The Inner Work
of Retreat

By Rick and Mary NurrieStearns

More than a break from life's duties, routines and busyness, our retreats are a sacred container that can energetically facilitate clarity, creativity and love. They offer a way to move past our conditioned selves and into the essence of who we are. Most efforts for self transformation keep us within the same orbit and magnetic pull of our problems we never become conscious enough to be able to put life issues in perspective.

Our retreats offer a way to do the ongoing inner work of maturation. During retreat we consciously take up the inner work of opening up and looking at old assumptions, misunderstandings, and motivations that underlie our surface experience of life. This journey moves us through the subterranean undercurrents of the unconscious mind. At times this travel can be intense as we break free of the gravity that keeps us stuck in old ways of being and prevent us from fulfilling our potential.

Below are some of the key elements of the work that Rick and Mary facilitate during retreat.

Mindfulness Practice
We meditate, consciously breathe to beautiful music, move our bodies with gentle yoga and practice mindful walking and eating.

Self Inquiry
Here we look into the personality, the person we generally consider ourselves to be. We examine both the patterns that decrease our ability to tune into the inner essence and the stories that comprise our self identity, who we usually think that we are. Examining stories of identity frees us from the grips of early conditioning that mold our experience of ourselves and the world around us. The practice of inquiry is done through teachings, journaling and group discussions during the meetings.

Silence, Stillness and Rest
Other than two group meetings daily and visiting time after lunch we observe social silence. We retreat in a beautiful, natural setting and follow a simple schedule. The stillness of the surrounding wilderness invokes inner stillness, drawing us into the quiet. Our inner and outer environments are then conducive for immersing ourselves into the heart of our inner lives.