***UPDATE: As of April 19, 2024, registration for this program is no longer available. Please visit our calendar to view our upcoming offerings.***

With great excitement, we announce the fruition of a long-held aspiration to offer a month-long practice retreat where we step out of our regular routine and experience the simplicity and beauty of turning inward and cultivating our personal practice. As the autumn leaves fall and sap returns to its core, we too can release our outward focused activity and return to and nurture our true essence. The simplicity of the daily schedule held within the container of community will provide a welcomed alternative to our busy lives. This retreat is a precious gift we offer ourselves.

During this retreat, you will:

• Immerse yourself in a  progressive path of meditation focusing on Calm Abiding (Shamatha) and Insight (Vipashyana), with each week building upon the previous week.
• Learn Calm Abiding meditation with an object, the Four Applications of Mindfulness, Calm Abiding without an object, and open awareness.
• Receive Dharma talks and teachings
• Receive individual guidance by qualified teachers
• Participate in daily group and solo meditation sessions
• Integrate your practice and community work with other retreatants 
• Ground yourself on the sacred land of Tara Mandala through walking and practicing in nature.

Who should attend?
This program is open to anyone.

Daily & Weekly Schedule

• Each week is composed of six days of intensive practice followed by one personal day.
• Saturdays are Personal Days. A Personal Day is, in contrast to a Practice Day, a day for participants to attend to their own personal matters, whatever those may be, such as resting, reading, drawing, hiking, calling family/friends, hanging out with fellow practitioners, etc. To enable you to step fully into contemplation and retreat while supporting the integrity of the community and cohort as a whole, we encourage you to remain at the retreat center. If needs present, our onsite team can assist in meeting those needs during their regularly scheduled trips to town.   
• Please refer below to the daily schedule of a Practice Day:

Practice Day Schedule:
7:00am – 7:45am: Meditation Session
8:00am – 8:45am: Silent Breakfast
8:45am – 9:30am: Community Work Practice / Personal Time
10:00am – 12:45pm: Morning Session
1:00pm – 1:45pm: Silent Lunch
1:45pm – 2:30pm: Community Work Practice / Personal Time
3:45pm – 5:45pm: Afternoon Session
6:00pm – 6:45pm: Dinner
6:45pm – 7:30pm: Community Work Practice / Personal Time
7:45pm – 8:30pm: Meditation Session

Morning and Afternoon Sessions include: meditation, embodied movement, outdoor practice; dharma talks and teachings, council circle, personal interviews, personal practice time. 

To prepare for this retreat, we invite you to read our information on Tara Mandala’s Health & Safety Protocols for In-Person Retreats.

Registration for this retreat will close on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 10:00am (MDT). 

Tara Mandala Pricing Guidelines
As we work to become an equitable, diverse and inclusive community, our pricing guidelines are intended to be a map, inviting each of us to take inventory of resources that contribute to our access to precious dharma teachings. While we do ask you to look inward, please know there is no right or wrong answer. We encourage you to select the range/rate appropriate to your circumstances. To learn more about Tara Mandala’s pricing guidelines for Online Programs, In-Person Retreats, and Special Promotions, please visit this page. 

Installment Payment Plan Option at Registration
During registration, students can either pay the program fee in full or select the Installment Payment option. If choosing the installment payment option, students will pay a 50% deposit upon registering and subsequent equal payments will be processed automatically every two-weeks. The final balance is due 14 days before the start of the program.

Deferred Payment Plans and Financial Assistance
Tara Mandala offers two types of financial assistance: Deferred Payment Plans and Scholarships. You may apply for one or both of these types of assistance. Read the terms carefully as outlined on the financial aid application. Please see this page for further information.

Offering dana to the teacher: The practice of offering dana, which means “generosity,” is the traditional offering the student makes to the teacher as a symbol of appreciation, gratitude, and reciprocity for receiving the precious teachings. Information on offering dana to the teacher will be provided during the program. To learn more about dana and suggested dana ranges, please click here.

Sustaining Sangha:
If you are currently a member of our Sustaining Sangha, you may apply your Online Program discount to this course. To learn more about Sustaining Sangha membership, benefits, and discounts, click here. 

Click Here for Our Onsite Retreat Cancellation and Refund Policy