Mindfulness and Compassion Meditation Retreat
Janet Solyntjes and David Spound
November 4–13, 2016
Janet Solyntes
David Spound
A 9-day, teacher-led, silent retreat
Co-sponsored by the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society.
All of us have an innate capacity to experience well-being, resilience, and unconditional care and kindness. In order to enhance this capacity, we explore the power of mindfulness and related practices such as loving-kindness and compassion for self and other. This Mindfulness and Compassion Meditation Retreat emphasizes the direct experience of mind and heart in a powerful silent container, supported by the indescribable and vivid beauty of the Rocky Mountains that surround the retreat center.
The Mindfulness Meditation Retreat is suitable for mindfulness teachers or aspiring teachers, and fulfills the retreat prerequisite for attending Oasis Institute training programs.
This retreat includes meditation instruction, small group interviews with one of the retreat leaders, talks by the retreat leaders, guided sessions of meditation practice, movement exercises, and mindful eating, as well as sessions of contemplation and teachings to deepen understanding of the practice.
This retreat is based on core principles and practices of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Saki Santorelli, and colleagues at The Center for Mindfulness in the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Program Goals
- Provide a safe and nourishing environment for the cultivation and development of a deep and grounded mindfulness meditation practice.
- Foster a rigorous retreat experience, independent of a specific religious outlook, that fulfills Oasis Institute prerequisites.
- Offer excellent support and guidance from highly trained and experienced teachers and meditation instructors.
- Practice noble silence to develop a strong container for deepening meditation practice.
Please be aware that practicing for 9 days in silence can be an intensive and challenging – as well as a highly rewarding – experience. We strongly recommend that all participants have a regular meditation practice as well as prior experience with instructor-led mindfulness training programs. If you have any questions about this recommendation, we welcome your inquiry.
Sample Daily Schedule
| 7:00
8:00 9:00 11:30 12:30 1:30 3:00 5:00 5:30 6:30 7: 30 8:00 10:30 |
Meditation, sitting and walking
Breakfast Meditation Teachings Lunch ROTA (community work period) or Rest Meditation Tea Meditation Dinner Meditation Evening talk Lights out |
Participant Guidelines
Attendance Requirement
- Participants must attend all practice sessions
Attitudes
- Non-judging
- Patience
- Beginner’s mind
- Trust
- Non-striving
- Acceptance
- Letting go
- Kindness
- Compassion
Expectations
- Self-care
- Confidentiality
- Listening and participating
- Silence
- Non-disruptive
- Genuine effort
- No food or drink (except water) in meditation room
If you are interested in an introductory program or are fairly new to mindfulness practice, you may enjoy Janet’s other Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programs, such as Mindful Living: Teachings and Practices from MBSR (April 21- 25, 2016)
Janet Solyntjes
Janet Solyntjes, M.A. is a senior teacher (Shastri) in the Shambhala-Buddhist tradition and has offered mindfulness courses at Naropa University, Omega Institute, Hollyhock, Shambhala Mountain Center, and in corporate and non-profit workplaces. A practitioner of mind-body disciplines since 1977, she is a Certified MBSR Teacher and faculty member of The Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts. Janet leads MBSR courses in Colorado and offers mindfulness seminars and retreats in the U.S. and internationally. She is the co-founder of Boulder-based The Center for Courageous Living and is a teaching faculty member of the Engaged Mindfulness Institute.
David Spound
David Spound, M.Ed., is a meditation practitioner, teacher, and consultant based in Northampton, MA where he offers courses in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) through his company Valley Mindfulness. He began to practice meditation in the 1970s, and he has been teaching MBSR since 2006 and MSC since 2015. David was certified as a teacher of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction by the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical School, the organization founded by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. David worked at the UMass Center for Mindfulness from 2006–2013 where he served as a member of the MBSR teaching staff and coordinated the MBSR teacher training and certification program. In addition, David has trained as a teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) with Christopher Germer, Ph.D., Kristin Neff, Ph.D., Steven Hickman, Psy.D., and Michelle Becker, M.A.
