THE INTRODUCTION TO BASIC MINDFULNESS HOME RETREAT PROGRAM

A comprehensive program of instruction and support in Mindfulness Meditation

DISCLAIMER

The Home Retreat Program in Basic Mindfulness is an independent program of Mindfulness Meditation instruction designed and administered by Shinzen Young.  TCMC offers group participation in these Home Retreats at our center, and offers additional support resources for local students. You can read about the Home Retreat Program in detail here:  www.BasicMindfulness.org.  The program is open to anyone any wherein world through this website. However, if you are participating through TCMC, you do not need to pre-register online.

The following information summarizes a small portion of the information on the web site, but also includes information specific to TCMC participation in Home Retreats.

THE INTRODUCTION TO BASIC MINDFULNESS HOME RETREAT PROGRAM

Many people would like to establish a personal meditation practice, but cannot afford the time or money to attend Meditation retreats or intensive training programs.  To overcome these obstacles, Shinzen Young created the Home Retreat Program.  The Home Retreat Program is a comprehensive and flexible monthly program of multiple phone-based Meditation instruction periods, including classes for complete beginners, as well as sessions for continuing and advanced meditation students.  The Introduction Classes are just one part of the program, and it is hoped that those taking the Introduction Class will go on to participate in the rest of the program.

On the second weekend of each month, Shinzen will offer five different Home Retreats. On Friday there will be one two-hour retreat in the evening, and on Saturday and Sunday there will be 2 four-hour retreats each day.  Each of these retreats will be on a different topic, making a total of 5 different Home Retreats available each month.  If you wanted to, you could do an entire weekend - 18 hours! -  of live guided meditation and training.  Or just chose one or two.  Whatever interests you.  Home Retreats are done by conference call with people from all over the country.  The Retreats include instruction and guided meditation, time to try it out on your own and/or to phone Shinzen for personal consultation, a live Q & A time, and a closing guided meditation to reinforce the specific topic.  TCMC will host either Saturday or Sunday each month, but generally not both.  But you can attend the non-hosted retreats independently from your home.

Several times per year there will be an Introduction to Basic Mindfulness Class offered on the morning of both Saturday and Sunday (that is to say, the same class is offered twice on these weekends).  The Introduction Classes are always the same, so you only have to take one 4-hour class to get the training.  Once you have taken the Introduction Class, you can then attend other Home Retreats.  You will also then have enough experience to continue with your practice on your own in between your other meditation activities. 

The Home Retreat topics are classified into different experience levels, with different prerequisites.  New students will take “Foundations” level retreats first to gain confidence and skill in the basic techniques. People who are already students of Shinzen may take retreats on more advanced topics as well.

TCMC's GROUP PARTICIPATION

The Home Retreat Program is designed primarily for individuals to do on their own.  Most people on the conference call will have registered and paid in advance on the Basic Mindfulness website, and will be phoning in from their own homes. 

TCMC has chosen to host Home Retreats at the center and to offer support activities throughout the month, believing that building a community and providing additional resources will assist beginners in establishing their own practice. No one should have to take the journey alone, if they don’t wish to. We hope that by gathering people together we can foster community, make friends and ”meditation buddies" and encourage participation from people who might otherwise not get around to doing it.  And by simplifying the registration and payment process, we hope to make this program easier for you to enjoy.

THE COST

The Introduction Classes are $20 for a four hour class.

Individual retreats for experienced students cost $20 per four-hour retreat ($10 for the two-hour Friday night retreat), and can be purchased individually.

If cost is a problem for you, please speak to Blake Ashley ( ). Scholarships are available and no one should choose not to participate based on financial difficulty.

When participating through TCMC, a small portion of the registration fee is returned to TCMC to help defray costs (such as the long distance charge, facility expenses, advertising and so on).  A donation bowl will be available should you wish to give directly to TCMC but this is certainly not required.

DATES AND TIMES FOR TCMC GROUP

The start times for the weekend retreats will be different on Saturday and Sunday.  On one day, Home Retreats will begin at 5am (Pacific) and on the other day they will start at 8am.  On the next month, the times will switch, so that the other day has the early start.  (This is to accommodate people on both coasts). TCMC will host whichever day starts later(this would be either 9am or 8am, depending on daylight savings time in the rest of the country).  This means that the TCMC group will alternate between Saturdays and Sundays.   TCMC will host the Friday evening retreat as long as there is sufficient interest and a volunteer able to facilitate the evening.

HOW TCMC GROUP ATTENDANCE WORKS

The TCMC Group will meet in the back room of the TCMC building.  We set up a conference speaker phone, and sit on cushions or chairs with the phone in the center of the room so everyone can hear.  The TCMC Home Retreat Facilitator (currently Blake Ashley) will collect the registration fee and administer the required paperwork in the hour before the retreat begins, and of course will place the call and deal with any technical issues.  He can also be your point of contact for questions about the Home Retreat program in general, using your vouchers at future retreats and so on.  If you have questions about your practice, Blake will able to answer basic technique questions, but will suggest appropriate people to speak to about more detailed or personal questions.  

In short, if you want to participate, all you have to do is show up at the right time, and give the TCMC Home Retreat Facilitator some money or a voucher on the day of the retreat.  (Vouchers will be explained to those receiving them).

Also, if you want to participate as part of the TCMC group but can't make it into the center (you live in Iowa, say, or prefer to do the retreat in your pajamas), you can do so.  Just contact Blake Ashley ahead of time (the earlier the better) to arrange the process.

If you want to attend a Home Retreat on the non-TCMC day, you will have to register online and phone in from home.  Blake Ashley will be glad to assist with both registration and the technicalities of phoning in, either now or for future Home Retreats.

IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE ON YOUR OWN, NOT AS PART OF TCMC

Perhaps you don't like the idea of depending on someone else to register you, or of being associated with all those weirdoes in Tucson.  If you go to the web site listed above, you will see that you can register yourself individually using your credit card or PayPal account, and can participate from home as an individual.  You are more than welcome to do this.  We’ll even help if you have trouble...

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

I know this is long and complicated, but once it "clicks" it not only makes sense - it becomes a very rich, broad and accessible resource for deepening your practice.  You can have the benefits of an intensive retreat with personal attention from a teacher as frequently or rarely as you want,  without ever leaving home.   Do a Home Retreat once a year, or do 18 hours a month (or perhaps take the middle way).  The choice is yours.

If you have questions or want to participate in a home retreat, please contact Blake Ashley (blake.ashley ).    Or go to the Home Retreat website for complete program information and individual online registration:  www.BasicMindfulness.org.