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Participants will enhance their skills in a range of meditative techniques. These include concentration techniques, contemplative prayer chants, mindfulness meditation, the path of blessing, walking and eating meditation and practices that cultivate joy.

This retreat is designed to show experientially how a regular Jewish meditation practice can help cultivate awareness in all aspects of daily life. The program will present a model for using the Sabbath as a weekly anchor for formal practice that reminds us of the possibility of bringing our awareness to a meeting of the Divine Presence in every moment.

Structure of the Retreat

The retreat is conducted in social silence which means refraining from conversation with other participants at all times. There will be group times for questions and answers. Rabbi Roth will provide instructions for all practices as well as present relevant didactic material. The silence of these retreats allows for a settling of the mind as well as an in depth look at ones experience of life in each moment. In meeting the present moment, the opportunity to meet the Divine Presence manifests.

Registration Information

Fees for the retreat cover room and board only.

The teachings are offered freely. We will welcome donations to support the teacher and the administrative costs of this website and the Awakened Heart Project. We hope you will support this model of charging only the actual costs to participants, as this allows us to offer these retreats regardless of ability to pay the full cost.

Financial support is available through The Awakened Heart Project. Contact (Jeff@awakenedheartproject.org) Jeff (at) awakenedheartproject (dot) org with requests for aid or with other questions.

Register Now.

Room and Board Costs

The cost for the five nights:
$425 (quad occupancy)
$550 (double occupancy) – VERY LIMITED AVAILABILITY
$700 (single) – VERY LIMITED AVAILABILITY
$375 (camping)
$340 (commuter)

The retreat will be held at the Prama Institute, 310 Panhandle Road, Marshall, NC 28753 (http://www.pramainstitute.org). All meals are vegetarian. Space limited to 24 people.

The Prama Institute is a conference and retreat center located on forested hilltops and grasslands surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains. It sits near the French Broad River, about 25 minutes outside Asheville, NC. The scenic and peaceful surroundings create a perfect place for our retreat. There is a beautiful facility, lovely rooms for meditation and dining. Even the bunks rooms are nice, with custom-built bunk beds.

Faculty Biography

Rabbi Joanna Katz teaches Jewish Meditation, and Mindfulness Meditation with an emphasis on Insight and Loving-kindness practice. She is the Jewish Chaplain at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility were she serves women who teach her what it means to open to the Divine in daily life and live with compassion. She serves as a spiritual resource and guide to an ongoing women’s meditation group that has been meeting weekly for 12 years. Joanna lives with her family in New York’s Hudson River Valley.

Rabbi Jeff Roth is the founder and Director of The Awakened Heart Project for Contemplative Judaism. He was the co-founder of Elat Chayyim where he served as Executive Director and Spiritual Director for 13 years. Currently on the faculty of ECAMP, he is an experienced meditation teacher and the facilitator of over 70 Jewish meditation retreats. He is the author of the newly released, Jewish Meditation Practices for Everyday Life, from Jewish Lights Publishing.

The end of summer is a wonderful time to deeply explore the nature of life and the precious gift it is to be here. But often times, this is not our primary experience from day to day. It is easy to get caught up in the challenges that naturally accompany each of our lives.

Spending six days in contemplative practice is a uniquely wonderful way to gain balance in our lives and cultivate a grateful heart, which can see the truth of our lives more clearly. This practice opens the heart to wisdom and compassion propelling us to a life of loving-kindness. This six-day meditation retreat will give you the tools and the time to delve inward and cultivate these qualities.

Using the vehicle of silence and a variety of Jewish meditation approaches this retreat will help you to look deeply into your own life. The retreat includes daily periods of prayer, chant and meditative movement.

Daily instruction in meditation will help guide both beginning and advanced practitioners into the sacred space of the retreat process. Throughout the retreat we will maintain social silence. There will also be times for questions and answers as well as small group and private interviews with the instructors.

The week will culminate in a deep celebration of Shabbat followed by the chance to hear of each other’s learning as the retreat comes to a close.

Program Information

The costs of the retreat include room and board and an administrative fee to cover the other retreat costs. The teachings are presented without fees included to support the teaching staff. Participants will be asked to make a voluntary contribution to support the teachers. Some financial aid is available. Requests for financial aid should be made to Rabbi Roth at jeff@awakenedheartproject.org.

