Retreats

Discover a Deeper Way of Living Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center offers a retreat for almost everyone. Our schedule carries a...
  • Casita (Highest Rate) – $780.00
  • Casita (Middle Rate) – $660.00
  • Casita (Lowest Rate) – $560.00
  • Yurt (Highest Rate) – $780.00
  • Yurt (Middle Rate) – $660.00
  • Yurt (Lowest Rate) – $560.00
  • Hermitage (Lowest Rate) – $1,100.00

Date & Time Details: Check-in is from 3:00-5:00 on the first day of the retreat. The retreat will close mid-morning on the last day of the retreat. (Learn more)

PRICE: We offer a sliding scale structure. Scholarships are available, see below. Prices for this retreat range from $520-$1,100 (not including teacher dana and add-on items). (Learn more)

DANA: This is a dana-based retreat. (Learn more)

SHUTTLE SERVICE: Shuttle Service is available for this retreat. (Learn more)

NOBLE SILENCE: Aside from teacher-led periods of chanting and song, this retreat will be held in noble silence. (Learn more)

SCHOLARSHIP: Scholarships are available on a limited basis for Hemera, BIPOC, and Needs Based. (Learn more)

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Sacred Sound, Insight, and Silence: Meditation and Music in the Deep Woods

With Jennifer Berezan and Erin Treat

October 2 - 6, 2024

The retreat will combine two ancient spiritual practices — meditation and music — as a path to opening one’s heart and uncovering one’s true nature. There will be guided instruction in the fundamentals of mindfulness meditation and dharma practice, including periods of sitting and walking meditation in silence.

Woven throughout the meditation practice, participants will engage in a wide range of musical experiences, from traditional and contemporary traditions, including sessions of chant, song, and deep listening. The meditation practice and musical experience are all designed to create equanimity, joy, and healing, and both will be offered in a safe, lighthearted, and sacred environment. Each afternoon will be spent practicing sitting and walking meditation in the woods, as well as chanting and sacred sound, with guided walks in the beauty of the old growth La Manga forest surrounding the ranch.

This retreat will mostly be held in Noble Silence.  This retreat is suitable for all, including those new to the practice of meditation or music!

 


COVID Safety Measures: Please review our current COVID Safety Measures, which are subject to change.

Teachers

Jennifer Berezan
Jennifer Berezan is a unique blend of singer/songwriter, producer, and activist. Over the course of ten albums, she has developed and explored recurring themes with a rare wisdom. Her lifelong involvement in environmental, women’s, and other justice movements as well as an interest in Buddhism and earth-based spirituality are at the heart of her writing. Her intense and personal approach to music as a transforming experience has brought her strong rapport with audiences from small clubs to large festivals throughout North America and Europe. Her ground breaking work as a recording artist and teacher has established her as a leading…
Learn more about Jennifer Berezan
Erin Treat
Erin Treat lives in Durango, CO and has been practicing Buddhist meditation for nearly 30 years.  In addition to serving as the Guiding Teacher of Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center since 2013,  she teaches regularly at Spirit Rock and the Insight Meditation Society.  She served for 20 years in leadership on the Teaching Council of the Durango Dharma Center.  Erin teaches the practical and the profound, from a heart grounded in respect for mystery and the many faces of awakening. Her approach to sharing the dharma is influenced by her ongoing experience as a student of the Diamond Approach by A.H. Almaas and by Thanissara…
Learn more about Erin Treat