Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
California Retreat's Summer Schedule 2016
High on Adventure, April 2016
San Francisco Zen Center invites the greater spiritual and secular communities to enjoy its annual public guest season at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center from April 28 - September 11, 2016. As spring blooms, Tassajara opens its gates to Zen and meditation seekers, yoga lovers, artisan foodies, outdoor adventurists and people looking to unplug and experience a truly serene environment. Seven months of the year Tassajara is closed to the general public for private intensive Zen practice. For detailed information, please read below and visit: sfzc.org/tassajara/guest-season
Nestled in a mountain valley, inland from the Big Sur coast in a remote part of the Ventana Wilderness, Tassajara has been long known as a place for self-discovery, healing and an escape from the stresses of everyday life. In 1967, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi (Founder of San Francisco Zen Center, Author of the seminal Buddhist book, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind) established Tassajara as the first Zen training monastery outside of Japan. Suzuki Roshi searched for a mountain temple similar to the monasteries in Japan and China, and was able to purchase Tassajara through the support of the Zen community, friends, and patrons. Today, Tassajara is internationally recognized as the most remote Zen center in the United States and beckons as a top international destination for Buddhist practitioners and vacationers alike. Only accessible by 4-wheel drive vehicles from a 14-mile dirt road, Tassajara is an eco-efficient paradise garnering 100% of its energy from solar panels and the local hot springs. The hot springs have proven to be a main attraction of the Monterey/Salinas area following the native Esselen people's discovery of the springs in the 1870's; generations of settlers and visitors have enjoyed its healing qualities ever since seeking renewal and tranquility. For the forthcoming 2016 guest season, Tassajara utilizes its eco-retreat center that was designed with the highest standards in green development, by architect Helen Degenhardt (JSW/D Architects); all retreats will be held in the retreat center. In October 2013, San Francisco Chronicle highlighted Degenhardt's work at Tassajara in the Home & Garden section. |
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Tassajara offers a special opportunity for the general public to recharge, relax, and reconnect with themselves. Visitors are invited to soak in the hot springs, wander along the trails, savor Tassajara's lauded vegetarian cuisine, lodge in beautiful accommodations, participate in zazen (meditation), and enjoy the eclectic retreats offered by some of today's most celebrated teachers. Guests of Tassajara are encouraged to explore the variety of ways that Zen and other complementary practices can inform and enrich one's life.
The Tassajara Guest Season Program Schedule 2016 offers disciplinary retreats in the following five specialty areas: Body and Mind, Engaging Earth, Spiritual Practice, Mindful Living, and Creative Expression. Each Tassajara retreat offers the opportunity to restore and invigorate through engagement with Zen. Visitors join renowned teachers in practices they may already be familiar with and some that may be entirely new to them. Through meditations and teachings, group discussions and creative exercises, guests will discover the transformative potential of Zen practice and other traditions. Retreats, ranging from two to seven days, usually begin in the late afternoon and end before noon on the last day. Retreat schedules include plenty of free time to engage in meditation, relax in the baths, hike, savor a cup of tea, or simply just be.
Tassajara is delighted to offer retreat participants a dedicated practice space to study the body and mind under the guidance of expert leaders. Built using green materials, the energy-efficient retreat hall is a manifestation of Tassajara's commitment to environmental sustainability and stewardship. It is a serene refuge allowing one to deepen their practice and connect with their own heart, community, and the surrounding natural environment.
