Jun 9-13, 2021 RETREAT
“Up Close & Personal withNature + Mindfulness + Joy”

IN-PERSON RETREAT, in the ROCKIES (near Boulder)…with Covid Safety…Uniquely Fun

1. What’s this Retreat? 

Yes! This is an IN-PERSON, co-ed retreat!
And yes! The co-leaders and retreat center are taking every precaution to ensure there is COVID-SAFETY. We are excited to offer our second annual retreat. The success of our first one confirmed our vision — that participants love this “UN-retreat”. No long hours of silence (except for your 24 hr solo!), with alot more fun, alot more community building, everything outdoors … in stupendous beauty, at 8,600 feet in the Rockies, 45 mins from Boulder, CO.

2. Who’s this for?

As a participant said so perfectly;”
“I’m coming, without any burning weight or problem to solve.  I just want to experience joy in community and Nature.  What attracted me to this was being in Nature, the focus on joy and techniques to embody that joy. I have always felt the greatest joy and clarity when I am in nature.  I’d like to experience connection with other beings on that same path. I intend to come back as a brighter light for my family, work and service.

3. What do you get?

For $485, on this uniquely fun retreat,
in this extraordinary wilderness, we will weave together short periods of silent meditation, heart-opening experiential exercises, conscious community building, an overnight solo, with play, laughter and movement. The main goal of the retreat? To foster joy through connection – with nature, with the community, and with your truest self. …. We will also guide you through an amazing 24-hr “solo”!

Again: This is an IN-PERSON retreat, with lots of Covid safety built-in (see details in a sub-section highlighted below)

Your experienced guides are Josh Ellis and Frederic Wiedemann (see bios below)

Nature itself will be our guiding teacher, mindfulness our integral practice, and joy our healing medicine! 

We are limiting this to only 14 folks, for depth!

 

This mindful and joyous Nature “retreat” — in this beautiful mountain and river setting — offers a fabulous opportunity to reconnect with the natural world, joy… and yourself!

The peaks, forests and river naturally work to quiet the mind, open our joy … while living and “practicing” mindfulness and joy together creates deep connection and support.

Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center and the nearby Indian Peaks Wilderness are ideal for a retreat. The area is extraordinarily beautiful, peaceful and pristine, with a wide variety of trails, wildflower-covered meadows, creeks, and peaks. Now mix in a unique approach to your wholeness, and two quality teachers!

Unique Theme For This Retreat

The main goal of the retreat? Again: to foster joy through connection – connection with Nature, with the community, and with your truest self.

On Friday, with our guidance, you will embark on a powerful journey — a full-day and overnight SOLO, on this beautiful land, in silence, alone (more on this below). Then on Friday evening, we meet as a community again — for celebration and dance.

Another reason that this will not be your typical mindfulness retreat: because of our age difference (a 28 y.o millennial and a 72 y.o. baby boomer), we have chosen to team together — to integrate the best that wisdom and youth can bring to your life path right now.

Here is What You Get!

• Nature’s healing: beauty, solace, and inspiration in this wilderness setting
• Mindfulness, body, movement, breath & nature practices designed to unlock your joy
• A loving, supportive, co-created community and plenty of time to deeply connect with everyone in the group
• Two experienced, wise teachers—a 28 year old millennial & 72 year old elder—who love to collaborate together
• Solo time on the land, for your own attunement, healing, and inner guidance
• Integration practices to sustain your gains & carry-over into your daily life
• MOST UNIQUELY: Playing in JOY, YES JOY, throughout the entire retreat
• Outdoor camping in an open meadow, beside a river, with vast views of the Continental Divide
• 3 healthy, delicious meals per day
• Just 45 minutes from Boulder
• Smartly scheduled, from Wednesday afternoon through Sunday lunch
• Capped at 14 people — small, intimate, real, with personal attention
• INEXPENSIVE RATE $485 [plus your love donation] for ALL food, camping & activities — that’s less than $100 per day!

