Summer Backpacking Retreat: Awakening to Wild Nature with Bill Ball & Erin Treat - 7/1/2010
This retreat is currently full.
Spend “Interdependence Day” in the breathtaking wilderness of the San Juan Mountains! This meditation retreat will draw on the Buddhist teachings of open awareness and interdependence to deepen our practice and connection to wild nature.
We will explore and discover the unique ways in which meditation practice in a wilderness setting can create a whole new way of being in the wild. We will explore this utilizing formal meditation practice, mindful wandering, talking circles, and instruction relating meditation practice in the wild. The backpacking will be moderate and no more than 3-4 miles each way with an elevation gain of 700 feet. Participants should be in decent physical condition and have (or be able to borrow) reliable backcountry gear (a detailed suggested list will be provided). No previous camping or retreat experience is required. A backcountry kitchen will be provided, but we will share in planning, buying and cooking of meals (to be planned prior to the trip).
Guides: Bill Ball & Erin Treat
Bill grew up hiking & camping in the San Juan Mountains and has a deep appreciation for the mysterious power of wilderness to awaken our interconnection with all things. Bill has a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Master of Social Work degree from Rutgers University. He has been a wilderness guide with Animas Valley Institute and is currently a Community Dharma Leader at the Durango Dharma Center. Bill has been in active meditation practice for 20 years.
Erin has been practicing Buddhist meditation for 15 years. In addition to maintaining a private bodywork practice, she is a Community Dharma Leader at the Durango Dharma Center and a meditation instructor at Fort Lewis College. Erin loves dharma practice as a means of knowing our deepest experience, cultivating mindfulness and compassion as as a gateway to liberation of the heart.