Register Now

Costs for room and board are:
Double rooms – $800/person
Single rooms – $1100/person – SOLD OUT
Commuter – $530/person

Faculty Biographies

Sylvia Boorstein has been teaching meditation retreat since 1985. She is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and a psychotherapist, wife, mother and grandmother who is particularly interested in seeing daily life as practice. She has led numerous retreats and training programs for rabbis and Jewish educators.

Norman Fischer is a Zen priest, teacher, poet and former co-abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center. He is also the co-founder of Makor Or, a Jewish meditation center in San Francisco. He leads Jewish meditation sessions around the country and is currently on the faculty of the Elat Chayyim Advanced Meditation Program (ECAMP). He is an author and the founder of the Everyday Zen Foundation.

Rabbi Joanna Katz teaches Jewish Meditation, and Mindfulness Meditation with an emphasis on Insight and Loving-kindness practice. She is the Jewish Chaplain at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility were she serves women who teach her what it means to open to the Divine in daily life and live with compassion. She serves as a spiritual resource and guide to an ongoing women’s meditation group that has been meeting weekly for 12 years. Joanna lives with her family in New York’s glorious Hudson River Valley.

Rabbi Jeff Roth is the founder and Director of The Awakened Heart Project for Contemplative Judaism. He was the co-founder of Elat Chayyim where he served as Executive Director and Spiritual Director for 13 years. Currently on the faculty of ECAMP, he is an experienced meditation teacher and the facilitator of over 70 Jewish meditation retreats. He is the author of the newly released, Jewish Meditation Practices for Everyday Life, from Jewish lights Publishing.

Sponsored by The Awakened Heart Project, Beit Ayin and The Idra

As we move from Passover to Shavuot we will make the connection between practices that liberate the heart and mind with recognition of the Oneness of Being that guides our efforts during this three-night meditation retreat.

Using the vehicle of silence and a variety of Jewish meditation approaches this retreat will invite you to look deeply into your own life, as you cultivate greater wisdom, joy and compassion. The deep work allows each of us to see more clearly how we become overwhelmed and shut down, hurting ourselves and those around us in the process.

The clarity possible through these practices allows us to experience the movement from “small mind,” the narrow place of “mochin de’katnut,” into an expanded perception of the Divine presence that pervades all of life–what Hassidism calls “devekut.”

The retreat includes daily periods of prayer, chant and meditative movement. Daily instruction in meditation will help guide both beginning and advanced practitioners into the sacred space of the retreat process.

Throughout the retreat we will maintain social silence. There will also be times for questions and answers as well as small group and private interviews with the instructors.

The week will culminate in a deep celebration of Shabbat followed by the chance to hear of each other’s learning as the retreat comes to a close.

Program Information

The costs of the retreat include room and board and an administrative fee to cover the other retreat costs. The teachings are presented without fees included to support the teaching staff. Participants will be asked to make a voluntary contribution to support the teachers. Some financial aid is available.

Requests for financial aid can be directed to Beit Ayin at: (Beitayin@pacbell.net) Beitayin (at) pacbell (dot) net

Register now

Costs for the retreat are:
Single room with shared bath $615.00
Double room with shared bath $415.00

For Questions email Ashira Sheila Katz at: (drkatzmeow@me.com) drkatzmeow (at) me (dot) com

Faculty Biographies

Rabbi Jeff Roth is the founder and director of The Awakened Heart Project. He was the co-founder of Elat Chayyim where he served as Executive Director and Spiritual Director for 13 years. He is the Author of Jewish Meditation Practices for Everyday Life, Jewish Lights 2009. He is an experienced meditation teacher and the facilitator of over 90 Jewish meditation retreats.

Rabbi Lavey Yitzchak Derby currently serves as Director of Jewish Life at the Peninsula Jewish Community Center. From 1991-2010 Rabbi Derby served as the rabbi of Congregation Kol Shofar in Tiburon, California. He teaches nationally on subjects ranging from rabbinic and Jewish thought to Hasidism and contemporary Jewish spirituality. Rabbi Derby is the Founder and lead teacher of “The Idra: A Community for Jewish Spiritual Learning and Practice.

Ashira Sheila Katz is the co-founder and Executive Director of Beit Ayin, a national non-profit that brings Jewish spiritual practice to people through sacred chanting, meditation, contemplative prayer, storytelling and movement. She leads worship services and teaches throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to that Ashira began and was director for the Jewish Meditation and Spirituality Program for the JCC Sonoma County.

