Loving Awareness (Residential)

With Lama Willa Blythe Baker and Lama Liz Monson

July 25 - 31, 2025

Date and Time Details: July 25-31, 2025. Check-in at Wonderwell is between 3:00 and 5:00 pm on the day of arrival. The retreat ends at noon on the final day and a light lunch may be offered. We ask that people leave Wonderwell by 2:00 pm so staff can finish their work and get home themselves.

Contact: register@naturaldharma.org

WAIT LIST: If the type of room you require is sold out or no rooms are available, please email register@naturaldharma.org to be placed on a waiting list. You also might consider our commuter option. For a list of nearby accommodations (including some with sangha members), click on the More Details link under the Commuter option on the registration page.

GETTING TO WONDERWELL: If you are not driving to Wonderwell, please scroll to the end of this page on our website for our travel suggestions and information about our shuttle service from local public transportation locations. This service must be scheduled well in advance, as we will have difficulty accommodating last-minute requests.

HEARING ASSISTANCE: A limited number of hearing assistance devices are available. Please indicate in the comment box on the registration form if you would like to reserve one. Devices reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

  • Suite for Benefactor – $1,986.00
  • Private Room: Queen Bed & Ensuite Bath – $1,494.00
  • Private Room: Queen Bed & Hall Bath – $1,314.00
  • Private Room: Twin Bed & Shared Ensuite Bath – $1,494.00
  • Private Room: Twin Bed & Hall Bath – $1,314.00
  • Shared Room: Twin Bed & Ensuite Bath – $954.00
  • Shared Room: Twin Bed & Hall Bath – $834.00
  • Dorm: Women – $714.00
  • Dorm: Men – $714.00
  • For Commuter – $594.00
  • Camping: Tent or Vehicle – $654.00
  • Camping: Self-Contained Vehicle – $594.00

Registration for the residential attendance option will open at 12:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 18. Registration for online attendance is open now.


This is the RESIDENTIAL component of the retreat. If you’d like to register for the ONLINE component, please click here.


Join our Lamas at this annual summer retreat for core teachings that awaken Loving Awareness for ourselves, others and the world around us.

In this week-long silent meditation retreat, we will explore different ways to access and rest in our deepest essence – the substrate of our being that lies beneath all of our self-conceptions and judgments.

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.

Please join us to:

  • Reconnect with your own loving gaze
  • Meditate, move, write and reflect in supportive community
  • Absorb the benefits of practice with sangha surrounded by the lush summer landscape in New Hampshire’s Upper Valley

This retreat takes us through five gateways to know and experience ourselves 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, and Dharma reflection.

Practicing the five ways helps us to see beyond the thinking mind, to the one who witnesses. We will come to understand that this witness is not a “self” in a conventional sense; it is an innate awareness. It is a vivid receptivity. It is a loving gaze on all of experience, capable of melting a sense of separation into a sense of oneness.

Suitable for all levels.


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

The NDF Health Committee continues to monitor evolving public health conditions and trends, as we keep the safety of our Sangha at the forefront of our decision-making. At this time, 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

Natural Dharma Fellowship strives to offer retreats in a manner that is inclusive and accessible. If the full retreat cost would create an undue financial burden, we encourage you to apply for a scholarship. Please visit this page on our website to learn more about financial aid options.

Please do not apply for financial assistance until after you have registered for the retreat. If the required deposit would be an obstacle, please contact register@naturaldharma.org.


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

 

 

About the Teachers

Lama Willa Blythe Baker

Lama Willa Blythe Baker, Ph.D. is the Founder of Natural Dharma Fellowship in Boston, MA and its retreat center Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, NH. She was authorized as a dharma teacher and lineage holder in the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism after twelve years of monastic training and two consecutive three-year retreats. She also […]

Learn more about Lama Willa Blythe Baker

Lama Liz Monson

Lama, Managing Teacher, Spiritual Co-Director Elizabeth Monson, PhD, is the Spiritual Co-Director of Natural Dharma Fellowship and the Managing Teacher at Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, NH. Liz was authorized as a dharma teacher and lineage holder in the Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism after over 30 years of studying, practicing, and teaching Tibetan Buddhism […]

Learn more about Lama Liz Monson

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