Special Covid Protocols (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY)

• We continue to watch the unfolding events of Coronavirus COVID-19, and our hearts go out to anyone suffering from loss, illness or exposure.
• BELOW IS EXACTLY WHAT WE WILL DO/REQUIRE TO MAKE THIS COVID SAFE (but you be the judge!)
• The obvious! just before the retreat, if you have developed any COVID symptoms, or are feeling unwell, or have (or may have been exposed to) COVID, do not to travel to Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center (RMERC) for the retreat. We will refund your money!
• Everyone coming to this retreat will be required to submit proof of a negative molecular (not antigen) Covid test — taken no earlier than 72 hours before your retreat starts. 
• We will also require anyone who develops any COVID like symptoms or becomes sick at the retreat to leave RMERC, and return home immediately. We will refund your money!
• We will all be camping during the entire retreat, and there are acres that you can set your tent away from others.
• For our community “circles,” we will each be at least 6-10 feet apart from each other, but masks will not be required. You may wear one if you choose.
• For meals, the cooks will be masked, and we will wait in a socially distanced line, to be served by them, one at a time. 
• For eating, we will sit outdoors, under a roof with tables, or on the ground away from the  roof — socially distanced from each other, but masks will not be required to eat. You can choose to sit alone, as far away from another as you wish. 
• We believe those protocols provide an in-person, covid safe retreat. We believe we are being science-driven, very cautious, but not extreme or rigid in our requirements. You be the judge. Only register if you agree completely with these protocols (including when we will not be wearing masks).

About our “Joy”

• We hold this paradox as sacred — that we can grieve the suffering of others, of the eco-collapse, of racial injustice, or radical inequality of rich/poor, of plasticized oceans, and our beloved animals dying as species  … yet also still feel joy within.
• The joy that we will cultivate is not a “spiritual bypass” of our own shadow, or of the world’s dysfunction right now.
• We will dig deep to see that this belief is a falsehood:” Joy is like an orchid, so rare and special”. 
• We can “get over” the cultural programming that “we should be suspicious of feeling (or trying to feel) too much Joy”
• Let’s bust this attitude: ” We don’t get to feel Joy on a daily basis”:

About our “community building”

• Your two co-leaders make a deliberate, conscious and sustained endeavor to “build community” through our time together, short as it may be.
• With only 14 participants, we are able to go to deeper community, intimacy, bonding, and self-discovery. 
• We encouraging folks to connect with each other, in multiple ways: in our group gatherings, campfires, taking one-on-ones walks, music, intimate sharing (including by your leader), etc.
• Our past 14 participants listed the “sense of community” as one of their highest benefits.
• The only person who did not bond with our mini-community last retreat was someone wanting a traditional, silent, buddhist retreat. Which we are not!
• This focus on joyful community seems especially vital, as we all emerge from our Covid caves 🙂

Outdoors & camping the whole time!

This is a CAMPING ONLY. WOW. The weather can be great! Average June day temperature is 71 (with highs into the 80s)! Cold nights, perfect for snuggling in your sleeping bag.

On the other hand, you should be prepared for early summer in the Rockies, at 8600 feet elevation — variable weather, possible snow or rain, and the drama of it all! In short, bring great gear.

This outdoor experience will build our community (and your character, haha). We will be able to eat under the roof off of the porch to the kitchen. If there are serious weather conditions, we can take temporary comfort in the lodge. We will try to have a campfire together every night. This will be an adventure together! We have provided you with a great list of “what to bring” next:

 

What to Bring: Click Here for a What to Bring List

 

About your 24-hr “Solo”!

• Being alone in Nature is powerful medicine, and an incredible opportunity. This full-day and overnight solo (Friday morning to Saturday morning) is a time to heal, connect, explore and relax: opening deeply to the power and beauty of the environment, with the freedom that solitude provides.
• If overnight in the wilderness alone sounds little edgy (or alot edgy!), we will be there to give you ample instruction, preparation, support, and flexibility for the solo — so each of you can benefit fully from your experience. Between the two of co-leaders, we have done wilderness solos for many years, all over the world. 
• You will choose your “power spot” from a variety of locations, anywhere from next to the lodge, to deep in the wilderness. For the overnight, you can take your tent and sleeping bag to your “power spot,” OR stay in your tent for the night at your established camping spot, just without contact with others (ie, solo!). 
• All necessary food is provided. 
• We will meet back together Saturday morning, as a newly initiated community. We share our adventures, and harvest the deeper meaning of your solo.
• The elements, plants and animals become our teachers, the land our home, and silence our cherished companion. Most past participants have found the solo a highlight – sometimes the highlight – of their retreat.