Below is a list of the singular retreats scheduled for the upcoming 2016 Guest Season; additional detailed information can be viewed on www.sfzc.org/tassajara
Body and Mind Retreats (Yoga, Healing, Awareness, Qi)
Zen and Swimming Dragon Tai Chi (April 28 - May 4, 2016) -Featuring Liping Julia Zhu (Certified Qigong and Tai Chi Instructor) and Mary Stares (Director of City Center, Tassajara)
Daoist Walking Qigong (May 4 - 8, 2016)
-Featuring Liping Julia Zhu (Certified Qigong and Tai Chi Instructor) and Mary Stares (Director of City Center, Tassajara)
Aligning with Stillness: Embody Freedom and Vitality through Yoga and Zen (May 8 - 11, 2016)
-Featuring Athena Pappas (Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher) and Seiho Qayyum Johnson (Head Farmer, Green Gulch Farm)
Energy and Inquiry: The Merging Paths of Zen & Yoga (May 12 - 15, 2016)
-Featuring Rosemary Garrison (Renowned Yoga Instructor) and Jiryu Mark Rutschman-Byler (Soto Zen Priest)
Embody Peace, Embody Wisdom: Prajna Yoga and Zen Meditation (May 24 - 29, 2016)
-Featuring Djuna Mascall (Certified Prajna Yoga Instructor) and Jisan Anna Thorn (Practice Leader and Head of Practice at Green Gulch Farm)
Loving the Mountains: The Zen of Hiking and Yoga in the Majestic Tassajara Mountains (May 31 - June 3, 2016)
-Featuring Ann Averbach (Founder of DiviniTree Yoga, Santa Cruz) and Shundo David Haye (Zen Buddhist Priest and Director, San Francisco Zen Center)
Enter the Dharma Gate of Repose and Bliss: A Zen Meditation and Yoga Therapeutics Retreat (June 3 - 6, 2016)
-Featuring Lirio Ohlson (Yoga Instructor, E-RYT 500) and Shundo David Haye (Zen Buddhist Priest and Director, San Francisco Zen Center)
Communion: The Art of Yoga and Zen (June 6 - 9, 2016)
-Featuring Purusha Hickson (Hatha Yoga Instuctor) and Yo-on Jeremy Levie (Corporate Secretary, San Francisco Zen Center)
Reconnecting with the Flow of Life: A Yoga and Zen Retreat (June 13 - 16, 2016)
-Featuring Lisa Marie (Yoga Instructor, ERYT & CST) and Shinchi Linda Galijan (Zen Buddhist Priest and Director, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center)
Nature: Yoga Practice for Our Miraculous Life (June 16 - 19, 2016)
-Featuring Brian Hogencamp (Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor) and Shosan Victoria Austin (Certified Soto Zen and Iyengar Yoga Instructor)
Embodied Awakening: Exploring the Ancient Traditions of Yoga and Zen (June 24 - 29, 2016)
-Featuring Shôken Michael Stone (Fellow in Residence, University of British Columbia) and Ryushin Paul Haller (Zen Hospice Project)
The Healing Power of Stillness: Restorative Yoga and Zen (July 7 - 10, 2016)
-Featuring Britt Fohrman (Iyengar and Prenatal Yoga Instructor) and Yo-on Jeremy Levie (Corporate Secretary, San Francisco Zen Center)
Vital Body - Beginner's Mind: A Zen and Vinyasa Yoga Retreat (July 7 - 10, 2016)
-Featuring Rex Stromness (Yoga Instructor) and Shogen Danielson (Zen Buddhist Priest)
Balanced and Awake: Zen and Yoga to Harmonize Mind and Body (July 14 - 17, 2016)
-Featuring Letitia Bartlett (Professor, Clown, Mime, and Yoga Instructor) and Kanzan David Zimmerman (Zen Buddhist Priest and Program Director, San Francisco Zen Center)
Joyful Ease: Your Own True Body (July 17 - 22, 2016)
-Featuring Patricia Sullivan (Yoga Instructor) and Eijun Linda Cutts (Priest & Central Abbess, San Francisco Zen Center)
Turning the Light Inward: Sitting and Settling with Yoga and Zen (July 22 - 24, 2016)
-Featuring Christy Brown (Yoga Instructor, E-RYT 500) and Sessei Meg Levie (Zen Priest & Program Development Director, Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute)
