Upcoming Asheville Retreat Notes and Schedule

Below are a few notes/reflections on how I want to move forward in the next retreat in April in Asheville, North Carolina. This retreat will be an exploration in movement and stillness and letting go

This retreat will be beneficial for Dancers, body workers, martial artists, Somatic therapists, meditators, etc. Some experience with a stillness practice is highly recommended.

My real dream: No schedule or maybe 2 or three 1 hour classes. Plus times of silence together. Everyone uses the free time. It really being no schedule. Like a body happening. An unstructured time to creatively explore.

I thought the 2, 2-hour classes at our previous retreat in Ireland were maybe too much to do for 4 days.

And getting so pumped up. Too up and down

Does the form make us tight?

No required practice in this retreat.

A Non-directed weekend

Nature walks, letting go

One big inquiry into what is actually happening with our total being

Free style meals

A time for me to make Matcha for people who want it. This was a big hit at Bog Hill.

Limited schedule

Check-ins available

I do not want to offer chanting for this retreat. Although it can be a very powerful way to open up the central channel, I do not currently want to offer that in my retreats.

Creative practice

Journaling encouraged

A Sound bath in the evening? Shawn M on Piano?

Creative Freedom

Slow

A weekend of letting go

The Great unwinding

These exercises, this time is for helping us find a different way of being. A life of openness. Workshops are a way to explore that innate openness

Happening? Body happening? Awareness happening? Somatic Happening?

Be with what you are doing

Not escaping but becoming in very normal ways

Becoming the room

Not leaving not demanding
Loving life loving. Life meeting
Listening merging

A Free movement period

A weekend of exploration in movement and silence

The whole retreat viewed as one seamless period…

So everything in the retreat is equally a chance to explore. Like, going to the bathroom at 2am has the same value as doing zazen or ZZ

The shining eyes of people living that inquiry

Keeping curious the whole time
Making it your own
Walking, moving, standing sitting, all an inquiry into how to meet what is happening. There won’t be good training times and break times.

Both silence and talking

An hour set for asking questions and discussing practice

Built in time for talking directly with Corey if people want it

A period or two of touch aspect. How can we use the touch as a laboratory to explore more how to relate. Can I be open with another person?

There will be a schedule of classes and practice times, but no one will be required to go to them. Much of my vision is for people to be practicing on the free times, and to redefine what practice is.

Time in the evening to hang out

Body therapy sessions available to trade between participants. And the body therapy sessions can be a part of this exploration (optional). The theme of the bodywork sessions is to explore this same connection we find in our practice while working with another person

If you are looking for a strict zen retreat, this is not what I am interested in nor what I am offering.

More of a physical and energetic exploration weekend

Moving in wholeness when we move in wholeness, the entire room or the entire forest comes with us. There is no contradiction or decisions to be made as there is no conflict. There is only one thing happening. A week of moving in wholeness. This often requires very slow exploratory movement at first.

Suggested silence until 5pm (necessary talking it okay)

Below is the schedule. Subject to change based on mood, weather, inspiration, etc. Nothing is mandatory. If participants feel they need to just relax in their rooms or take a walk that is okay

7 am tea/coffee
8 am class
9:30 am breakfast
10:30-11:30 walk in woods
11:30-12:30 free practice

1pm lunch

2:30 -3:30 tea and practice discussion 

4pm class

6 dinner

7pm optional body work sessions

7 -8pm pm creative free movement period (sound bath?)

After, Chillin and hot tub?🤣

Find a way to be fascinated and curious in all parts of the day

I don’t want people to get “fried out of the pan” (How someone described the feeling). If people get cooking too much too fast, it is good to just take a break.

If at all possible it seems best for us all to stay at the location, as this creates a powerful container to explore in the twenty-four hours of the day. Please inquire about partial attendance if you’d like to explore that option.

Hope to see you there! For registration and exact details, please contact: janemiller18@gmail.com