Your $485 Cost —  and what additional “Dana” means

• Your $485 cost for the retreat is set as low as possible and only covers the expenses for the teachers to provide this retreat: renting the center, food, cooks, insurance, staff travel, admin costs, etc etc..  
• You may be amazed at this low price, if you have been to other retreat centers.
• Additional Dana: Yet, none of this $485 goes to your two teachers or the retreat manager. We are solely supported by your “dana” (a buddhist term). In the tradition of the Buddha, our teachings are offered without a set fee, keeping costs as low as possible, so no one is excluded due to finances.
• In turn, we ask that your donation to us be as generous as possible within your means. Please bring a check or cash. We will ask for your check or cash on the fourth day. We are grateful for your support!

 

Scholarships

It is our intention that cost not be an impediment to experience this. We are especially interested in supporting those who self-identify as a person of color, and/or work within the racial, climate & ecological justice movement.  Scholarships of up to $200 are available. If you cannot afford to attend without a fee reduction, you can ask for a scholarship on the registration web site (below), and then just pay the remaining amount.

Payment, Deposits

A deposit of 50% of the retreat cost is due at the time of registration. Full payment is due 60 days before the retreat start date (your credit card will automatically be charged at that time).

Cancellation, and Refund Policies

A full refund will be granted if a scholarship or registration is not accepted. A refund of 50% of the deposit will be granted for cancellations up to 60 days before the retreat start date (50% of our deposit refundable). Due to the very limited number of participants we are allowing, no refunds will be granted within 60 days of the retreat start date.

Food and Meals

• Three simple vegetarian meals a day will be provided from dinner the first day through lunch of the last, including solo food (which will not require cooking).
• If you want a snack between meals, or supplemental protein such as jerky or packaged fish, you can bring a small quantity of packaged, unrefrigerated food.
• Tea and coffee along with milk and sweeteners are available before and during breakfast.
• Please do not bring anything that needs refrigeration (medicine excepted). Excessive snacks are unnecessary: if you need a boost, a little gorp or an energy bar is sufficient for most people.
• For meals, the cooks will be masked, and we will wait in a socially distanced line, to be served by them, one at a time. 
• For eating, we will sit outdoors, under a roof, or on the ground out doors, socially distanced from each other, but masks will not be required to eat. You can choose to sit alone, as far away from another as you wish. 

Special Needs Food

• Figuring menus and quantities, shopping, organizing, and cooking are complex and crucial tasks for a retreat. We provide simple, wholesome, natural, predominantly organic, vegetarian meals.
• We can accommodate common food allergies, such as gluten, soy or dairy, but not special needs preferences.
• Make sure to include on the registration form the full details of any special allergy or health needs you have beyond basic vegetarian, and we will contact you if they require discussion.

Joy of Helping out

• Some of the work necessary to support the group will be handled by you during the retreat.
• You will be able to choose your helper/yogi job, and will keep it throughout the retreat.
• Most participants find serving others in this way quite enjoyable, and a great opportunity for practice in action.

Time and Transportation

• A 30 minute drive from Boulder, CO, our retreat will begin at 4:00pm on the first day, and end about 1:00pm after lunch on the last day.
• If you are flying into Denver, allow about 2 hours driving time to the center. Plan on your flight arriving no later than 12 pm pm — to reach the retreat center on time, set up your camp, etc.
• As everyone will be camping, you might want to allow some extra time to set up your tent before the retreat starts. You can arrive as early as 12 noon on Wed June 9.
• Return flights departing from the Denver airport should leave no earlier than 4pm, so you can get to the airport on time. Please do not book your return flight such that you have to leave our retreat early, as it breaks our community container.
• Please note that the center is at 8500 feet, similar to most Colorado ski towns. If you are concerned about acclimating from sea level, you might consider arriving a day or two in the Denver/Boulder area before the retreat.

Minimal Contact with the “outside world”

You will be out of contact with no internet access or cellphone service during the retreat. Please complete all personal business before you arrive. The staff will have the ability to make and receive emergency calls or emails on your behalf, but phone and internet are not available for personal use.

To Register Now

• Join us for this delightful 5-day, 4-night adventure into Nature + Mindfulness + Joy.
• Since space is super limited, and we did sell out last retreat, we do encourage you to register now (if your heart is singing right now :).
• Just click the “Register Now” button at the top or right of this text

 

Your Two Guides

Josh Ellis is a certified mindfulness teacher, wilderness guide, and the former Resident Manager of this retreat center. He is certified to teach mindfulness through Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Program. He is the founder and lead guide of Maui Mindful Adventures, a group dedicated to practicing mindfulness in motion in nature.

