Within the beauty and serenity of surrounding nature, we will have the opportunity to deepen into a period of sustained noble silence that connects us with ourselves and all forms of life as we direct our attention to what is truly present, here and now.
On retreat, we have a precious opportunity to stop and look deeply together, to recognize and feel a loving awareness that is always present, holding us and everything together even when our experience feels painful. When we are present with ourselves in a meditative way, we can see how our tendency to get caught in distracting storylines and beliefs disconnect us from the fullness of our present moment experience and obscures the love that is ever present. Only by turning within and deeply sensing and feeling can we know the true heart’s release that is possible for all of us. Once in touch, we can begin to expand the circle of love beyond our usual boundaries where we respect diversity and are inclusive of everyone and everything without distinction. In this way, we touch into the joy of presence itself.

During this retreat, we will draw on alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation. There will be daily dharma talks, guided meditations, work meditation as well as individual and group discussions — all to steady us, to sustain us and to enliven our hearts. Held in noble silence, there will also be open time to find your own individual rhythm in the retreat.

This retreat is suitable for both experienced students, and for those newer to meditation practice who meet these prerequisites: i) you have sat at least a 5-day silent retreat in any meditation tradition and ii) you have a dedicated dharma practice.

Sharda Rogell is the guiding teacher for the Regina Insight Meditation Community. She began her practice in 1976 and began teaching worldwide in 1987. She is a Teacher Emeritus at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. Along with her training in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, she has been influenced by many other spiritual teachings, teachers and traditions. She has been a student of A. H. Almass in the Diamond approach for over 20 years, and her primary interest is awakening the heart/mind with embodied presence in order to live a fully awakened life.

Cost:

The cost for this 8-night retreat is $850. This fee covers the accommodation and food for the week, as well as Sharda's travel expenses and payment to the cook. As it does not include any charge for Sharda’s teachings, and because she offers her time and energy on a dana basis, there will be an opportunity to offer dana to Sharda at the end of the retreat.

Registration:

To register, please email: christophergilboy@gmail.com outlining how you fulfill the pre-requisites. Chris will get back to you about whether spaces are still available and, if they are, let you know how to send in the $250 deposit that will confirm your place on the retreat. Once your place is confirmed, Chris will send you a Registration and Liability-Waiver Form to fill and return. If the open spaces are no longer available when your application is received, your name will be added to the waiting list so that you can be informed as soon as a space opens up.

Your place on the retreat will be confirmed following payment of a $250 deposit which, in the event you have to cancel, is refundable in full until midnight August 6. After August 6, we will need to keep the deposit to help meet retreat expenses, but — if we are able to fill the resulting vacancy before the retreat starts — we will fully refund your deposit. The $600 balance can be paid to RIMC by Interac transfer or cheque any time before the retreat or at on-site registration.

More Information about the Retreat:

The retreat will take place at the Katepwa Lake Camp (KLC) which is about an hour’s drive east of Regina. Although it is more rustic than our retreats have been at Wood Acres, this location was chosen as it is beautiful, quiet and secluded, qualities that will really support our retreat together.

KLC is primarily used as a young people's camp in the summer, but it is also available — and suitably equipped — for rental to other groups in the Fall. It has a main building where the dining room, kitchen, bathrooms and 8 of the rooms are located. It also has a number of cabins.
There are heaters in the cabins, should the temperature be cool during the retreat.
There will be shared accommodation with two people in each room/cabin. All the rooms and cabins are quite sizeable so occupants will each have plenty of space.
Bathroom/shower facilities for cabins:
- For women: the cabins are close to the main building where the bathrooms and showers are located.
- For men, who will all be in cabins, it will be a bit more of a walk to the facilities
KLC has a lovely hall that we think will work well for our meditation hall, and the surrounds are very quiet, directly adjacent to a beautiful lake and immersed in nature. We will have sole use of the facility which will provide for privacy.
There are several spots available for camper vans.
www.katepwalakecamp.com is the link to the KLC website where, if you scroll down to just below the general availability calendar, you will find photos of the facility and the grounds.

For further information, please contact:

Chris Gilboy:
christophergilboy@gmail.com
306-522-0616 (landline so no texting)