DHARMA OF NATURE

An Insight Meditation Center & Off-Grid Retreats Collaboration

Explore the interconnection between the Dharma and the natural world, cultivating wisdom and inviting greater freedom.

Insight Meditation Center, in partnership with Off Grid Retreats, is offering this retreat at no cost. There will be an opportunity to offer donations at the end of the retreat. Learn more about IMC and the tradition of dana here.

Insight teachers Dawn Neal & Marjolein Janssen are co-teaching among the backdrop of the beautiful pine forests of Shelterwood Collective in Cazadero, CA. This retreat is designed to deepen your connection with both the teachings of Buddhism and the inherent wisdom found in the natural environment.

We recommend having a regular meditation practice to get the most out of this retreat. Registration is free and open to individuals of all genders, all sexual orientations, all ethnicities, all backgrounds, and all levels of experience with camping and outdoor practice.

This is an overnight camping retreat, and we ask that you bring your own tent and camping supplies if you have them. If you don’t own camping gear, are unable to transport it, or don’t have experience setting it up, please let us know in your registration. There are pre-built tent options available which we’ll offer based on need.

Each day there will be deepening meditation sessions supported by sensory immersion in nature. We will be cultivating mindfulness and presence through connecting with the ancient Buddhist elemental qualities of nature: earth, water, fire, air and space.

There will be optional movement and / or walking meditation every day. This is an opportunity to connect with the earth beneath your feet and the rhythmic pace of your breath as you traverse the surrounding landscape.

Delight your senses with nourishing and delicious vegetarian meals prepared mindfully. Explore the practice of mindful eating as a way to cultivate gratitude and awareness.

There will be a Dharma talk and time for questions. And please note that the retreat is held in “noble silence” in the tradition of Insight (Vipassana) meditation.

Work meditation allows participants to practice and to serve the community – our Sangha.  Each participant will be asked to sign up and perform a daily ritual of either meal prep, clean-up, bathroom cleaning, bell ringing, or other shared needs. Participants will sign up for these work meditations (aka yogi jobs) during check in onsite. Noble silence will be expected during work meditations as well, except for absolutely necessary instructions.

Retreat Site & Lodging

This retreat will reside at Shelterwood Collective, shown in the photos on this page. Check in is on Thursday, May 23rd at 3:00 PM PT. Registration includes 3 delicious vegetarian meals / day, starting with dinner on the 23rd and ending with breakfast on the 27th.

Shelterwood Collective is a Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ-led community forest and retreat center, which heals people and ecosystems through active stewardship and community engagement. This 900-acre forest and former church camp is nestled above the Russian River in Sonoma County, CA, on Unceded Kashaya and Southern Pomo territory. Renovations are underway for cabins and lodging, meanwhile the expansive grounds and riverside meadow are prime spaces for connecting with the outdoors.

During this late spring retreat, the weather and temperatures can vary. We may experience temperatures as low as 45° F and as high as 70° F. Please ensure to follow our packing list (sent one week before the start) so you may enjoy this nature based retreat comfortably and safely, regardless of the weather.

Retreat Cost and Policies

“The Buddha asked that the teaching of the Dharma be offered freely, without charge, since it is of infinite value, and beyond any price that could be put on it. The tradition of ‘Dana,’ or mutual giving, has supported Buddhist cultures for 2500 years. In Asia, the monks and nuns offer the teaching and the lay people support the monastery and fill the monks’ begging bowls each morning as they walk through the village on alms rounds. It is a beautiful exchange in which the hearts of both giver and receiver are opened in joy and gratitude and love flows between them.”

At the end of the retreat, you’ll be given the chance to offer dana to cover retreat costs, support the teachers and organizers, and allow us to continue offering these kinds of retreats in the future.

Zoom with the Teachers before the Retreat!

Are you interested in learning more about this retreat, experiencing how Dawn & Marjolein teach,
and/or practicing meditation in community?

If your answer is yes to any of the questions above, then we encourage you to attend this FREE Zoom with Dawn and Marjolein!

Dawn Neal

is Guiding Teacher of Insight Santa Cruz, and serves as a faculty member for the Sati Center Buddhist Chaplaincy Training Program. She has an MA from the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Theravada Buddhist studies and spiritual care. She is a published scholar and has worked as a professional interfaith chaplain for Stanford Medicine. She has also devoted several years to silent meditation retreats. Her intensive practice in Asia includes temporarily ordaining in Burma in 2009. For her full teaching schedule please click HERE.

Marjolein Janssen

(pronunciation “Mar-yo-line”) began practicing insight meditation intensively in 2011, in Europe, the US, as well as Myanmar, where she was ordained as a Buddhist nun. Marjolein brings both formal practice and practice in daily life to her teachings. Her deep love for the natural world and the Dhamma form the foundations for her teachings. 

Her teachers are Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Andrea Fella and Susie Harrington. Currently she is training as a Retreat Dharma Teacher with Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella. And as a Nature Dharma Retreat Teacher with Susie Harrington, Mark Coleman, and Gil Fronsdal. Marjolein is the Guiding Teacher at the Insight Meditation Community of Richmond, VA. She also guides online meditation at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. And offers (outdoor nature) retreats in the US and Europe.
For more information about Marjolein visit her website HERE.