 

Frederic Wiedemann is a renaissance kind of guy — adventurer and published author of Between Two Worlds: The Riddle of Wholeness; Founder and Director of two nonprofits; community activist through MIT U-Lab & New Republic of the Heart; working in fields as diverse as pregnancy and infant loss to Human Resources VP for an entrepreneurial start-up rocketing to $50,000,000 sales; poet of over 200 poems. He has deliberately synthesized clinical psychology, spirituality, meditation, mindfulness, energy medicine, somatic experience, neuroscience, wisdom traditions, evolutionary psychology, yoga, solo vision quests, professional dance and world travel adventures — into practical and loving teachings. His mission is to “explore, embody, and share the joy of wholeness.”


Click here to Register Now

Photos of our last retreat here, and the land:

(Most of these photos were captured by Benjamin Buren (a 2019 retreat participant and professional photographer!). Please see his amazing work at www.AliveStudios.com

Click here to Register Now



Click here to Register Now

Even More Info, if you need it 🙂

Retreat Includes

• Guidance and instruction in all of the actives described above
• Sitting, walking, and play time in beautiful wild setting
• Free time for meditation or rest
• Evening “community-building” and celebration
• One-on-ones with the teachers
• Delicious vegetarian meals, and tea and coffee (including food for Sat solo)
• Amazing outdoor camping, in a mountain meadow, with specular views, and near the St. Vrain river

Expectations of Participants

Our retreat is designed to be enjoyable, not rigorous … and participants are expected to have an open mind and heart as we build our community and share experiences together:

• • Willingness to help with necessary meal tasks, and to cooperate with the group activities
  • There will be a flow between alone time and group time, but come prepared to enjoy others, and participate in community and group activities.
  • Use of silence: every effort is made to support a deep and fruitful retreat, and noble silence can be a valuable part of the process. We will weave periods of silence into the retreat at strategic times, to allow you to go deeper within. Some meals may be in silence.
  • Some of the work necessary around meal preparation and cleanup will be handled by you! You will be able to choose your helper/yogi job. Most participants find serving others in this way quite enjoyable, and a great opportunity for practice in action.
  • Some mindfulness experience is valuable but not required, and beginners are welcome. Complete mindfulness instructions will be given, appropriate for your level.
  • You should be in good health, able to sit and walk outdoors, tolerate the 8,500 foot elevation, and smile through sudden weather changes 🙂
  • Bring the necessary clothing and equipment to enjoy being outdoors in a variety of conditions. We will be able to be indoors in extreme bad weather but otherwise will be sitting, eating and walking outdoors.
  • Please note that the center is at 8,500 feet, similar to most Colorado ski towns. If you are concerned about acclimating from sea level, please consider a day or two in the Denver/Boulder area before the retreat.
  • It is important to us that everyone makes a commitment to be present for the entirety of the retreat (from Wednesday at 4pm through Sunday at 1pm), so please plan your travel arrangements accordingly!

Transportation & Arrivals/Departures

• Please see the section above “Time & Transportation” for great details
•  Please do not plan on leaving the retreat early, as Sunday is a vital part of the total experience!

Unplugged

• You will be out of contact with no internet access or cellphone service during the retreat. 
• Please complete all personal business before you arrive. 
• The staff will have the ability to make and receive emergency calls or emails on your behalf, but phone and internet are not available for personal use.
•  

Approximate Daily Schedule

• We awaken at first light, when hot water and coffee are readied, and we sit outside.
• Then breakfast and lunch food are put out and everyone eats, and packs their lunch.
• Then we begin our daylight activities — “wilderness + mindfulness + joy!”
• Dinner is usually early, around 5 or 6 PM.
• After dinner there is community building, movement/dance, and celebration.
• Then bedtime or optional silent practice
•  

Cost

Please see the section above, for extensive info about the cost/pricing… and what “dana” means

• •  

Food and Meals

• Three simple, healthy and delicious vegetarian meals a day will be provided from dinner Wednesday night through lunch on Sunday, including “solo food” on Friday which does not require cooking.
• If you want a snack between meals (or supplemental protein such as jerky or packaged fish), you can bring a small quantity of packaged, unrefrigerated You can also bring dry beverage mixes (no bottles or cans, please) such as electrolyte sports drinks, or other powdered mixes. Excessive snacks are unnecessary: if you need a boost, a little gorp or an energy bar is sufficient for most people.
• A variety of teas are available all the time, and coffee will be made before and during breakfast, along with milk and sweeteners.
• There is no refrigerator space available for personal food, so please do not bring anything that needs refrigeration (medicine excepted).
• To simplify lunch, on most days we will be putting together our own lunches from an assortment of food set out next to the breakfast table. Please bring a plastic container or two with tight fitting lids to carry your lunch.