This program combines retreat practice, guided personal practice, study, reflection, hevruta work, and faculty mentoring. The program will run for 16 months. It will include three retreats for a total of 16 days at Garrison Institute in Garrison, New York.

March 26 – April 1, 2012 (six days)
November 4 – 8, 2012 (four days)
April 29 – May 5, 2013 (six days)

Register now through the Institute for Jewish Spirituality

This program is designed for those who have significant experience in retreat and personal mindfulness practice, a strong Jewish background as well as leadership capacities and experience with or deep commitment to social justice. We are open to applications from individuals whose strengths in one area may be greater than in others.

This program is for those who have the facility and the appetite to deepen their own practice as well as the desire and capacity to teach others in a multitude of settings. Please answer all questions on the application. We also ask that you send a letter of support from someone who can personally testify to your potential as a mindfulness teacher (either electronically to esther (at) jewishspirituality (dot) org or to Esther Smigel, IJS, 330 7th Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, NY  10001).

The guiding teachers of this project are Rabbis Sheila Weinberg, Institute for Jewish Spirituality (www.jewishspirituality.org) and Jeff Roth, The Awakened Heart Project (www.awakenedheartproject.org).  We welcome your application if you meet the following qualifications and can make the following commitments to the program.

Applications are due January 5, and we will notify you of our decision by January 15, 2012.  Please click the “Register Now” button to fill out your application.

Qualifications for Participants:

• Minimum experience of 2 seven day retreats or the equivalent
• Experience in teaching others

Commitment Expected of Participants:

• Sixteen month commitment to participation in the training program
• Maintenance of a daily practice
• Weekly meetings (in person or by phone) with hevruta partner and monthly meeting (by phone) with mentor
• Teaching mindfulness during the  sixteen month program, for which you will receive mentorship.
• Availability for three retreats: March 26-April 1; November 4-8, 2012, April 29-May 5, 2013

Questions:

In the application, you will be asked to answer the following questions.  Please feel free to compose your answers in a word processing document and cut and paste them into the application.  Please keep responses to 600 words or less each.

1. Describe your daily meditation practice as well as your retreat practice.
2. Why are you interested in teaching meditation?
3. Have you been teaching meditation, and if so what are some of your strengths and your challenges?
4. What have been the most powerful sources of inspiration for your practice? List your important teachers.
5. How do you relate mindfulness practice and the work of social justice and community building in the Jewish world and beyond?
6. What are your greatest challenges in developing your personal practice and becoming a mindfulness teacher?

Cost of participation:
$3700 including retreat fees, tuition, mentoring – (some tuition subsidies available).

Register now through the Institute for Jewish Spirituality

Thank you for applying.

For additional information, please contact me at sheila@jewishspirituality.

Sponsored by The Awakened Heart Project
and The Hannaton Education Center

Register online.

Join us for an opportunity to practice a path, which helps to cultivate an open heart, leads to clarity and insight and inspires us to deeply participate in the injunction to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

One of the principle obstacles to that love is a failing to deeply look into our own human nature. We frequently live in reactive mode deeply conditioned to certain beliefs and opinions. This can result in a contraction of the heart, defensiveness and a preoccupation with our smallest selfish needs, which may lead us to act unwisely and unkindly to those around us. But it is possible to develop mindful awareness, an increasing clarity and inner freedom that allows us to see the Divine Presence that manifests as the interconnected nature of all things and that opens the heart of compassion. This weeklong meditation retreat will give you the tools and the time to delve inward and cultivate these qualities.

Using the vehicle of silence, mindfulness and a variety of Jewish meditation approaches this retreat will help you to look deeply into life. The retreat also includes daily periods of prayer, chant and meditative movement. Prayer sessions will be jointly led by the teaching staff. The form of prayer consists of chanting excerpts from the liturgy interspersed with silence. Those who follow traditional rules for davvening can pray separately to fulfill their obligations.

Daily instruction in meditation will help guide both beginning and advanced practitioners into the sacred space of the retreat process. Throughout the retreat we will maintain social silence. There will also be times for questions and answers, as well as small group and private interviews with the instructors. The week will include a deep celebration of Shabbat, followed by a chance to hear of each other’s experience as the retreat comes to a close.

The costs of the retreat include room and board and an administrative fee to cover other retreat costs. The teachings are offered freely and the teaching staff is not paid. Participants will be asked to make a voluntary contribution to support the teachers. Some financial aid is available.

