Residential retreats allow us to put aside the world and focus inwardly – to listen deeply to our bodies, our hearts, and our minds without the distractions of our everyday life. During a regular retreat day, we come together in noble silence and focus on turning every activity into an opportunity for mindfulness, insight, and connectedness. This includes mindful sitting, walking, eating, doing a mindful daily chore (called a “yogi job”), and listening to a teacher’s evening dhamma talk. While people choose to do silent residential retreats for many reasons, we all support each other on our individual paths by protecting this silent, kind environment we create for ourselves. In the safety of this co-created container, we hope to learn to let go of the struggles that obstruct our ability to experience the freedom and joy that exist in every moment.
During our retreats, teachers support participants by offering guided meditations, instructions, group and individual meetings, and a daily dhamma talk. The two types of meditation practice offered during TCVC retreats include insight (“vipassana”), which allows us to become acquainted with our inner wisdom and the true nature of how things are, and lovingkindness (“metta”), which allows us to incline our hearts towards connectedness, openness, and kindness. Our retreats are appropriate for both beginning and experienced meditators, and teachers are available for individual meetings if a participant has questions arise.
We at TCVC are committed to cultivating a retreat environment that is welcoming to people of diverse identities, including those of all races, ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities, religions, abilities, and ages. It is our aim that all may feel safe and respected on their TCVC retreat. In addition to the teachers, each retreat has an acting retreat manager who will be available for any questions or concerns during the duration of the retreat. To find out more about preparing and being on a TCVC retreat, please explore this site or contact TCVC with any questions.