Satori, Salutations and Solstice: Opening to the Heart of Zen and Yoga (July 29 - August 2, 2016)
-Featuring James Higgins (Yoga Instructor) and Unzan Mako Voelkel (Zen Buddhist Priest, Austin Zen Center)
The Healing Power of Stillness: Restorative Yoga and Zen (August 2 - 7, 2016)
-Featuring Britt Fohrman (Iyengar and Prenatal Yoga Instructor) and Unzan Mako Voelkel (Head of Practice, Austin Zen Center)
Joyful Ease: Your Own True Body (August 7 - 12, 2016)
-Featuring Patricia Sullivan (Yoga Instructor) and Eijun Linda Cutts (Ordained Priest & Central Abbess, San Francisco Zen Center)
Long Spine, Spacious Mind: The Cultivation of Yoga and Zen (August 12 - 14, 2016)
-Featuring Jim Gallas (Yoga, Qigong, and Shiatsu Teacher) and Gendo Lucy Xiao (Zen Buddhist Priest, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center)
Yoga Zen Healing (August 15 - 18, 2016)
-Featuring Lisa Marie (ERYST, CST, Yoga Instructor) and Kyosho Valorie Beer (Zen Buddhist)
True Body, True Self: Radical Presence through Zen and Yoga (August 19 - 22, 2016)
-Featuring Christy Brown (Yoga Instructor, E-RYT 500) and Ango Sara Tashker (Director, Green Gulch Farm)
Being Grace - Finding Effortlessness in All Things: A Yoga and Zen Meditation Retreat (August 25 - 28, 2016)
-Featuring Stacie Overby (Yoga Instructor) and Cloud Mountain Graham Ross (Head of Practice, Austin Zen Center)
Bringing Yoga and Zen Home: Creating and Sustaining a Home Practice (August 29 - September 1, 2016)
-Featuring Shogen Jody Greene (Professor of Literature, Feminist Studies, and the History of Consciousness, UC Santa Cruz) and Shinchi Linda Galijan (Zen Buddhist Priest and Director, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center)
Manifesting the Wisdom of the Body: A Zen Mind, Yoga Body Retreat (September 1 - 5, 2016)
-Featuring Samantha Ostergaard (Iyengar Yoga Instructor) and Do-On Robert Thomas (Zen Buddhist Priest and Dharma Teacher)
The Mind and Body Practice in Zen and Yoga (September 8 - 11, 2016)
-Featuring Shokuchi Deidre Carrigan (Yoga Teacher and Conference Coordinator, Green Gulch Farm Zen Center) and Ingen Breen (Zen Buddhist Priest and Member, Soto Zen Buddhist Association of America)
Engaging Earth Retreats (Nature, Wildflowers, Culinary Arts)
The Nature of Zen (April 28 - May 1, 2016)
-Featuring Steven Harper (Wilderness Guide, Author) and Leslie James (Abiding Teacher, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center)
Wildflowers and Birds of Tassajara (May 5 - 8, 2016)
-Featuring Diane Renshaw (Ecologist), Myo-on Gloria Lee (Zen Priest, Gardener) and Zenshin Greg Fain (Head of Practice, Tassajara)
Timeless Spring: Cooking and Gardening in the Heart of Tassajara (May 22 - 24, 2016)
-Featuring Wendy Johnson (Lay-Ordained Dharma Instructor) and Russan Dale Kent (Author, Tassajara: Dinner and Desserts)
The Zen of Baking (June 16 - 19, 2016)
-Featuring Rusan Dale Kent (Author, Tassajara: Dinner and Desserts) and Korin Charlie Pokorny (Zen Buddhist Priest and Chef)
Zen in the Kitchen (June 19 - 22, 2016)
-Featuring Rusan Dale Kent (Author, Tassajara: Dinner and Desserts) and Korin Charlie Pokorny (Zen Buddhist Priest and Chef)
Spiritual Practice Retreats (Buddhism, Wisdom, Interfaith)
The Spirit of Practice: Christian and Zen (June 30 - July 7, 2016) -Featuring Brother David Steindl-Rast (Catholic Benedictine Monk, gratefulness.org) and Ryushin Paul Haller (Zen Buddhist Priest, Senior Dharma Teacher, San Francisco Zen Center)
Presenting Suzuki Roshi's Teachings (July 22 - 24, 2016)
