Mantras of Awareness (Residential)

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

Join visiting teacher Paul Weiss to explore the Mantras of Awareness, a system of practical phrases that can orient and support the mind in meditation and everyday life. Through meditation, dyad communication, and qigong movement, this retreat offers a direct and experiential way to deepen our practice and discover the awakening potential of these simple phrases.

The term “mantra” translates as “a technique to correct the mind; that is, to instruct and maintain it on a successful path of practice.” The Mantras of Awareness are not traditional mantras of seed syllables or esoteric meanings. They are mantric inasmuch as they are meant to be immediately and directly employed and integrated by the mind to help keep it aligned with our dharma practice.

Please join us to:

• Learn practical phrases—Mantras of Awareness—to orient the mind throughout meditation and everyday life.
• Work with the Mantras of Awareness as memorable tools for accessing the deeper dharma teachings contained within them.
• Experience dyad communication as a way of bringing these phrases into relationship and discovering their potential for shared awakening.
• Explore simple gestures—Mudras of Awareness—through qigong movement and posture as embodied expressions of fundamental states of being.

The Mantras of Awareness are a complete system of short instructive phrases, tested by Paul and his students over the last twenty years, that can support every dimension of our practice. They offer moment-to-moment support, correction, or orientation when integrated into our meditation practice. And they are also essential inspiration and support for how we practice in everyday life. The mantras speak to us at different levels, as needed. A mantra such as “Relax and Stay in Relationship,” for example, offers a several-point instruction that can lift the mind out of a confused moment in our meditation, or in our everyday affairs with others. While a mantra like “Just This,” when exercised consciously, can also help us bypass the mind’s tug and remain fully present to the moment’s practice; or it may point us to the primordial ground of ineffable being!

In this retreat we will explore and employ the whole system of mantras, examining their flexible applications in practice, as well as the wider dimension of dharma teaching inherent in each one. We will also introduce a potent dyad communication process as a key part of our practice together. Integrating meditation on the mantras with partner communication has been found to deepen their awakening power.

Finally, we will balance our sitting meditation with qigong movement practices. On this occasion we will reflect especially on the Mudras of Awareness—meditative movements, postures, and gestures that embody and awaken fundamental states of being.

This residential retreat offers an opportunity to deepen your practice while being nurtured by the natural beauty of Wonderwell Mountain Refuge’s verdant campus, tucked in New Hampshire’s Upper Valley. Daily teachings, meditation, qigong movement, nourishing meals, and supportive community provide the structure of the day, while time spent walking, resting, and practicing in the surrounding fields and forests offers space to settle more deeply into embodied awareness.

All are welcome, regardless of experience or physical ability.

Typical Retreat Schedule

(All times are Eastern time zone)

First Day — 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 ends around 12:00 pm followed by a light lunch.

These times are just for reference. The expanded retreat schedule will be posted at Wonderwell when you arrive.

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