 7:00 pm.

Full-Day Schedule — Morning meditation 7:00 am; Breakfast break 8:00-9:30 am; Lunch break 12:00-2:00 pm; Dinner break 5:30-7:00 pm. Evening session 7:00-8:30 pm

Last Day —The closing session end at 12:00 pm.

These times are just for reference. An expanded schedule will be provided in pre-retreat information emailed during the week prior to the event.

Important Health Information

COVID-19 testing is no longer required. Masks are optional and encouraged if you are at higher risk. We encourage you to stay at home if you are symptomatic to protect others.

Scholarships

Cancellation Policy

We understand that personal circumstances may require you to cancel your registration. In these cases, please contact us right away at register@naturaldharma.org. Cancellations affect our ability to offer rooms to others and create additional work for our staff, therefore we charge the following fees to help mitigate these costs.

For cancellations (based on program start date):

• > 45 days: 100% refund minus a $75 admin. fee.
• 31-45 days: 50% refund of the required deposit; or 75% refund if registration paid in full.
• 21-30 days: 50% refund of total registration cost
• < 21 days: nonrefundable

If you must cancel due to an emergency or extenuating circumstances, please contact us at register@naturaldharma.org.

Access to Recordings

NDF offers unlimited access to recordings, which are accessed in your user dashboard (more information about user accounts provided in a pre-retreat letter). If you have a user account, please register with the same email you use to log into your dashboard. If not, an account will be created for you using your registration address.

Availability will vary depending on the type of event and the backlog for our precious resource volunteers. Thank you for your patience.

Natural Dharma Fellowship Full Calendar