Awakening Through the Body

About the Retreat

Integrating Mindful Yoga, Heart-Centered Meditation and Buddhist Teachings

In the Buddha’s core teaching on mindfulness, awareness of the body is foundational for establishing presence and developing insight. On this retreat, we will use the body as a gateway for bringing a kind and mindful awareness to the whole of our experience through sitting meditation, gentle movement, somatic relaxation, and opening to the vibrancy of the natural world.

This will not be a traditional silent meditation retreat but will be an opportunity to deepen our experience of embodied awareness through accessible, integrated practice sessions and opening our senses to the nourishing environment of Mar de Jade. We will have three practice sessions each day, with plenty of time in between to enjoy the surrounding beauty and culture of Mexico. Our practice meetings will weave together: guided meditations, gentle yoga movement, somatic relaxation, short dharma talks from the early Buddhist tradition, and group reflections. Each evening we will close our day together with sitting meditation and chanting. The group practices are designed to be welcoming and will provide the ground to deepen and integrate your practice at any level of experience.

Mar de Jade is a very special place. An intentional retreat center located in the charming fishing village of Chacala, Mexico, it is nestled between the jungle and the beach. You can enjoy soft sand, swimming in the warm ocean waters, gorgeous sunsets, tropical gardens, and a healing arts spa. You can see the care in everything they provide from the lovingly prepared food to the beautifully decorated rooms. The center was established in 1982 by a Zen Buddhist practitioner, Laura de Valle, MD, who created it ‘in the spirit of active community service,’ and set up a free medical clinic nearby.  A portion of Mar de Jade fees support their ongoing community projects, which include: an organic farm, a Montessori/Waldorf school, and a trade school.

Each day you will be served three delicious and nourishing buffet meals, made from scratch and primarily sourced from Mar de Jade’s 17-acre organic farm. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are available.

Between practice periods you may wish to rest, swim, walk, hike or take an optional excursion. Excursions are arranged by Mar de Jade and led by locals. They include: a jungle hike to a remote beach, surfing, whale watching, boating and day trips to ancient petroglyphs or a local craft market. You can also book a healing arts appointment at the onsite spa or participate in a Temazcal sweat: an ancient Aztec sweat lodge with a guided ceremony.

Schedule

7:30-9:15am: Practice Session

9:15am: Breakfast

10am-2pm: Free time (usually excursions take place during this time)

2:00pm: Lunch

3:00-5:00pm: Free time

5:00-7:00pm: Practice Session

7:00pm: Dinner

8-8:30pm: Sit/chanting

More information and registration here: https://ronlyblau.com/mexico-retreat/

About the Teachers

Ronly Blau

Ronly Blau has been a yoga student for over thirty years and a teacher since 2000, integrating Buddhist meditation, Ayurveda and somatic regulation into her offerings. Discovering yoga was life-changing for her–it promoted a state of relaxation and ease she hadn’t known prior, and introduced her to a compelling way of working with the mind and consciousness. This prompted a desire to delve into meditation  through the Vipassana tradition, and she soon found the practices to be profoundly inter-enhancing. Since 2004, she’s attended numerous residential meditation retreats and in 2012, she completed the Mindful Yoga and Meditation Training at Spirit Rock. She has been most influenced by her study with yoga teachers: Kathleen Hunt, Angela Farmer and Sarah Powers. An active participant of Vashon Insight, she is grateful for the guidance and support of its teacher, Keri Pederson, and its beautiful, wise sangha. You can find out more about Ronly at: https://ronlyblau.com/

Keri Pederson

Keri Pederson became immersed in vipassana (Insight) meditation in 1998, motivated by a deepening yoga practice as well as a strong desire to understand her own mind/heart.  She has since sat retreats and studied with a variety of lay and monastic teachers in the U.S, Thailand, and India and was invited to teach in 2007.  She was authorized to teach by Spirit Rock and the Insight Meditation Society after a four-year retreat teacher training, and leads groups, classes, and retreats throughout the year.  Keri’s practice and teaching have been influenced and inspired by two years of training with Sarah Powers at the Insight Yoga Institute and the psycho-spiritual work and teachings of Jennifer and John Welwood. You can find out more about Keri at: https://seattleinsight.org/teacher/keri-pederson-teacher/