Join An Inspiring Group of Buddhist Teachers for this Unique and Dynamic Retreat Exploring Leadership and the Divine Feminine
Teachers
Lama Tsultrim Allione
Lama Tsultrim Allione is a former nun in the Tibetan tradition and one of the first Western Buddhist teachers. Known as a profound and lucid teacher who skillfully combines both psychological and spiritual insights, she has taught internationally since 1982. She is founder of Tara Mandala, an international Vajrayana Buddhist community based in Pagosa Springs, Colorado and the author of Women of Wisdom and Feeding Your Demons: Ancient Wisdom for Resolving Inner Conflict. In 2007, Lama Tsultrim was recognized as an emanation of Machig Labdrön at Machig’s monastery in Tibet. In 2009, she was selected as an “Outstanding Woman in Buddhism” by the Outstanding Women in Buddhism Committee’s panel of distinguished Buddhist scholars and practitioners.
Acharya Susan Skjei
Acharya Susan Skjei is an educator, executive coach and consultant specializing in leadership and transformative change. Formerly a Vice President of Learning and Development for a large technology company, she currently directs the Authentic Leadership program at Naropa University and consults internationally through her company Sane Systems. Susan is skilled at fostering inclusive and empowering learning experiences.
Shastri Janet Solyntjes
Janet Solyntjes, MA, is a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition and Adjunct Professor at Naropa University. A practitioner of mind-body disciplines since 1977, she completed a professional training in MBSR with Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli and the Teacher Development Intensive at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and is a member of their faculty. Janet leads mindfulness retreats in the U.S. and internationally and is co-founder of the Boulder-based Center for Courageous Living.
Shastri Holly Gayley
Holly Gayley is an Assistant Professor in Buddhist Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has been a practitioner of meditation since 1992 and serves as a shastri or senior teacher in the Shambhala community. With a Masters in Buddhist Studies from Naropa University and a Ph.D. in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies from Harvard, Holly travels to Tibetan areas regularly for her research on contemporary Buddhist movements. She also enjoys trekking on either side of the Himalayas and in the Rocky Mountains with her dogs, Buster and Poky.
Acharya Judith Simmer-Brown
Acharya Judith Simmer-Brown, Ph.D., is professor of religious studies at Naropa University, and Dean of the Shambhala Teachers’ Academy. She has been an acharya, senior dharma teacher, since 2000, and is author of Dakini’s Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism and Meditation in the Classroom. She and Richard have two adult children and three grandchildren.
Venerable Dr. Pannavati
Ven. Dr. Pannavati, a former Christian pastor, is co-founder and co-Abbot of Embracing-Simplicity Hermitage in Hendersonville, NC. As a Buddhist monastic, she advocates on behalf of disempowered women and youth globally. She was a 2008 recipient of the Outstanding Buddhist Women’s Award. Venerable is a founding circle director of Sisters of Compassionate Wisdom, a 21st century trans-lineage Buddhist Order and Sisterhood formed by Ani Drubgyuma in 2006. In 2011, Venerable adopted 10 “untouchable” villages in India, vowing to help them establish an egalitarian community based on Buddhist principles of conduct and livelihood. Ven. Pannavati founded My Place, Inc. in Hendersonville, NC, which has housed more than 75 homeless youth between the ages of 17 and 23 over the past 4 years. That effort has evolved into a separate 501(c)(3) which has its own academic platform, jobs training program, residential program and social enterprise, My Gluten Free Bread Company.
Alexandra Shenpen, Sensei
Alexandra Shenpen, Sensei, has studied Ikebana/Kado through Kalapa Ikebana and the Sogetsu School for over 25 years. She teaches extensively at Naropa University, meditation centers, public venues, and privately. She is also a psychotherapist in private practice. She has been appointed a Master Instructor for Kalapa Ikebana, and an Artist to the Court by Sakyong Mipham, Rinpoche. She is a Riji of Sogetsu Ikebana.
Katharine Kaufman
Katharine Kaufman, MFA, is ordained as a priest in the Soto Zen lineage. She studied Yoga in India and practiced and taught for many years at Richard Freeman’s Yoga Workshop and Wendy Bramlett’s Studio Be. Katharine is an adjunct professor at Naropa University where she teaches Contemplative Movement Arts and is a student of poetry.
Retreat Highlights:
- Keynote talks and experiential workshops with Lama Tsultrim Allione, Acharya Judith Simmer-Brown, Acharya Susan Skjei and Venerable Dr. Pannavati.
- A White Tara lung with Acharya Judith Simmer-Brown
- Mudra Space Awareness with Mitra Lee Worley
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction with Shastri Janet Solyntjes
- Total lunar eclipse viewing and night sky meditation with Andrea Schweitzer
- Ikebana with Alexandra Shenpen, Sensei
- Yoga with Katharine Kaufman
- Guided Meditations with Shastri Holly Gayley
Tuition
Tuition does not include the cost of meals and lodging, please see below for details.
Regular Tuition
$525 ($175 Off)
Limited Time
Final Tuition
$700
Please Note: Tuition does not include lodging and meals. Lodging Prices are shown below. Prices shown on the registration page, accessed through the link above, include tuition, lodging and meals.
Popular Lodging Options
Seasonal Dorm
$79 Per Night
Includes 3 Meals Per Day
Lodge Dorm
No Longer Available
Lodge Double
$147 Per Night
Includes 3 Meals Per Day
Lodge Single
No Longer Available
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 programs usually end at 12:30 pm on the program’s departure date, followed by lunch. 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.