These are based on what in traditional Zen Buddhist monasteries is called “Dokusan”. It’s an opportunity for each student to meet with the teacher for guidance and support. The general structure is that the student first states which technique they’re doing, and then describes or demonstrates their experience of that technique. The teacher then offers relevant suggestions or inspiration.

These aren’t drawn-out coaching sessions. They’re meant to be quick and to the point. Most last about five minutes. The idea is for the teacher to get through all the students at least once a day. This gives each student individualized attention once a day, making them feel cared for and optimizing their time on retreat.

Aside from arrival dinner and departure brunch, we’ll practice noble silence. The term “noble silence” is used by different people in various ways. Here’s what we’ll mean by the term. In general, there’s no talking, except for the interviews with Toby, group Q&A sessions, and Story Time. If you need to say something really simple like “I’ll take a shower after you”, then just whisper. The idea is to not speak unless it’s part of the more formal learning activities.

The reason behind this is very simple. Talking is distracting and the whole point of a retreat is to simplify our existence, in order to focus on the practice for an extended period of time. This allows a powerful momentum to build that would be practically impossible if we were jabbering away.

However, certain locations will be designated as “talking areas”. So if you’re tired of the silence and just want to hang out with someone, you can make your way to a talking area.

There’s an option to talk because research suggests humans regulate each others’ nervous systems when they interact. So a little bit of interaction, especially in the context of a caring community, actually calms us down and prepares the mind/body for practice. You can intentionally interacting a bit, to co-regulate each other, so you can focus better during meditation periods.

I’m trying to nail the balance between “let’s be silent so as to not distract ourselves” and “let’s rely on humans’ incredible ability to co-regulate each other via interacting, so we can focus on practice”.

Many teachers give Dharma talks on retreats. Dharma talks can cover a wide range of topics including, explanations of meditation concepts or practices, stories from traditional Buddhist literature and culture, stories from the teacher’s personal life, analyses of traditional Buddhist Sutras (texts), etc.

Story Time is my version of a Dharma talk. During Story Time, I recount mythic tales from a variety of traditions, from Indic to Celtic, Native American to Greek and Roman. Humanity has a rich tradition of myth and I think these stories hold immense power, especially in the context of an intensive meditation retreat.

Because everyone at Brightmind retreats has a solid background in the theory and practice of meditation (from listening to the app), the priority of Story Time is to inspire you. Maybe you feel exhausted and depressed. You know how to strategically use meditation to overcome that challenge (if you don’t, we can cover that in one-on-one coaching or the group Q&A). So what else can I add? Let’s get lost in a story together, where a character bargains with the gods or outwits an evil spirit in order to overcome their challenge. Perhaps you can tap into that energy, that archetype, and shift your path toward healing and peace.

Another purpose of Story Time is to just relax. I often talk about the importance of balancing effort and ease. Usually, come late morning, folks have been efforting quite a bit during the long meditation periods. During Story Time, I invite the group to lie down, get cozy, pretend you’re 7 years old, heck, drop your technique if you want. Just listen to this story and allow it to refresh your spirit.

Hannah Grajko, an amazing cook and my beloved wife, will be running the kitchen. She will have a delicious and nutritious menu planned for every meal. There will be fresh fruits and vegetables and vegetarian and meat options.

Prior to the retreat, we’ll send a food survey to all registered participants. We’ll plan the meals based on the group’s preferences and take into accountant any specific dietary restrictions that you may have.

There will be snacks available 24/7. In the mornings, we won’t have a formal meal together, but breakfast foods will be set out for anyone who wants to eat. We’ll have lunch and dinner together at 12:30 PM and 7 PM, respectively.

Here are the menus from the last retreat (with links to recipes!).

Breakfast always included the following:

• Oatmeal and yogurt bar with toppings (nuts, seeds, citrus, apples)

• Baked goods (gluten free and regular): Bagels, bread

• Butter, cream cheese, jelly, vegan spread

• Hard-boiled eggs

• Cured meats

• Coffee, tea, milks, juice, sweeteners

Here are two example lunch main dishes:

• Thai Chicken Meatball and Lentil Soup

• Chicken Tortilla Soup and Vegetarian Chili

And lunch always included the following:

• Salad bar with dressing options

• Breads and butters

Here are some example dinners:

• Taco bar

  • Protein: Chicken Tinga and Stewed Beans

  • Sour cream and cheese

  • Slaw and salsas

  • Cilantro

  • Rice and tortillas

  • Mexican wedding cookies

• Roasted comfort food

  • Slow-Cooked Salmon, Chickpeas, and Greens + Tofu

  • Roasted veggies

  • Polenta

• Mediterranean bar

  • Gyro Chicken Shawarma, falafel

  • White sauce (vegan and regular)

  • Feta, olives, tomatoes, onion

  • Pita and rice

  • Baklava

We had a delicious brunch on the last day:

• Breakfast items above

• Sheet Pan Frittata

• Smoked salmon

The following snacks were always available:

• Nuts, citrus, and fresh apples)

• Crackers and dips (hummus), nut butters, and jam

The rooms are really nice! See the above gallery for pictures. All the carpentry is hand-done, with local timber. The original house is a pre-Revolutionary War, Dutch house. The outer walls are three feet thick and made of huge stones, which keeps the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Some will sleep there. Others will sleep in the Garden House, which is nearby and brand new.

As you’ll see on the Registration Page, there are three accommodation options:

• Shared (with 2 or 3 other people): $1,700

• Shared (with 1 other person): $1,850

• Private: $2,100

No accommodations have private bathrooms. But there is about one bathroom for every three people, so that’s pretty manageable.

