Healing retreat for people of color

— Do you self-identify as a person of color and work within the climate & social justice movement?

— Do you feel burnt out and/or overwhelmed and need to recharge in an emotionally safe space where we gently witness and honor each other’s experience? 

— Can we build a movement that is rooted in our deepest spiritual values and emotional truths? Can we engage in advocacy such that it is an integral part of our spiritual and emotional growth?

— Do you feel yoga, meditation, and trusting, empathetic emotional connection with others can help release internalized white supremacy and other stresses lodged in our bodies?

If yes, come join us at the stunningly pristine and healing Rocky Mountain Ecodharma retreat center (RMERC) for a retreat designed for empowering self-identifying people of color involved in change-making work. You could be a community organizer, healer or healing arts practitioner, educator, activist, artist, mom, scientist, journalist, lawyer, author or storyteller working for peace and justice. Through silent hikes, meditation, yoga, guided peer-to-peer dialogue in a strong container of emotional safety and trust, gratitude/grief/rage rituals and other group-work, we will explore how we can deepen activism as a spiritual path, learn to honor and transform our emotions through empathy and connection, face the root cause of our suffering, act with deep compassion & courage in these difficult times.

We will follow COVID-safe protocols for lodging and serving food. There will be camping sites available for those who do not meet the COVID testing and vaccination criteria for staying inside the lodge.

Venue & Date
July 20 –  25, 2021
Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center

With
Kritee (Kanko), Climate scientist, Zen teacher, Co-founder of RMERC & BIM
Asia Dorsey, Satya Yoga Co-op Co-founder, Herbalist & Dreamworker
Naveed Heydari, Ramon Parish (for a weekend session) and Imtiaz Rangwala (as chef)!

Schedule
Each day will include silent seated and walking meditation, yoga and relational practices in small groups or dyads.  These sessions will discuss how our bodies store and remember stresses, how can we express and release these stresses through movement, meditation, rituals, group-work. We will also use some of The Work That Reconnects spiral practices that tap into our gratitude, our spiritual ground of being, express grief/anger/despair/fear and inspire actions. Please see our schedule for a similar retreat here. 

Is this retreat right for you?

This might be for you if:
— You’ve become disenchanted with traditional forms of activism.
— You’ve begun to encounter the direct relationship between your individual wellness and efficacy of your work.
— You’re ready to explore what is possible through deep relating and vulnerability.

This might not be for you if:
— You are not up for the discomfort and vulnerability of sharing some of your truth with others. Our goal is emotional safety and trust, but also emotional connection, and that takes a little bit of courage and willingness to be open and honest about your feelings.
— You tend to get extremely overwhelmed, spaced out, or destabilized in groups, or are currently struggling with intense traumatic stress. Most of us experience these to some degree, and it’s important to know that that’s ok, and a very understandable response to the world we’re living in. But if it’s so intense that you would feel completely “out of control” or lose the ability to keep coming back to the present moment, then this may not be a space that meets your needs.
— You’re looking for a completely silent retreat or a primarily “solo” experience. We will be weaving silence, yoga, meditation, and quiet walking together with facilitated small-group or dyadic conversation and dialogue.
— You have a heart-lung condition such that you will have difficulty at high altitude. The retreat center is at ~8500 feet. 
— You need wheelchair access.

Special Covid Protocols 

To insure everyone’s safety, and to help create a feeling of security and peace of mind, RMERC will be implementing the following policies for the 2021 season. They are subject to change if conditions warrant. We hope you can appreciate the need and value of this, and your participation is conditional on agreeing to them.

— Everyone coming to this retreat will be required to submit proof of a Covid vaccination or a negative RT-PCR test. Vaccination is crucial for anyone wanting to stay inside the lodge. 

— There will be outdoor porta-potty, solar shower and washing station for campers.

— To insure everyone’s safety and ease, we will be asking anyone with any COVID symptoms, or is feeling unwell, or has or may have been exposed to COVID, not to come to RMERC. We will also require anyone who develops any COVID like symptoms or becomes sick at the retreat to leave and return home immediately, to protect the health of the other yogis and teachers. We are not able to accommodate or care for someone who gets sick or needs to be quarantined while on retreat.

— During the retreat various protocols for the use of masks, hand washing, social distancing, etc. will be in place.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation; our priority is creating the safest possible sangha for everyone.

Cost, scholarships and dana
Sliding scale: $600-800

No one will be turned away for lack of funds if you are otherswise a good fit for the retreat. Dana for sesshin leaders will be welcome. With support from RMERC, we are offering partial (upto $300) scholarships. If you are in need of a scholarship, please mention that in your application. 

The cost of the retreat is set as low as possible and covers only expenses. None of the retreat fee goes to the teachers. The teachings themselves are offered at no set fee, so as to make them available to all regardless of finances. In turn, the teachers are supported through the generosity (dana) of the students. In considering your dana, please give what feels generous to you, given your finances.

Full payment of the retreat cost is due at the time of registration after your application is accepted. A refund of 50% will be granted for cancellations up to 30 days before the retreat start date.  No refunds will be granted within 30 days of the retreat start date.

Minimal Contact with the “outside world”

You will be out of contact with no internet access or cellphone service during the retreat. Please complete all personal business before you arrive. The staff will have the ability to make and receive emergency calls or emails on your behalf, but phone and internet are not available for personal use.

Application CLOSED NOW
Please fill this form  to apply. We can have a maximum of 26 attendees. All applicants must self-identify as person of color (POC). Within POC, we are aiming for a diversity of age, geographical, racial and organizational backgrounds.  To that end, we have reserved five spots for young people under 25 and will give priority to grassroots group members.