We invite you to attend one of our retreats in various locations around the U.S. and in Europe.
All one-day and weekend regional retreats offer two workshops that run side by side. If you are new to passage meditation, you can join the introductory group which will give you everything you need to start your own practice. Or, if you already have experience in passage meditation, you can join the returnee group and take your practice to a new level.
“One of the important reasons for our Blue Mountain Center retreats is to provide a rendezvous where people who are spiritually yearning, who are searching for the supreme purpose of life, can come together to support one another and provide companionship for one another on this demanding journey. I am always pleased to hear from friends that our retreats are like an oasis for them, where they can find living waters and return home refreshed.” –Eknath Easwaran
RETREAT THEMES FOR 2010
Finding Strength in Life’s Stormy Seas
(Sessions for newcomers – those coming to their first BMCM retreat.)
Note: We recommend this retreat for everyone coming to their first BMCM retreat, even for those who have experience in other types of meditation. This retreat will help you see the benefits of the eight-point program of passage meditation and give you full instruction, and yet it remains a deep and inspiring program.
We can’t control what life sends us, Easwaran says, but we can choose how we respond. If we calm the mind, we can access the strength, compassion, and wisdom within us.
Explore Easwaran’s passage meditation at a one-day or weekend retreat, where the combination of a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere and rich discussions draws together people of a wide range of ages and backgrounds.
During the course of the day or weekend, you will discover the practicality and power of passage meditation in theory and practice. You will learn the underlying principles of the whole eight-point program of passage meditation: why the eight points are beneficial and how they work together, and how you can apply them to your own challenges and aspirations.
You will receive full instruction in the first two points: meditation on a passage and repetition of a mantram. You will also learn how the other six points will carry the benefits of meditation directly into your work day and home life.
By the end of your retreat, you will have memorized a short inspirational passage to use in the meditation session/s, chosen a mantram and found ways to use it in your daily life, learned different memorization techniques, and also experienced how relaxing and rejuvenating a mantram walk can be.
The balanced schedule allows time for inner reflection, discussion, learning, and application in a comfortable and well-paced schedule. There is time to have your questions answered, meet other people in your area who are practicing passage meditation, and find local BMCM fellowship groups which meet on a regular basis for ongoing support.
This curriculum reaches great depths, and gives you all the information and inspiration you need to start a passage meditation practice.
You can participate in the discussions as much or as little as you are comfortable with.
The retreat presenters are life-long students of Eknath Easwaran, and have decades of experience presenting Easwaran's program to a world-wide audience.
What people have said about this retreat:
“Whatever else might happen or not, for me, personally, last year will be etched in my memory as the beginning of an awakening within me that will probably dictate how I live the rest of my life.”
“I just returned from my retreat in Denver. It was a wonderful experience that exceeded my expectations. I was worried about many things: religious bias, the program being too metaphysical, for ‘very special people,’ etc. I found that passage meditation is logical, practical and comprehensive.”
“My expectations were much more than met. I had a very fulfilling and inspiring experience. Life-changing, I would say . . . ”
“My expectations, based on several years of reading and re-reading Sri Easwaran’s books and doing my best to follow his recommendations, were very high. Yet, the fact that they were far more than met did not surprise me. My previous dealings with BMCM, though very limited, had always given me the pleasure of working with people who were exceptionally caring, kind and gentle. I brought to the retreat a sense of personal connection to Sri Easwaran and his message. I’m delighted to take away the conviction that his work is being carried forward with great sensitivity, intelligence, and love.”
Living in Wisdom
(Sessions for returning meditators – people who have been to a previous BMCM retreat.)
Tell me of those who live in wisdom, ever aware of the Self;
How do they talk, how sit, how move about?
(The Bhagavad Gita, 2:54)
Our new regional retreat curriculum focuses on one of the most glorious passages for meditation, Living in Wisdom. How can it help us now, in 2010, with all the challenges, big and small, of our daily lives? Join us to study the passage in depth and to explore how these verses, together with our passage meditation practice, can help us reach into and transform those areas of our lives where we may feel off-balance and need more strength and stability.
Inspired by Easwaran’s teachings and by his enthusiasm for the spiritual life, and encouraged by the spiritual fellowship that is such an important part of our retreats, you will make a practical plan for discovering your own inner wisdom, day-by-day, minute-by-minute. Whatever challenges lie ahead, deepening your practice will give you the courage, creativity, and strength that you need to face them.
“I found some practical methods to turn difficult challenges into spiritual growth opportunities. I have been meditating steadily for about 5 years, but I deepened the power of my meditation by attending the retreat. Now I am seeing significant results, and I am seeing changes in myself that are positive.”
“I am always so glad to attend the regional retreat – it is always such a good break and a good reminder of the important things in life.”
“I benefited so deeply (from the one-day retreat). I am getting up earlier and am not missing any more days ‘here and there.’ Meditation and the other seven points are a great comfort and strength for me. I literally feel the energy being generated by them.”
One-Day (Saturday) Retreats begin at 9 a.m. and end at 5:30 p.m.
One-Day Retreat Fee:
Standard $100 (Includes the program and a vegetarian lunch.)
Sliding Scale $60–140 (For an explanation of our sliding scale, click here.)
Weekend Retreats begin on Friday at 4 p.m. and end on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Weekend Retreat Fee:
Standard $300 (Includes the program, vegetarian meals, and accommodations.)
Sliding Scale $225–375 (For an explanation of our sliding scale, click here.)
Commuter $200 (Includes the program and meals, but no accommodation.)
A sliding scale fee structure, as well as financial aid, is available to help everyone attend our retreats. For information on applying for payment plans and/or the availability of scholarships please call us at 800.475.2369 or email us.
To enroll in a retreat, click on the date listed in the right column.
