fall meditation retreat

Meditate For a Full Week. Learn to Apply Mindfulness to Everyday Life.
Embody the Shape of Awake.

Now Offering Free Tuition!

Being upright is not just an arbitrary shape; it’s a perfect expression of meditation itself. In this week of intensive meditation practice, Hope Martin, a master teacher of the Alexander Technique, will offer both verbal and hands-on instruction to help you develop ease and non-striving in meditation and everyday activities.

Principles from the practice of Focusing will be introduced to help participants befriend habitually stuck places and to access the wisdom that resides in the holding pattern. This is a highly experiential week within a safe, supportive, and caring environment.

Open to new and experienced practitioners. For those on the Shambhala Buddhist path this Weekthun counts toward one week of Dathun and fulfills a portion of the group practice requirements for attending the Enlightened Society Assembly, as well as Shambhala Guide Training requirements.

Retreat Teacher

Hope Martin

Hope Martin has taught the Alexander Technique for 30 years in the United States and abroad. She maintains a lively private practice, is a Senior Teacher training Alexander teachers at the American Center for the Alexander Technique, and operates Hope Martin Studio in New York City. She is a Meditation Instructor and teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition as well as a Focusing Trainer. Her particular passion is in facilitating her students’ discovery of how easeful, upright posture is an expression of their human dignity, confidence, and innate wakefulness.

Practice Includes:

  • Sitting Meditation Interspersed With Walking Meditation
  • One-On-One Meditation Instruction
  • Personal Posture Instruction
  • Daily Teachings
  • Daily Mindful Eating Practices




Photos by Jamie Woodworth, Rachel Becker and Todd Presson.

Sample Daily Schedule:

6:30am Wake up


7:00am Early Morning Practice Session


8:00am Breakfast


9:00am Morning Practice Session


12:30pm Lunch (Mindful Eating in Shrine Room)


1:30pm Work Period


3:00pm Afternoon Practice Session


4:00pm Tea Break


4:30pm Late Afternoon Practice Session


6:00pm Dinner (One Bowl Meal)


7:00pm Evening Practice Session


9:00pm End of Day

Now Offering Free Tuition
Pay for Only Lodging + 3 Meals Per Day

Click Here to Register

Prices Range From $79 to $224 Per Night

Note: This retreat fulfills the weekthun requirement for individuals on the Shambhala Path.

About Shambhala Mountain Center

Nestled high in the Colorado Rockies 2 hours north of Denver, Shambhala Mountain Center is a six-hundred-acre mountain valley retreat surrounded by native forests, gentle meadows and rocky peaks. Tamed by decades of use as a contemplative refuge, we provide a safe and supportive container for exploring paths of deepened awareness, personal wellbeing and societal transformation. For more than 40 years, extraordinary people have gathered here to experience Shambhala teachings and partake in over 100 year-round offerings featuring indigenous wisdom traditions, body awareness practices, contemplative arts, mindful living or other paths of personal transformation.

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel your reservation more than 14 days prior to arrival, you will receive a full refund less a credit card processing fee of 5% of payment. If you cancel between 2 to 14 days prior to arrival, we will credit your payment towards another program at Shambhala Mountain Center to be used within 2 years. No refunds or credits are issued for cancellations received fewer than 48-hours prior to arrival. Click here to learn more about cancellations, rates, and payments.

Children Policy

Shambhala Mountain Center welcomes children of parents/guardians who are participating in our scheduled programs, or who are simply engaging in a personal retreat. However, we do not provide childcare. Parents are encouraged to also bring a caretaker for their children, so that the parents can fully participate in their program. Click here to learn more about bringing your child to SMC.

Arrival Details

Registration takes place from 2– 5 pm on your program start date. All participants and volunteer staff must check in at our Guest Registration house. Please arrive before 5 pm to check in and settle into your accommodations. Your program begins with dinner, followed by an orientation. The Guest Registration house closes at 5:30 pm after which no one is available to provide information or orient you to your accommodations. All Weekthuns and Dathun end on the final day with breakfast. Further specifics regarding your program’s schedule will be available upon arrival. If applicable, you will receive an email from the program coordinator in the week prior to your program with any additional information you may need.