Back to Nature & Your Own True Nature:  
Mindfulness Meditation through Organic Gardening

6 nights in beautiful Costa Rica with Zen Life Coach, meditation teacher, and author Nancy O'Hara.

Experience meditation in each moment, whether sitting, working in the garden, talking, mindfully preparing food, eating, or walking in awareness.

Organic gardening is a path to understanding and benefiting from mindfulness meditation in a deeper way.  Practicing this unique combination in a supportive environment strengthens your ability to create relaxation, focus, and joy in your everyday life at home.  A typical day begins with morning meditation instruction, breakfast, and gardening; then mindful meal preparation, lunch, and free time; and offers an optional workshop, delicious dinner, and evening meditation.  Our practices are supported by the location chosen for this retreat--Costa Rica is known for peaceful stability and environmental stewardship.  After a restorative week in this lush, pleasantly warm retreat center near the Pacific Ocean,  immersed in sustainable living practices, you'll return home with new perspective and the ability to make your day-to-day life more peaceful, centered, and enjoyable.

Setting

• Costa Rica, a peaceful Central American nation that has been called "the Switzerland of the Americas," with beaches, mountains, rainforests and volcanoes
• Finca Ipe, a lush, tropical retreat center and Organic/Biodynamic Farm nurturing a lifestyle in harmony with nature
• Close to the Pacific Ocean and small beach town Dominical, renowned among surfers for its excellent waves
• To get here - Fly from any international airport to San Jose, Costa Rica (airport code SJO). For those who want it easy from San Jose, direct transportation to the retreat by minivan is included in the package. For those who’d like to travel like the locals (which is quite comfortable but takes longer), you can take two buses (one Greyhound-style and one yellow-schoolbus-style). Click HERE for more details on local travel. Detailed information will be sent upon registration or is available at your request

Highlights

• Introduction to Meditation: postures, breathing, handling thoughts & other distractions
• Introduction to Organic Gardening & Biodynamics
• Hands-on, mindful organic gardening
• Daily sitting meditation (two periods), walking meditation, and time for silence
• Personal time for rest, play, reflection, and being in nature
• Special activities, including the workshop: “Transformation—Bringing Your Retreat Practices Into Your Day-to-day Lifestyle”

Your 7-day, 6-night package includes:

• All of the instruction and unparalleled experience in mindfulness meditation and organic gardening
• Accommodations in lovely, simple rooms shared by 2 to 4 persons
• Delicious, healthy food, which participants learn to prepare in mindfulness
• Transfer from San Jose, Costa Rica to the retreat center

About the program instructors

Nancy O'Hara  has led meditation groups and workshops since 1994. She's the author of six books on meditation practice, including Find a Quiet Corner, a bestseller described as "a precious guide" (Joan Borysenko, Ph.D.) and "a helping hand along the path toward inner peace and happiness" (Brian L. Weiss, M.D., P.A.), and Just Listen, "a searchlight illuminating the wisdom and power of inner life [that] will help anyone discover serenity and peace" (Larry Dossey, M.D.).  Nancy has a grounded, simple, and creative approach to teaching meditation.  As a Zen practitioner since 1988, Nancy shares her experiences through her books, meditation classes, and private Zen Life Coaching sessions. Find out what her students have to say by clicking here.

Greg Ewing started Finca Ipe with a strong and clear vision 11 years ago and has actively managed the farm and shaped its direction since its inception.  He has learned sustainability and organic gardening by working to create it - with plenty of mistakes and successes in the process.   He also has been practicing meditation for many years.

Heather Audrey Okvat integrates mindfulness with "everyday" healing practices such as organic gardening. She received her BA cum laude from Duke University and her MA in psychology (clinical emphasis, health psychology concentration) from Arizona State University. She was the Director of the Complementary Medicine Program at Columbia University/New York-Presbyterian Medical Center from 1999 to 2001.  She has been practicing meditation for 19 years and has trained in the mindfulness tradition of Zen master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh, as well as in Soul-Centered Healing with Rev. Helen Eggers of New Zealand. Heather has taught meditation and mindfulness to individuals and groups over the past 10 years, including chronic pain patients. She has published a number of peer-reviewed research studies and received an award to attend the First International Positive Psychology Summit. After living and working on an organic farm in the tropics, Heather designed the "Back to Nature & Your Own True Nature" retreat vacation.