Programs

We invite you to be our guest at Vallecitos on self-retreat this spring.  On our beautiful forested land you will be supported to come into connection with yourself, your practice, and the natural rhythms of the earth and sky. As we gather together for this first retreat of the season there will be opportunities to offer and receive blessings in deep relationship with[…]

This retreat will be spent meditating outdoors in the natural beauty and mystery here at Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center.  Whether it is during sunset meditations, listening to the soothing sounds of the river, or sitting graced in the stillness of the aspen trees, we will open to the profound serenity and wisdom of nature. This retreat is grounded in […]

The Buddhist path is about unhooking our habitual ways of being in the world. One of these habitual patterns is the experience of being disconnected from the environment, which cultivates a sense of not belonging. We will be exploring ways of practicing that reconnect us with the natural world through the lenses of ecology and the early Buddhist tradition. […]

A monk, having gone to the forest, to the foot of a tree or to an empty place, sits down with legs crossed, keeps the body erect and mindfulness alert. This is an instruction of the Buddha that points to a supportive condition for practice. A condition which is easily met in the beautiful mountain wilderness of Vallecitos among the Aspens and the Ponderosa Pines. This retreat container allows […]

Mindfulness meditation offers powerful antidotes to school-related stressors and is a support for compassionate engagement inside and outside the classroom. Retreat practice can cultivate practices of presence in body, heart, and mind in a way of responding to oneself and also to the larger suffering of our communities and our world. Please join us for […]

Focused attention, or concentration (samadhi, in Pali) is the weakest link in practice for most meditators. This is no surprise given our cultural penchant for multi-tasking and the accelerating speed and quantity of sensory stimulation in which we are immersed. Nonetheless, in many meditative traditions, concentration is seen as a prerequisite for […]

Join us in an exploration of Dharma through connection with the land of Vallecitos. This retreat is designed to offer support for experienced practitioners in insight meditation (Vipassana). When we have an established foundation in Dharma practice, we can open to discovering new ways of perceiving. As the understanding of classical Dharma deepens even further[…]

During this retreat we will explore the Four Foundations of Mindfulness with an emphasis on developing continuity of wise awareness as taught by Burmese master Sayadaw U Tejaniya. Instructions will emphasize the Buddha’s teachings on view, attitude and qualities of mind that support a relaxed and alert awareness throughout all activities. […]

This retreat emerged from the relationship between its teachers as a result of many years of being together in dharma practice, teaching, and spiritual friendship. And this retreat invites the participants into relationship — with themselves, each other, the land, and all beings everywhere without exception. Awakening from the delusion of separation through practice and […]

During this intensive silent retreat, participants will learn to develop their heart’s capacity for liberatory clarity and pervasive tenderness with a unique integration of Vipassana (insight) and Metta (lovingkindness) practices. Michele and Jesse are enthusiastic about supporting practitioners with a depth of both technical rigor and spacious ease. Guests will be supported by […]

Join us in an exploration of Dharma through connection with the land of Vallecitos. This retreat is designed to offer support for experienced practitioners in insight meditation (Vipassana). When we have an established foundation in Dharma practice, we can open to discovering new ways of perceiving. As the understanding of classical Dharma deepens even further[…]

Refuge supports trust, simplicity, rest, and connection. It is the ground for our awakening. Through meditative practice and inquiry, we will listen in and attune, intimately deepening relationship with ourselves, the land at Vallecitos and each other. Within the intimacy of that relationship, we can be held and supported in coming to know more profoundly […]

Join us for a six-night silent retreat in LGBTQIA2S+ community on the beautiful land of Vallecitos. Supported by the natural world, the Dhamma, practice and each other, we will reconnect with our belonging and essential goodness as LGBTQIA2S+ people. We will ground in the elements as a way to understand our nature and wholeness. […]

In this six-night retreat, we will explore mindfulness of the body through the four elements of earth, air, water and fire, reminding us that we are not separate from but always in relationship to the natural world. Our sensitive bodies and sensitive hearts always belong to nature. This retreat will be grounded in contemplative practices of mindfulness and compassion […]

During this week-long silent mindfulness meditation retreat, we will learn to pay attention with an embodied knowing that leads to intuitive wisdom. We will practice loving embodiment as we cultivate attending to each moment with mindfulness. Being immersed in the natural world, we’ll attune to nature within ourselves and around us. This practice allows […]

This retreat will be spent meditating entirely outdoors in the natural beauty and mystery here at Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center.  Whether it is during sunset meditations, listening to the soothing sounds of the river, or sitting graced in the stillness of the aspen trees, we will open to the profound serenity and wisdom of nature. This silent is grounded in […]

The retreat will combine two ancient spiritual practices — meditation and music — as a path to opening one’s heart and uncovering one’s true nature. There will be guided instruction in the fundamentals of mindfulness meditation and dharma practice, including periods of sitting and walking meditation in silence. Woven throughout the meditation practice, participants will […]

We invite you to be our guest at Vallecitos this fall for self-retreat time on the land gently held by our beloved visiting teachers, Anne Cushman and Carole Melkonian. Please join us to connect with your practice alongside the depth and magic of the land. We are offering you the simple experience of being on the land, using our facilities, receiving three nutritious meals a day along with […]