-Featuring Sojun Mel Weitsman (Abbot, Berkeley Zen Center)
Imagination: The Bodhisattva Path for Our Time (July 29 - 31, 2016)
-Featuring Zoketsu Norman Fischer (Founder, Everyday Zen Foundation)
About Nothing: Buddhist and Jewish Conceptions of Ultimate Truth (July 31 - August 5, 2016)
-Featuring Daniel Matt (Kabbalah Instructor) and Zoketsu Norman Fischer (Founder, Everyday Zen Foundation)
D?gen's Circle of the Way: Giving Expression and Movement to Meditation (August 14 - 19, 2016)
-Featuring Edward Brown (Founder, Peaceful Sea Sangha), Ruth Ozeki (Student of Zoketsu Norman Fischer) and Kazuaki Tanahashi (Founding Director, A World Without Armies)
Mindful Living Retreats (Visioning, Leadership, Change, Well-Being)
Finding Equanimity in a Difficult Profession: A Retreat for Lawyers (May 11 - 15, 2016)
-Featuring Zenki Mary Mocine (Zen Buddhist Priest, Former Lawyer)
Healing Our Hungry Ghosts: Compassion Starts Here (May 23 - 26, 2016)
-Featuring Ryotan Cynthia Kear (Soto Zen Buddhist) and Ko-Shin Steven Tierney (Co-Founder, San Francisco Mindfulness Foundation)
Big Mind, Kind Mind, Joyful Mind: Cultivating Bodhisattva Leadership (June 6 - 9, 2016)
-Featuring Pamela Weiss (Co-Founder, Community Dharma Leader program)
Writing through the Dark: A Workshop on Words and Silences (June 9 - 12, 2016)
-Featuring Pico Iyer (Regular Essayist for Time, The New York Times and Shambhala Sun) and Furyu Nancy Schroeder (Abiding Abbess, Green Gulch Farm)
Know Yourself, Forget Yourself: The Mindful Leader (July 14 - 17, 2016)
-Featuring Jackie McGrath (Certified Professional Executive Coach) and Marc Lesser (CEO, Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute)
Embracing Change: Zen and the Art of Creating a Life You Want (August 5 - August 7, 2016)
-Featuring Keiryu Liên Shutt (Teacher, East Bay Meditation Center, Social Worker)
Down to the BONE! (August 8 - 11, 2016)
-Featuring Lani Simpson (Author of No-Nonsense Bone Health Guide) and Shinchi Linda Galijan (Director, Tassajara)
Unplug and Recharge: Living Mindfully in the Digital Age (August 12 - 14, 2016)
-Featuring Krista De Castella (MBSR Instructor, Adobe) Djinn Gallagher (Ordained by Paul Haller)
Arriving at the Further Shore: Cherishing Our Journeys of Resilience and Transformation (September 8 - 11, 2016)
-Featuring Jennifer Block (Buddhist Chaplain), Grace Dammann (MD), Zesho Susan O'Connell (President, San Francisco Zen Center)
Creative Expression Retreats (Visual Arts, Poetry, Music)
Wild Heart Writing: Allowing the Creative through Zen (May 1 - 5, 2016) -Featuring Cynthia Cummins (Blogger, Novelist, Former Journalist) and Laurie Senauke (Writer, Editor)
Words Under the Words (May 29 - June 3, 2016)
-Featuring Naomi Shihab Nye (Published Poet) and Ryushin Paul Haller (Zen Buddhist Priest, Senior Dharma Teacher, San Francisco Zen Center)
Learning To Sit, Learning To Draw, Learning To See (June 12 - 16, 2016)
-Featuring Christine Bailey (Artist, Educator, Zen Practitioner) and Furyu Nancy Schroeder (Abiding Abbess, Green Gulch Farm Zen Center)
Brush Mind (June 19 - 24, 2016)
-Featuring Kazuaki Tanahashi (Internationally Renowned Calligraphist)
The Craft of Pure Sound: Making and Playing Shakuhachi (June 23 - 26, 2016)
-Featuring Perry Yung (Recipient of 2014 Asian Cultural Council Award) and Reirin Alheidis Gumbel (Soto Zen Priest, Milwaukee Zen Center)
The Writer's Journey: Crafting Personal Stories that Are Vivid, Compelling and True (August 22 - 25, 2016)
-Featuring Laura Davis (Founder, The Writer's Journey) and Jisan Tova Green (Resident, San Francisco Zen Center)