The Wakeful Body

Awakening is a non-conceptual realization of the mind’s nature, yet we might spend many years pursuing awakening in ways that are conceptual. When we strive after the mind’s nature with a solely conceptual approach, our practice risks becoming disembodied. A disembodied practice is a bit like gazing at a photo of a lotus. The photo is beautiful, but it draws our gaze away from the living flower itself. The freedom that we seek lives beyond the conceptual mind, not as a mental transformation, but as a psychophysical one.

The ancient wisdom of the Vajrayana path offers an innovative and holistic approach to solving this problem. Beginning with the theory that mind pervades the body, these teachings maintain that awakening is more easily accessed by fully including the body and movement on the spiritual path, rather than attending solely to the mind. The body has four qualities that make it an ideal field of practice: It is grounded. It is fully present. It is non-conceptual. And it is wakeful. When these four qualities are recognized and worked with in the body, the conceptual constraints that prevent us from realizing the mind’s nature are more easily released.

In this five day retreat, we will fully explore the embodied vision of awakening extending from the ancient practices of Tibetan yoga.  In this retreat, we will study the theory of bodily awakening, learn yogic exercises, and cultivate somatic meditations designed to gradually unleash their body-mind’s natural wakefulness. These profound practices of the body bring wisdom, equanimity, compassion and peace down from the realm of ideation into the truth of lived experience. On this retreat, Lama Willa will be sharing the heart of her own daily practice.

This is an intermediate level retreat: Prior exposure to a regular meditation practice is recommended, and retreatants keep a discipline of noble silence. The retreat includes meditation sessions, daily teachings and 90 minutes of yoga per day. Participants who need a gentler exercise regimen can still join the class and adapt their movement, or are welcome to use that block of time to walk or do their own physical routine.

Retreat Schedule

7:00-7:40am   Sunrise Meditation Session
7:45-8:45         Breakfast
9:00-10:30      Yoga (Beginning or Intermediate)
11:00-12:00     Dharma Teaching
12:15-1:00       Meditation
1:00-3:00        Lunch Break
3:00-3:45        Meditation
4:00-5:00       Teaching
5:15-6:00       Meditation in Asana
6:00-7:00       Dinner
7:15-8            Flexible Session (Q & A etc)
8:15-8:45       Sunset Meditation

Wonderwell Mountain Refuge strives to offer retreats in a manner that is non-cost prohibitive and inclusive to persons of all means. If the full retreat cost would create an undue financial burden, we encourage persons to apply for scholarship and work-study. Whether one needs to request aid to defer a large or small portion of the cost of a retreat so as not to incur a financial burden, we strive to accommodate you.

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