Requests for financial aid should be made to Rabbi Roth at (jeff@awakenedheartproject.org.) jeff (at) awakenedheartproject (dot) org

Register online.

Costs for room and board are:

Single room* – 2460 NIS – $650
Double room* – 1780 NIS – $475
Quadruple room – 1325 NIS – $350
Dorm room (6) – 945 NIS – $250

*Space in single and double rooms is very limited – apply early.

For those with credit cards, deposits can be made on line. Click here to pay with a credit card and register online.

Deposits by Israeli check should be made out to the Hannaton Educational Center, and sent to Hannaton Educational Center at:
Mobile Post Hamovil, Kibbutz Hannaton, 17960

A minimum deposit of 380 NIS ($100.00) is required to hold your place. Of this amount, 190 NIS ($50.00) is a non-refundable processing fee. For cancellations made before February 1, all deposits except the processing fee will be returned in full. One half of your total fees is due by Feb 1, 2012, and no refunds will be issued after that date.

Register online.

Faculty Biographies

Rabbi James-Jacobson Maisels teaches Jewish thought, mysticism, spiritual practices and meditation at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago in Jewish mysticism and has taught in a variety of settings in America and Israel on Judaism, Jewish mysticism and Jewish spiritual practices. He strives to integrate his study and practice and to help teach and live Judaism as a spiritual discipline.

Rabbi Joanna Katz teaches Jewish Meditation, and Mindfulness Meditation with an emphasis on Insight and Loving-kindness practice. She is the Jewish Chaplain at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility were she serves women who teach her what it means to open to the Divine in daily life and live with compassion. She serves as a spiritual resource and guide to an ongoing women’s meditation group that has been meeting weekly for 12 years. Joanna lives with her family in New York’s glorious Hudson River Valley.

Rabbi Jeff Roth is the founder and Director of The Awakened Heart Project for Contemplative Judaism. He has led over 90 meditation retreats over the last 16 years. He was the co-founder of Elat Chayyim where he served as Executive Director and Spiritual Director for 13 years. He is the author of Jewish Meditation Practices for Everyday Life. He lives with his family in the Hudson River Valley.

Dr. Stephen Fulder lives in an environmental village in Galilee, Israel, which he helped to found. He has been practicing meditation since 1975, and is the founder and senior teacher of the Israel Insight Society, the main Vipassana and dharma practice organization in Israel. Stephen has been teaching retreats and courses for nearly 20 years in Israel and beyond and has established and guided programs, which apply dharma teachings to aid peace and heal conflict between the communities in the Middle East.

The retreat will follow a silent retreat schedule alternating periods of sitting and movement. There will be daily yoga. It will be held in silence except for instruction periods, question and answer opportunities and didactic presentations. It is open to beginners and experienced participants.

This retreat is “Open Enrollment” — all participants, new or returning, experienced or beginners, clergy or lay, are invited to take part!

Register now.

Faculty: Sylvia Boorstein, Rabbis Sheila Weinberg, Myriam Klotz, and Jeff Roth

Room and Board: Single $700-760; Double $630-690, Triple $560-620 [sliding scale based on ability to pay].

For more information, please contact Rabbi Marc Margolius: (marc@jewishspirituality.org) marc (at) jewishspirituality (dot) org

Register now.

Hosted by Espacio Zen Montaña Despierta

In order to foster intimacy the size of the retreat will be limited to 20 people. It is indispensable to make a reservation with anticipation. The retreat will be open to any person who is interested without distinction of creed or religion.

Suggested donation: $300 US Dollars per person. The meals will be included. (Economic resources are necessary in order to offer a donation (Dana) to our visiting teachers, who do not directly ask for payment in return for their teachings. However, nobody will be rejected because of economic reasons).

There is a possibility of sleeping 7 persons in dormitory-style accommodations at the meditation center for an additional donation of $20 US Dollars per night per person. If you are interested please contact the retreat manager. There are also many hotels of different prices within walking distance of the meditation center. Also contact the retreat manager if you need help in booking these accommodations.

All further information please contact Sergio Stern:
telephone number in Mexico 011-52-228-8183069
or at sstern@prodigy.net.mx

Montaña Despierta
Espacio para la práctica de la meditación inspirada en el Zen
Juárez 103 interior A Zona Centro Xalapa, Veracruz México
www.mdzen.com