Steadying the Heart Retreat Page
Donations: Click here to offer a donation for the retreat. If you missed the afternoon closing announcements and are unfamiliar with the practice of Dana in the Buddhist tradition, you may listen to the recording, which will be posted soon.
Contact List: If you’d like to stay in touch with others from the retreat, feel free to add your name and contact info here.
This retreat page will stay available until April 30th. Please see your follow-up email for essential links.
Meditation Hall for Retreat
Please use the following zoom link for all of our main sessions for the retreat, including the daily movement session. If you are new to zoom, please read the instructions here and review the slides here. Note: password for all zoom sessions is 201201.
Main Zoom Link for Retreat:
Zoom: bit.ly/steady-21 or click hereMeeting ID: 863 1774 8385
Passcode: 201201
Phone: (669)-900-6833 or (929) 205-6099 (NY)
Find your local number here
Logistical Questions & Support Requests
If you have logistical questions post-retreat, please email Oren’s assistant Brendan.
Retreat schedule
Convert to your time zone here.
Pacific Daylight Time Schedule
March 31 – Opening Night (all times PDT)
4:00 p.m. Orientation *
4:30 p.m. Welcome & Opening Session *
6:00 p.m. Personal Time (End of day for certain time zones)
7:00 p.m. Sitting Meditation (optional)
7:45 p.m. Personal Practice (for PST and West)
April 1 – 4 (all times PDT)
4:00 a.m. Early Morning Meditation (Optional, 45min)
6:30 a.m. Morning Meditation
7:00 a.m. Movement with Ghylian (60 min)
8:00 a.m. Meal / Personal time
8:55 a.m. Arrive and Settle *
9:00 a.m. Morning Instructions and Sitting Meditation *
10:00 a.m. Walking Meditation (OR Practice Discussion *
10:30 a.m. Sitting Meditation *
11:15 a.m. Walking Meditation (OR Practice Discussion) *
11:45 a.m. Sitting Meditation *
12:30 p.m. Meal / Personal Practice / Take Care of Life
3:30 p.m. Guided Sitting Meditation *
4:05 p.m. Stretch Break
4:15 p.m. Dharma Talk * (Closing info Sunday, please attend)
5:00 p.m. Meal / Personal Practice
7:00 p.m. Sitting Meditation (optional)
7:45 p.m. Personal Practice (for PDT and West)
April 5 (all times PDT)
4:00 a.m. Early Morning Meditation (Optional, 45min)
6:30 a.m. Morning Meditation (30 min)
7:00 a.m. Meal / Personal time
8:30 a.m. Closing Session *
10:00 a.m. End of Retreat
Eastern Daylight Time Schedule
March 31 – Opening Night (all times EDT)
7:00 p.m. Orientation *
7:30 p.m. Welcome & Opening Session *
9:00 p.m. Personal Time (End of Day for certain time zones)
10:00 p.m. Sitting Meditation (optional)
10:45 p.m. Personal Practice (for PST and West)
April 1 – 4 (all times EDT)
7:00 a.m. Early Morning Meditation (Optional, 45min)
9:30 a.m. Morning Meditation
10:00 a.m. Movement with Ghylian (60 min)
11:00 a.m. Meal / Personal time
11:55 a.m. Arrive and Settle *
12:00 p.m. Morning Instructions and Sitting Meditation *
1:00 p.m. Walking Meditation (OR Practice Discussion) *
1:30 p.m. Sitting Meditation *
2:15 p.m. Walking Meditation (OR Practice Discussion) *
2:45 p.m. Sitting Meditation *
3:30 p.m. Meal / Personal Practice / Take Care of Life
6:30 p.m. Guided Sitting Meditation *
7:05 p.m. Stretch Break
7:15 p.m. Dharma Talk * (Closing info Sunday, please attend)
8:00 p.m. Meal / Personal Practice
10:00 p.m. Sitting Meditation (optional)
10:45 p.m. Personal Practice (for PDT and West)
April 5 (all times EDT)
7:00 a.m. Early Morning Meditation (Optional, 45min)
9:30 a.m. Morning Meditation (30 min)
10:00 a.m. Meal / Personal time
11:30 a.m. Closing Session *
1:00 p.m. End of Retreat
Links for Practice Meetings
You will have the opportunity to meet with teachers in small groups to discuss your meditation practice and explore questions you may have. Each group will meet twice during the retreat — once with Oren and once with Jessica. You will meet with the same small group for both sessions during the retreat in order to help build community. Because of this, we will be unable to reschedule your group if you miss a meeting. Please check the schedule below to find your group’s meeting times. Use the appropriate zoom link for your small group discussion, depending on which teacher you’re meeting with.
Practice Meetings with Oren:
Zoom: bit.ly/oren-21 or click hereMeeting ID: 880 2334 2198
Passcode: 201201
Phone: (669)-900-6833 or (646)-558-8656*
Please use video for small groups. Phone for internet outages only.
Practice Meetings with Jessica:
Zoom: bit.ly/jess-21 or click hereMeeting ID: 880 1605 0439
Passcode: 201201
Phone: (669)-900-6833 or (646)-558-8656*
Please use video for small groups. Phone for internet outages only.
Small group meetings
Recordings
We will be recording the audio from morning instructions, Dharma talks, and evening lovingkindness meditations. Video will not be recorded. The audio recordings will be available via Dharma Seed at the links below, and are intended for retreat participants only. We’ll do our best to post audio within 12 hours after each session!
Additional Information
Home Retreats: Doing a retreat at home is different from participating in a silent retreat at a meditation center. You may have others around, you may spend more time cooking or cleaning, and it may not be completely silent in your home, even if you live alone. Whenever possible, we encourage you to minimize extra activities and distractions, including engaging online and with electronic communication. Above all, we invite you to hold everything that happens all in the spirit of kindness as we explore this unique opportunity to integrate the practice into your daily life. Read more about home retreat here.
Recordings: Morning instructions, Dharma Talks, and Guided meditations are recorded, audio only. Access the recordings here.
Contact List: If you’d like to stay in touch with others from the retreat, add your name and email address to the contact sheet here.
Additional Resources:
Download the Retreat Handout here; Refuges & Precepts chant sheet here
Selected quotes, poems & references are here
Offerings from Oren here: orenjaysofer.com
Next Step Dharma: Open year-round, 6-week online program focused on integrating meditation into daily life. Included small group meetings every 10 days with Oren and other Dharma teachers.
Wise Speech: An Introduction to Mindful Communication: 6-week online course through the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. Starts Monday June 14, by donation.
Offerings from Ghylian here: urbanyogafoundation.org
Real-Life Mindfulness Retreat: April 21-24 with Jessica and Ghylian at Garrison Institute (online)
Offerings from Jessica here: jessicamorey.org
Inward Bound Mindfulness Education Teacher Training: June 2021 – June 2022. Jess is a core faculty for iBme's year-long teacher training program for bringing mindfulness to young people. Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Donate
Registration Fee and Donations: Your registration fees help to cover the cost of running our retreat, including technology, Jen’s time managing the retreat, and Ghylian’s offering of movement sessions.
In keeping with the Buddhist tradition, we share these teachings freely at no cost. If you would like to support our practice and teaching, you are welcome to make a donation below. There is no set or expected amount to contribute. Rather, we invite each person to contribute as they feel moved, and within their means.
donations are being collected by OREN, and will be shared between Jess and Oren.
Venmo is preferred (no fees). Please offer/send contributions by end of day Monday if possible.
Donate by check
Please fill out this form to let us know and get the address for sending a check.