Awake in the Wild: Contemplating Joy, Wisdom, and Wonder in Nature

This silent meditation retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, turns the Buddhist path outdoors. Awake in the Wild: Contemplating Joy, Wisdom, and Wonder in Nature is a five-night Insight Meditation retreat in the Theravada tradition, led by Mark Coleman, Yong Oh, and Kirsten Rudestam. It is meant for practitioners with some meditation experience who want to practice among hills and meadows, with the natural world as teacher.

What to Expect

Since the time of the Buddha, practitioners have looked to nature as a place of refuge and awakening. Here, that idea becomes direct practice. Through sensory-based mindfulness, you attune to the rhythms of body, breath, and the more-than-human world, and nature serves as both teacher and mirror. The themes are impermanence, interdependence, and the ease of letting go, along with a natural sense of joy, wonder, and belonging.

The retreat begins on a Wednesday with check-in between 2:30 and 4:30 PM, an orientation to the retreat center, and the start of silence. From Thursday through Sunday, days include sitting and walking meditation, nature-based contemplative practices, Dharma talks and reflections, small group meetings, and plenty of time for solitary practice outdoors. Most of the practice happens outside, and there is an option to move indoors in inclement weather. Early morning and late evening sittings are mostly held indoors, unless you choose to sit outside. On Monday there is a final morning practice and a closing session, with departure by 11:00 AM.

Silence is kept throughout, apart from teacher guidance and group meetings.

About Mark Coleman

Mark Coleman holds a master's degree in Clinical Psychology and has trained extensively in the Buddhist tradition. A senior teacher at Spirit Rock, he has taught Insight Meditation since 1997. He is the author of From Suffering to Peace and Make Peace With Your Mind. For two decades he has led wilderness nature retreats around the world, and he leads year-long nature meditation teacher trainings in the US and Europe.

About Yong Oh

Yong Oh is a core teacher at the Durango Dharma Center and at Sacred Mountain Saṅgha. His particular interests are nature Dharma, devotional expression, and supporting caregivers as well as communities of color in the Dharma.

About Kirsten Rudestam

Kirsten Rudestam, PhD, has practiced meditation since 1997. She was authorized and trained to teach in the Theravādan tradition by her mentors, Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella, and has taught since 2002. She co-founded and co-teaches the Sati Center's Buddhist Eco-Chaplaincy Training Program.

The Setting

Spirit Rock sits in the hills of Woodacre, in Marin County, California, and the retreat makes use of its hills, meadows, and grounds. Rooms are single or double occupancy; many are single, and 16 of the center's 80 rooms are doubles. A limited number of guaranteed single rooms are offered at the higher price tiers, and other single rooms are first prioritized for people with serious medical needs. All meals are provided. The group is limited to 80 participants.

Before You Go

The retreat is designed for people with prior meditation experience. Those new to meditation are encouraged to begin with daylong programs and to contact Spirit Rock's Registration Department before enrolling. The teaching is in English.

Accommodation and all meals are included, along with meditation instruction, nature-based practice guidance, Dharma reflections, small group meetings, and access to the grounds. Teacher dana is not part of the registration fee. At the end of the retreat, there is an invitation to offer dana to the teachers and to Spirit Rock. Getting to Spirit Rock is your own responsibility.

Retreat commuters attend every session and meal but arrange their own lodging, at a reduced rate. They must have completed at least one weeklong silent residential retreat in Insight meditation beforehand; online retreats do not count. Sliding scale pricing, payment plans, and need-based scholarships are available.