Special Food Needs

• Figuring menus and quantities, shopping, organizing, and cooking are complex and crucial tasks for a retreat. We provide simple, wholesome, natural, predominantly organic meals. We will accommodate common and real food allergies such as gluten, soy or dairy, but not “preferences.”
• Make sure to include on the registration form the full details of any real allergy or health needs (and we will contact you if they require discussion).

What to Bring

• The most important thing you can bring is a flexible attitude, ready to accept cheerfully the surprises that weather and circumstances may present.
• It helps a lot, too, if your clothing and equipment are suitable.
• Daytime temperatures are usually in the 70s or low 80’s, at night in the 50s. We are in the mountains, so there is always a chance of cold, rain, hail, and wind, though those tend to be brief. While the intention is to be outside, we can go indoors if weather makes it necessary, excepting when on solo.
• If you are unsure what to take with you, ask us. If in doubt, bring it, as there is no place to purchase gear nearby.
• Please do not bring a radio, music player, iPod, laptop, books, axe, alcohol or illegal drugs. Think about whether you really need a camera; is it consistent with the intentions of a retreat.
• Here is a great list: https://rockymountainecodharmaretreatcenter.secure.retreat.guru/wp-content/uploads/sites/520/2020/12/RMERC-What-to-Bring.pdf
•  

Packing List

1. For Campers:Tent (1 per person for the solo, even if you are a couple) small backpacking tents are ideal.

• Sleeping bag: minimum 3-season.
• Sheet, pillow and pillowcase for comfort while camping (you cannot take bedding from the lodge).
• Sleeping pad.
• One gallon empty water jug
• Backpack for solo (large enough for tent, sleeping bag, food, clothing and gear). Or you can camp close by and walk your gear to your site.
• Camp towel
• Small first aid kit
•  
•  
• Options for the Outdoors:

• Packable chair: Crazy Creek, Thermarest or similar packable chair for taking on hikes to sit. There are carpet pads at the lodge to use for this as well.
• Water bottles: Two 1 liter.
• Insulated coffee/tea mug with lid
• Small tupperware-type container(s) with a tight lid for packing lunches
• Daypack or large waist pack
• Sunscreen and lip balm
• Hat (wide brim, for the sun)
• Sunglasses
• Insect repellent
• Mosquito head net
• Headlamp/flashlight (plus batteries)
• Watch or smart phone for the time (necessary)
• Emergency whistle (necessary)
• Small notebook and pen
• Hiking shoes or boots, broken-in before the retreat
• Other comfortable shoes for short walks
• Slippers for indoors (shoes are not allowed inside the lodge)
• Long-sleeve and/or short-sleeve shirts: (2-3) fast-drying, non-cotton
• Shorts: fast drying, non-cotton
• Pants: fast drying, non-cotton
• Bandana
  Bathing suit (optional, for the creek)
• Rain pants
• Hiking Socks: 3-4 pair synthetic or wool
  Underwear
• T-shirts or shirts: (2), soft cotton, long or short sleeve
  Warm underlayer, shirts (2) and pants (1), warm-when-wet fabric such as smartwool or capilene, etc.
• Parka: waterproof and windproof shell jacket
• Warm layer for under the parka, such as a fleece jacket
• One gallon empty water jug for solo.

