“It is possible the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a community, a community practicing understanding and loving kindness, a community practicing mindful living.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh
You're invited to a full-day journey of relational presence, where we authentically step into living the Dharma together.
This one-day Relateful Immersion will be held at Greatwoods Zen, a Plum Village-style community center next door to Reedy Creek Park. Rooted in the wisdom of we-space practices, this retreat offers a powerful complement to silent meditation: the practice of being with others in presence, truth, and love.
We are blessed to have Mitra Peter Park, former Executive Director for the Monastic Academy, traveling in to co-lead. His depth exploring both solo and relational mindfulness practices in monastic contexts marks this event as a unique opportunity. We will be invited to honor the presence, compassion, and peace cultivated through solo meditation, while also stepping into more relational aliveness.
Why Come?
You might be someone who:
Practices mindfulness, and wants more access to “just be” in relationship
Longs for more authentic, nourishing connections, where you can both honor yourself and others more fully
Wants to feel more embodied, and yearns to integrate awareness with alive expression.
Craves a space where playfulness and depth can coexist
Wants to bridge a sense of sacredness into relationships.
This retreat is a chance to turn those longings into lived experience. You will get to rest in awareness, be seen in your truth, and feel your natural impact on others.
What we’ll explore
Across large-group sessions, small groups, and pairs, we’ll play in the field of connection:
Bringing language to what’s happening right now — in body, heart, mind, and awareness.
Sinking into our experience in connection, letting ourselves feel the aliveness that is already here.
Trying on others’ experiences and updating our assumptions.
Relaxing control and cultivating trust in what unfolds naturally.
Practicing love and truth in real time
You’ll be invited to stay close to your own experience. No one is asked to perform, share beyond their truth, or “break through.”
Transformation arises not from effort, but from being with what’s already true.
What you might experience
While each person’s journey is unique, past participants often leave with:
More access to inner states of peace and wonder in connection.
A sense of being much more fully 'arrived' in themselves.
A sense of feeling seen without needing to bypass boundaries
More access to embodied, alive expression that carries into everyday life.
More courage to shine and love without apology.
Nick Neild, CTC Member at the Greatwood Zen Center, shared, “Relatefulness has really propelled my mindfulness practice to a whole new level. I am now more in my body, aware of my emotions and thoughts, as well as being more in tune with what others might be experiencing in the present moment.”
What Not to Expect
This is not a therapy session or group healing experience, although healing can occur.
It’s a group exploration of truth, love, and awareness, created by the people who are present.
Here’s what not to expect:
No “safe space” guarantees.
We aim for brave space — where safety grows from honesty and genuine care, not from rules that protect us from feeling. If there is care here, it will be because we bring it.No enforced hierarchy of emotions.
Beauty, awkwardness, boredom, joy — all are welcome.
Each experience has worth, and none automatically justify themselves as more important.No promise of comfort, but plenty of nourishment.
We oscillate between challenge and ease. Both are nutrients in this living practice.
🕰 Date & Times: April 5th, 2026, 10AM-6PM
🗺️ Location: Greatwoods Zen Center, 2631 Buckleigh Drive, Charlotte NC, 28215
🍔 Food: We will break for a 90 min lunch around 1pm. Vegan Meal provided.
🙏 Sliding Scale Price: Scholarship: $75 | Sustainer: $135 | Benefactor: $170
No one turned away for lack of funds, reach out if additional scholarship is needed.
📝 Registration: Register through Zeffy payment portal
📩 Questions: jamesdial99@gmail.com
James Dial is the steward of Relateful Charlotte, devoted to building local spaces of real connection where presence and growth intertwine. He is known for his warm, earnest, heartfelt presence. He is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Talent and Organizational Development.
Mitra Peter Park has a background rooted in both rigorous training and lived experience. Seven years of monastic life at the Monastic Academy taught him how to meet life with presence and responsibility. His time as Executive Director & Spiritual Abbot there taught him how to lead people. Along the way, he’s trained in Circling, Relatefulness, and Aletheia Unfolding coaching, and has built communities of practice like the Hearth in Asheville—a home for those who want to live with intention and purpose. He teaches meditation with Boundlessness.org.
If you’re curious to experience how Relateful Charlotte connects, watch our Youtube Videos here.
A final invitation
You don’t need to prepare.
You don’t need to know how to be more present, loving, or truthful.
Just come as you are — and let the practice meet you there.
This is the simple courageous choice we lean into again and again, which has blessed us with more aliveness, intimacy, and nourishment in our lives and connections.
We hope to see you there.
By attending you agree to The Relateful Terms of Service