Mindfulness is often spoken of as "the heart of Buddhist meditation." However, its essence is universal. As the Theravada monk and Buddhist scholar, Nyanaponika Thera, put it in his classic work, The Heart of Buddhist Meditation, mindfulness is the unfailing master key for knowing the mind, and is thus the starting point; the perfect tool for shaping the mind, and is thus the focal point; and the lofty manifestation of the achieved freedom of the mind, and is thus the culminating point.

In this retreat, we immerse ourselves in what are traditionally called the four foundations of mindfulness: mindfulness of body, feelings, mind, and the tendencies of mind that lead to suffering or liberation. This is a powerful practice framework for cultivating openhearted awareness with the full dimensionality of our human experience.

Mindfulness allows us to dwell in openhearted awareness with our unfolding experience as it is. In many Asian languages, the words for "mind" and for "heart" are the same word; we can understand mindfulness better if we simultaneously understand it as "heartfulness" and cultivate it in that way.

During this retreat, we cultivate intimacy with our own experience as it unfolds, meeting it with loving awareness and letting life itself become the curriculum.

We engage in a range of formal and informal meditation practices, including sitting meditation, walking meditation, standing and lying down meditations, and movement-based practices. There is an emphasis on the cultivation of mindfulness in all daily activities to foster a seamless continuity of life and practice. The application of mindfulness in the face of our full human condition—including stress, pain, illness, our own limiting beliefs, implicit biases and relational challenges as well as joy, love, and connection—are emergent themes.