The modern world, or what Carl Jung called the spirit of the times, makes daily demands on us, and with modern technology it can be hard to unplug from the busy-ness, our near constant availability to work or relationships, and the almost constant influx of information.

Retreat offers an opportunity to slow down, quiet our bodies and minds, and tune into the more subtle aspects of experiencing. However, not everyone can afford to take off extended periods of work, or to completely step away from certain engagements in order to go to some remote retreat center.

Over the past twelve years, I have attended numerous meditation retreats, from periods of five to fourteen days, with additional shorter periods of self-guided at-home retreats mixed in. But I was starting to long for more - more time and space to settle in, to deepen.

Attending a month-long retreat was currently out of the question. As a psychotherapist, that much time away was not ideal, and on top of that, I was caring for three pets, overseeing a construction project on my house, and needing to save money for upcoming major surgery. Hence, month-long retreat seemed like a distant dream.

Then I realized that I have creative power; all it required was that I reenvisioned what I thought retreat should look like. So I decided to carry on with my usual responsibilities, such as seeing clients, walking the dog, and communicating with my builder as needed. Otherwise, I would be going offline, and making practice the central focus of my free-time.

The experience was deeply profound, and what it revealed to me was not only my deep longing for a more mindful, contemplative, and sacred experience of daily life, but that this way of life was possible.

I continue to integrate the so-called mundane and “non-spiritual” aspects of my life into a way of being that seeks to relate to every moment and every activity as part of the spiritual path, which is actually the fruition of the spiritual path anyways; we often just don’t know how to reconcile and weave together these seemingly opposite aspects of life.

My hope is that retreat, or extended periods of prioritizing contemplative practice, can become more widely accessible, and by integrating it more and more into our daily lives, it will become less and less a separate ‘other’ experience.

I have worked as a meditation instructor and retreat director for more than a dozen residential meditation retreats for graduate-level psychology students, creating conditions for participants to explore various aspects of their mind, body, emotions, and relational patterns.

I am a practitioner of Zen Buddhism, Qigong, and Ashtanga yoga. Though I am certified to provide meditation instruction through Naropa University, where I was adjunct faculty in both the graduate and undergraduate psychology programs, I am not a spiritual teacher. I am a humble seeker looking to collaborate with other seekers, and to share from my own direct experience in the spirit of mutual liberation.

I am a licensed mental health counselor, with specialized training in mindfulness- and somatic-based approaches. My role will not be as your therapist, however, psychological content often does arise; if it does we will explore this in the context of spiritual practice and exploration.