The Buddha said, “There is one thing that, when cultivated and regularly practiced, leads to deep spiritual intention, to peace, to mindfulness and clear comprehension, to vision and knowledge, to a happy life here and now, and to the culmination of wisdom and awakening. And what is that one thing? It is mindfulness centered on the body.” The first mindfulness practices that the Buddha taught were attending to the body— coming to our senses. Mindfulness of the body is an invitation to open to the awareness which is already present in the body. The retreat practices and teachings will support continuity of mindfulness in the body throughout all activities. A wholesome sense of being calm, grounded, embodied and present will be nourished.
Yoga practice will be an integral part of this silent meditation retreat as a form of meditation in motion – there will be two or three sessions of yoga each day.
David Schouela has been practicing meditation and yoga since 1996 and has been teaching yoga since 2001. David brings to his teaching the integration of Buddhist mindfulness and insight meditation with classical yoga practice.