Discover the Creative You | Mindfulness and Creativity in Community- A Five-Day Retreat

Register for this retreat 

This retreat is full. If you register, please, do not pay, you will be put on a waiting list.

“The mind is like a painter. Every artist is capable, through their art, of reaching the supreme objective of life itself.”

– Thich Nhat Hanh

Experience the deep joy, healing and transformation that take place when we come home to ourselves and allow our innate creativity to be expressed. The practice of mindfulness, bringing mind and body together in the present moment, helps us to touch and express our inner artist. When we touch the present moment deeply, we touch eternity; we touch the seed of all creation.

What creative forces and energies emerge when we are truly in the present moment, truly in our bodies, and our body and mind are at peace?

Our beloved teacher, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, at ABC Home, New York in 2013 for the calligraphy exhibition. 

Each one of us has the seeds of mindfulness and creativity within us. When we strengthen mindfulness, creativity also grows. In this five-day retreat we will refresh and deepen our practice of mindfulness and water the seeds of joy and creativity together.  

Together we will strengthen our seed of mindfulness with daily practices of stopping and breathing, sitting, walking, and eating meditation. Creatively, we will pay attention to this process of exploring and expressing what is deep inside us. 

“It is about connecting with your very being. Creativity flows from there.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

The act of being fully present is an act of creativity. Tapping into the power of the collective energy of mindfulness, we will have an opportunity to listen to ourselves, to explore and express what is alive within us and around us in the present moment, with a compassionate, open and non-judgmental attitude. 

“Spontaneous action is joyful action, and that is true creativity.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

• • What we will do
  • Who is this retreat for?
  • What to bring?
  • COVID safety measures
  • Register for retreat

What we will do?

In this five-day retreat, we will 

• Cultivate and deepen our energy of mindfulness with sitting and walking meditation, deep relaxation, mindful movements, and mindful meals.
• Enjoy Dharma talks, panel discussions and sharing circles    
• Participate in creative workshops offered in the fields of the visual arts, music & voice, body awareness & movement, and creative writing, with an emphasis on self-expression, improvisation and working from the present moment.  
• Listen and look deeply and strengthen our ability to experience and express ourselves. 
• Cultivate peace, joy, loving kindness, compassion and equanimity.
• Have fun and play together, building our sense of community. 

Who is this retreat for?

This retreat on mindfulness and creativity is for everyone who would like to come home to themselves and get in touch with their inner artist. Our dear teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, had a daily calligraphy practice that enabled him to come home to himself.  He also loved to write and garden.  

No prior experience is necessary. You will have the opportunity to practice in various ways on this retreat, which may include writing, movement, visual arts, painting, photography, calligraphy, voice and music.  This five-day retreat is for you, whether you are a beginner or have creative experience. Together we will transcend our habitual and limiting dualistic thinking of right and wrong, good and bad, beautiful and ugly. We will discover that everyone has beautiful seeds of creativity waiting to flower. Let\’s make something beautiful together. Please join us.  

« Whenever I create a piece of calligraphy, for example, I avoid engaging with the intended outcome—hoping the finished image will be beautiful or fearing I will miss a brushstroke. I connect, instead, with stillness, silence, and spaciousness. Then, from within this open awareness, I feel a sense of warmth. I see the paper and hold the ink-filled brush in my hand. Only then, from that place of warmth, do I allow the brush to meet the paper. The stroke of the brush is the manifest act of creativity. With each stroke, the openness, awareness, and warmth are already in place and fully ripened. »  – Thich Nhat Hanh

What to bring?

Basic supplies for creative workshops are provided, but if you are a visual artist, you are welcome to bring your own materials (pens, brushes, paints, paper etc.) to work with. If you are a musician, please bring your instrument(s). Please mark or put your name on any personal items you bring. Donations to the art supplies collection will be gratefully received!

COVID Safety measures

To protect the community and for your own safety and peace of mind, we are taking the following measures for this retreat:

• We will observe the CDC guidelines and wear masks indoors.
• All retreatants must be fully vaccinated, including a booster shot, if due, at least 2 weeks before arrival.
• The number of participants in this retreat is limited to a maximum of 50. 
• The numbers of people per room is limited to 1 or 2, unless you come with a group/family.

Please let the office know if you have any special needs or concerns.

This is a four night retreat. Prices include the cost of all activities, three meals per day and lodging.

• DORM/CABIN bed in a shared room $100 per night
• DORM/CABIN bed in a single room $150 per night
• TENT / RV/COMMUTER $60 per night.  

Discounts for students and seniors 20%, teens 30% and children 40%

We look forward to welcoming you soon!

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