Cultivating Embodied Insight and Intuitive Wisdom through Mindfulness
With Dave Smith, JD Doyle and Chris Benitez (Assistant)
July 29 - August 5, 2025
During this week-long silent mindfulness retreat we will learn to pay attention with a direct and embodied knowing that leads to intuitive wisdom. As we practice the qualities of presence and ease, we learn to attend to each moment with kind awareness. Being immersed in the natural world, we’ll attune to nature within ourselves and around us. This practice fosters opening to a greater freedom for ourselves and our communities.
We will offer a range of Mindfulness instructions (including sitting, standing, and walking), guided heart practices, as well as Dharma talks, practice discussions, question and answer periods, and ample time to practice independently. We will be practicing both inside the Meditation Practice Tent and outdoors in nature. This retreat is suitable for both newer and more experienced students of Buddhism.
Cancellation Policy:
- 45 days prior to retreat: Full refund, minus a $150 nonrefundable fee
- 44-22 days prior to retreat: 50% refund
- 0-21 days prior to retreat: No refund
Teachers
Dave Smith is an internationally recognized Buddhist meditation teacher, addiction treatment specialist, and published author. His background is rooted in the Insight Meditation tradition and he was empowered to teach through the Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. He has extensive experience bringing meditative interventions into jails, prisons, youth detention centers and addiction treatment facilities. Dave teaches residential meditation retreats and classes, provides trainings and consulting in both secular and Buddhist contexts, and works with students through his meditation mentoring program. He recently founded the Secular Dharma Foundation and lives in Paonia, Colorado.
Learn more about Dave Smith
JD Doyle (they/them) sangha home is the East Bay Meditation Center where they served as Core Teacher, co-founder of the Alphabet (LGBTQIA+) Sangha, and board member. In addition, they offer the Dharma at many meditation centers in the Unites States and Canada. They graduated from Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Teacher Training, the Community Dharma Leader training, and the Dedicated Practitioner Program. JD began studying and practicing Buddhism in 1995 in New Mexico, and continued at Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock as well as in Thailand and Burma. They taught environmental education for many years and worked as a public school…
Learn more about JD Doyle
Chris has been practicing meditation since 2012. He has participated in numerous meditation retreats in the Theravada and Zen traditions, including month-long retreats at Spirit Rock and the Forest Refuge at IMS. Chris is a co-founder and teacher at Misfit Sangha, a Buddhist Community in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Chris was previously a member of the Spiritual Friends Facilitators group at the Albuquerque Insight Meditation Community, and has taught at various dharma centers in the Southwest and the Southeast. Chris regularly leads daylong retreats and outdoor camping retreats in Colorado and Southern Utah. He is primarily interested in the intersection between…
Learn more about Chris Benitez (Assistant)