Join us for a nourishing weekend of presence, connection, and renewal as we gather in the beauty of autumn. Together, we’ll slow down and attune to the season of letting go, turning inward, and finding balance.
Our time will be gently structured around practices that open both body and heart, including:
Mindfulness practices such as singing, silent meditation and walking meditation
Relatefulness practices to cultivate presence, awareness, and connection through mindful conversation
Somatic movement to reconnect with embodied awareness and presence
Sangha sharing circles to reflect and deepen in community
Wholesome seasonal meals prepared with care, nourishing body and spirit
This retreat offers the gift of stepping away from daily busyness to dwell in the simplicity of each moment, supported by nature, practice, and community.
No prior experience is needed—just an openness to arrive as you are.
Retreat Teachers:
The retreat will be led by David Viafora, James Dial and Anna Morozova..
David is an ordained member of the Order of Interbeing, and has been practicing meditation in the Plum Village Zen tradition for over 20 years. He has organized and led mindfulness retreats around the world, throughout Europe, in Oceania, and North America. David teaches mindfulness courses and retreats for physicians, educators, families, young adults, children, and teens, among others, while also working as a licensed clinical social worker and therapist. He is finishing a book on the art of mindful community building called, Thriving Together: 9 Principles for Building True Community (Parallax, Fall 2024).
James is a facilitator dedicated to cultivating mindfulness in connection. As a certified Relatefulness Facilitator and Coach, he has hundreds of hours helping individuals and groups bring more awareness into their relationships. He has been practicing regularly in Mindfulness and Buddhist spaces for 7 years, grounding his work in lived experience. He also has multiple years of experience developing the interpersonal leadership skills of blue-collar employees. These skills and experiences enable him to support others in their awakening while also becoming more embodied, ethical, relational, and vertically developed.
Anna is a movement facilitator, choreographer, and expressive arts practitioner with advanced professional training in Somatic Psychology: Body-Mind Centering®. She has been practicing mindfulness and meditation for many years, integrating Kashmir Shaivism and Zen Buddhism with a grounded, scientific perspective. Anna offers sessions that invite participants to connect more deeply with their bodies, release blocks held by trauma, and discover joy, ease, and freedom of expression through movement, visual arts, and creative play. She sees her work as a bridge between mindfulness practice and embodied movement, supporting both self-awareness and compassionate connection with others.
Finances:
Our retreat fee is based on programming, which includes all retreat activities and meals. This will be a commuter retreat— no housing will be provided. Here are the sliding scale rates:
Supporter ($395): Helps cover the costs of others in need
Self-sustaining ($295): Covers your own participation
Scholarship ($195): Reduced rate for those needing financial support
Scholarships:
We are dedicated to making this retreat accessible for everyone to participate regardless of access to resources. If you want to apply for a scholarship, before registering, please click the following link to apply:
https://www.greatwoodszen.org/scholarship-request
Cancellation Policy:
30+ days prior to start of retreat = Full refund minus $50 admin fee
10 to 30 days prior to start of retreat = 75% refund
Within 10 days until the start of retreat = No refund
Dana:
Participants are also invited to offer ‘dana’, a Sanskrit word for ‘generosity.’ The retreat has been priced to be as financially accessible for people as possible. The funds primarily go to food costs, organizing costs, renting the facility, and administrative labor costs. Dana is a financial offering towards the retreat teachers, for their time, energy, care for the retreat, and skillfulness in transmitting practices that help people heal, strengthen, and transform.
Retreat Details:
The retreat includes programming for Friday evening, all day Saturday, and Sunday half day (see sample schedule below).
Meals provided:
Friday: Dinner not included
Saturday: Lunch and dinner (vegetarian meals with vegan options available)
Sunday: Lunch (vegetarian meals with vegan options available)
Participants are welcome to share any additional dietary needs with the staff and may bring food that will make their stay more comfortable. A refrigerator will also be available for storing personal food or necessary medicine.
Arrival day/departure day
Please register only if you are able to arrive on the first day and be here for the entire retreat. Our intention with retreats is to build and hold the collective energy and for that reason we all benefit by having people arrive at the start of the retreat and leave at the end.
No Multiple Reservations
Please do separate reservations for each registrant.
Basic Practices
During our retreat you will get a chance to practice mindfulness in a variety of ways. Although there is no need to have any experience with meditation to join this retreat, it is helpful to be aware of the basic practices. You can find them in the ‘About’ section of this website.
Sample Retreat Schedule:
(the schedule can change prior to and during the retreat, however this will give you an general idea of what to expect):
Friday
6.30 pm - Arrival
7:30pm - Orientation, Intros, and Opening meditation
9pm - Noble Silence
Saturday
10:00 am - Walking Meditation
11:30am - Relatefulness Practice
12:30pm - Lunch (silent for first 15 minutes)
Rest and Free time
2:30pm - Somatic Movement Practice
3:30pm - Dharma Sharing
5pm - Free time
6pm - Dinner (silent for first 15 minutes)
Sunday
9am - Somatic Movement Practice
9:30am - Walking Meditation
10:30am - Relatefulness Practice
11:15am - Closing Dharma Sharing
12pm - Picnic Lunch
1pm - Closing Clean Up & goodbyes
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Questions? Contact us at Connect@GreatwoodsZen.org
Register here:
If you would like to register for this retreat, click the following button to get to our registration page.
Flyer:
Feel free to click to following image and download our flyer so you can share it with your friends or family.