Oh yea! There are several miles of nature trails on the property. The property butts up against The Mohonk Preserve, which is 7,000 acres of untouched forest. So if you wanna bushwhack, go forth! Just make sure to be back for afternoon meditation : )

See the very first picture at the top of this page. That’s the Meditation Hall. Notice the large wooden beams, the many windows, and the large fireplace. Through the windows, you can see the entire Catskill mountain range!

During many of the meditation periods, you’re also welcome to meditate anywhere on the property. There are several cozy nooks in the buildings. And in July, the weather will likely be wonderful for sitting outside. You could take your cushion and sit by a stream or under a tree.

Chanting is an essential part of most meditation retreats. Shinzen Young calls chanting, “poor man’s Samadhi”. What he means is that--if you throw yourself into the chanting--it’s far easier to get concentrated while chanting, compared to just sitting. This has to do with the fact that chanting creates significant energy in the body, and is a totalizing experience--there’s lots of sound and movement.

We begin the day with chanting to hit the ground running and bring energy to our waking mind and body. Chanting is also just fun, joyful, and brings the community together in a powerful way, first thing in the morning.

Multiplayer meditation comes in a variety of forms, but the basic idea is that you practice out loud with other people. For example, I’ll say a label, then you say a label, then I’ll say a label, then you say a label… Or, I’ll say a metta phrase, then you say a metta phrase, then I say a metta phrase, then you say a metta phrase…

It might sound silly, but it can actually have significant benefits. First, the accountability of doing the practice out loud with another person means you spend more time focusing and less time spaced out--it's a concentration booster. Second, meditation can sometimes feel isolated and lonely. Practicing with others can feel warmer and more connected.

During the Multiplayer Meditation periods, you’re welcome to pair up and find a quiet place to practice together. Of course this isn’t required / is totally optional.

Not really! Everyone will help clean up after each meal, but that really only means putting your dish in the dishwasher and maybe finding a tupperware for the lettuce that didn’t get finished. Relax and focus on the Six Elements of Wellness : ).

Yes.

There will be substantial wiggle room though. For example, during the meditation periods (which is most of the time haha), you can choose whether you want to sit in the meditation hall, or do walking meditation. You just can't go back to your room and take a nap. The schedule allows for more than 8 hours of sleep, so that should be sufficient!

The core reason you're able to practice more than you usually do while on retreat is that you don't have a choice. If you have to decide each hour whether to continue, you'll be exhausted with decision fatigue. I want you to focus on practice, not deciding whether you'll practice. Also--and importantly--the magic of retreat is that we commit to doing all this together, as a community, and we see how much easier that is. Get ready to love and support each other, through thick and through thin.

One of the reasons that I picked this venue is that it’s easy to get to. If you live in the North East and have a car, the easiest thing to do is drive. Here’s a link to the address.

About two months before the retreat, I’ll send out a sign up sheet for folks to coordinate carpooling, so you might be able to ride with someone who is coming from the same direction as you.

If you live nearby, but don’t have access to a car, I’d suggest renting one. If that’s not an option, there are several trains and buses. The closest train station is in Rhinecliff, NY; you’d get your ticket through Amtrak. The closest bus station is Rosendale, NY; you’d get your ticket through Trailways. It’s easy to hop in taxis/Ubers to get from the stations to the retreat center.

If you’re flying in, I recommend flying into any of the NYC airports (JFK, Laguardia, or Newark). The easiest thing would then be to just rent a car and drive to the retreat center. If that’s not an option, from the airport, you’ll take a shuttle to Manhattan, where you’ll board the Trailways bus to Rosendale, NY. It’s easy to hop in taxis/Ubers to get from the bus station to the retreat center.

You could also check out the Stewart airport and the Albany airport. They are closer, but I’m less familiar with public transportation from these airports. They might make sense if you’re renting a car though.

Let me know if you have any specific travel questions!

Up to you. But I strongly recommend, if you can, not using your phone the entire time. Using your phone will simply disrupt the practice, which is the whole point of the experience. But if you need to use your phone, you can. Just don’t do it in public spaces. Also, if you want to give a friend or family member my number, in case there’s an emergency, you’re welcome to do that.

Not officially.

However, familiarity with the concepts and practices taught in the Journey meditations up to and including the Level 2 Graduation talk will be assumed. So if you haven’t made it to at least the Level 2 Graduation talk, make sure to get there before the retreat.

Objectively speaking, retreats are hard. Full stop. This may be very challenging for you.

However, things that are challenging are also often worthwhile. Retreats are the epitome of this. Retreats push you beyond what you thought was possible, and then, voila--you can now do the impossible. Retreats are by far the best way to deepen your meditation practice. Never felt that concentrated? Now's your chance.

Don’t worry, even people with zero meditation experience can get through a retreat like this. It’s a lot easier to do all this in a group. That’s the point! We support each other. If the idea of this retreat inspires you, come!

And if you end up having an especially hard time, Hannah (who is a licensed clinical psychotherapist) and I will be available for additional support. We’ll sit with you and drink tea, or go on a walk. We’ll give you a hug if that’s what you need. We got you.

Absolutely! Toby is an expert in meditation postures and will work with you to make sure you’re as comfortable as possible the whole time. For example, if you can’t sit for too long, you’re welcome to spend meditation periods doing walking meditation or other forms of movement practice. If you need to lie down, fine. There’s no reason that body pain should prevent you from participating in any way. Join us!

Brightmind’s fee is wrapped into the total retreat fee. So there’s no expectation that you donate on top of the retreat fee. However, as always, you’re welcome to donate to Brightmind for supporting your meditation practice.

I’m taking a substantial financial risk hosting this retreat. I have to pay the venue no matter what. If you cancel within 60 days of the retreat, I can’t give you a refund. If you cancel more than 60 days before the retreat, I can give you a partial refund.