Shambhala Mountain Center invites you to enjoy a nurturing, creative and contemplative retreat with your family this summer. Celebrate our extended community of families as we practice together and soak up the beauty of the land.

In the mornings, while your children participate in special group activities or Rites of Passage (see below), take time for yourself to listen to talks, meditate, exercise or just relax. During the afternoons and evenings, partake in family activities such as Japanese flower arranging, calligraphy, kite flying, and mala making. Join us as we engage in the powerful path that is family.

This year we are offering a simplified registration process suitable for families of 2, 3 or 4 individuals. The family will complete the main registration form where they choose the housing and identify their family name. In the second step, each family member will complete a mini-registration form where we gather personal information and you can sign up for additional programs such as Rites of Passage. Note: Unlike typical Shambhala Mountain Center registration, Family Camp Housing registration includes housing cost only (despite wording on registration form). Tuition and meals are charged for each family member.

How to register:

Step 1:  Register for Housing and name your family.

Step 2:  Register family members – Register and pay for each family member individually. Enter family name for each member so we can match you together. All attending family members must be officially registered.

Rites of Passage:

This program is open to all 8–10 year-olds and marks the transition children make at this age from being solely family-centered to becoming important members of the community. Children are given tools to help them begin caring for their own mind and emotions through sitting meditation, kyudo (Zen archery), haiku, nature hikes, calligraphy and other meditative arts. These tools empower them to relate to their internal and external worlds with confidence and gentleness. Perhaps for the first time in their lives, children experience belonging to a spiritual community of their own, separate from family members. This transformative experience is sealed with a powerful ceremony at the week’s end, in which the children are acknowledged as spiritual warriors who have taken a vow of mindfulness and kindness towards themselves and others.