Natural Intimacy: Exploring the intersection of Insight Dialogue and Ecodharma (Residential Only)
With Lama Willa Blythe Baker and Jan Surrey
August 23 - 26, 2024
Join Lama Willa and Insight Dialogue teacher Jan Surrey in a weekend retreat exploring how human and more-than-human relationships enhance our cultivation of mindfulness, compassion and intimacy in the service of human awakening. Through Dharma study, inquiry, teachings and contemplative relational practice within and beyond (outside) the dharma hall, participants will discover how our meditation practice ripens into non-separation or interbeing as our original nature. We will investigate how the guidelines of Insight Dialogue (pause, relax, open, attune to emergence, listen deeply and speak the truth) support and deepen our connectedness with humans and other than human beings. We will consider the role of speech as a mindful practice, and explore how contemplative embodied practice of our elemental connectedness with the natural world can restore and revitalize our fundamental relatedness as humans in the world of all beings. We can begin to live into the deeply interconnected world we wish to inhabit for the benefit of all living things on this planet.
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 8:30-10:00 am; Lunch break 12:00-2:00 pm; Dinner break 5:30-7:00 pm.
Last Day —The closing session typically ends by 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 Covid 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.
Scholarships and Fellowships
Wonderwell Mountain Refuge strives to offer retreats in a manner that is inclusive for persons of all means. 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 learn more about financial aid.
Depending on the type of work that you do, you may be eligible for a Hemera Contemplative Fellowship. Please click on this link for more information.
Please do not apply for financial assistance until after you have registered for the retreat.
Cancellation Policy
Wonderwell charges a $75 cancellation fee for residential (onsite) retreat cancellations more than 4 weeks before the start of a retreat. Any cancellations between 4 weeks to 11 days prior to the program are charged a $150 cancellation fee. For any cancellations 10 or fewer days prior to the start date of the program, no refunds are offered.
However, if you are feeling ill or feel you might have been exposed to the COVID virus, please cancel your attendance at any Wonderwell retreat even at the last minute. In this case, we will provide a full refund of your payment.
If you decide to transfer from residential to online attendance, any cancellation fee will be determined based on the time remaining before the start of the retreat.
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.
Wonderwell Mountain Refuge 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 BakerJan Surrey
Janet Surrey, PhD is an Insight Dialogue Teacher. She teaches Insight Dialogue retreats worldwide and leads a monthly practice group in the Boston area. Jan has been a faculty member of Metta’s Relational Insight Meditation Program and serves on Metta Programs’ Teachers Council. Jan has studied with a number of Vipassana teachers for over 25 years, […]
Learn more about Jan SurreyCategories : *Residential, Lama Willa Baker, Retreats