4. Options For Personal:

• Check or Cash for Teacher/Staff Love Donation (called “Dana”, seen above under “costs”)
• Notebook and Pen
• Toiletries, sunscreen, etc: biodegradable and scent-free please
• Medication(s)
• Small amount of snacks and drink mixes (see above)
• Small simple camera (maybe)
• Personal first-aid needs
• Scissors/nail cutter/nail file
• Extra sunglasses/eyeglasses and hat

More on Co-Teacher: Frederic Wiedemann, PhD

(A recent photo of me, on the retreat property, at a “portal” that Josh discovered)

Frederic is a deep, passionate and loving man. He is a renaissance kind of guy — scholar and published author of Between Two Worlds: The Riddle of Wholeness; Founder and Director of two nonprofits; community activist through the MIT U-Lab; working in fields as diverse as pregnancy and infant loss to Human Resources VP for an entrepreneurial start-up rocketing to $50,000,000 sales; poet of over 200 poems; and an active coaching and mentoring practice for those wanting clarity and connection with their deeper soul.

He has deliberately synthesized his background in clinical psychology, spirituality, meditation, mindfulness, energy medicine, somatic experience, neuroscience, wisdom traditions, evolutionary psychology, yoga, solo vision quests, professional dance and world travel adventures into practical and loving teachings. The theme running through his diverse life is to explore, embody, and share Wholeness. His heart is to be of benefit — whether befriending a homeless on the streets, joining a local cause to stop fracking, writing a poem, or mentoring those in his coaching practice of 40 years.

Wilderness, Travels, & Adventure

Wilderness:

Frederic started exploring the wilderness with his dad as a young boy in the YMCA “Indian guide” He did his first 4-day wilderness solo at 23, on Sunshine Mesa near Telluride. He did a 9-day wilderness solo at McGhee Creek near Mammoth, and was gifted his power totem medicine animal — when he had a direct encounter with a mountain lioness. Since then,Frederic has taken and/or guided others on over 20 wilderness vision quests. At 70 y.o., he still loves to “disappear” into the wilds — and finds this to be one of the most powerful ways to receive joy and life-changing inner guidance.

Travels & Adventures:

Frederic has lived abroad for five years, and traveled in 45 countries.

• At 17, studying in Lugano, Switzerland for a year.
• At 21, motorcycling overland from London > Africa > Europe > Turkey > Iran > Afghanistan > Pakistan > India, for a year on a 500 cc Triumph.
• At the infamous Afghan Khyber Pass, held at machine-gun point, while robbed of his motorcycle.
• Arriving in New Delhi, by chicken bus, the day Pakistan started dropping bombs on Connaught Place.
• Trekking through Neolithic Stone-age tribes with his dad in Iran Jaya
• Rafting the Grand Canyon for 3 straight weeks with 16 other “river-rats.”
• Living with a muslim family of 26 members in Sonmarg, Kashmir— near where the USA was bombing
• Afghanistan in 2003, following the 911 terrorist attacks
• Open sea kayaking on Lake Baikal, Siberia during a freak squall

Mindfulness

• Has been a serious mediator since learning TM (Transcendental Meditation) at 24. He is currently meditating twice a day for about 20 mins each time.
• As clinical psychologistand spiritual guide, has been in the trenches with hundreds of clients for 45 years — helping, healing and learning what works and doesn’t.
• At the end of a “dark night of the soul (see below), he discovered the Flash Awake — a proprietary breath to (1) shift out of “auto-pilot,” and (2) bring the brain-body-Spirit to greater consciousness, in 30-seconds.
• For the last eight years, he has taken a deep diveinto the Flash Awake, including the powerful neuroscience behind it, and how to refine it so you can even get a belly chuckle from it.
• “When I discovered the Flash Awake four years ago, as the culmination of all my seeking, an amazing thing happened — I stopped seeking. That doesn’t mean that I don’t still pursue powerful dreams, it means that I do it from an entirely different place inside myself — a place of being able to “feel home” whenever I choose”
• Has “discovered” five life-changing ideas/concepts/processes over the course of his life: (1) the Unifying Field, (2) the Paradox of Wholeness, (3) the Flash Awake, (4) the Soul Flow, and (5) the Green Joy Flash.
• Paradoxically, Frederic receives and practices much of his “mindfulness” through embodiment practices. He regularly does contact improv, yoga, cardio, weight-lifting, movement classes, hiking and pilates in Boulder.
• For those of you that might understand this (and in the cosmic scheme of things, it is not that important :), Frederic is an explorer and teacher of integrating Non-Dual and Dual teachings.

Mindful of “The Shadow”

Doing Jungian “shadow work” for 40 years. In 2003, at the end of his two year learning sabbatical in Kashmir, India, and Maui, Frederic experienced increasing levels of anxiety and depression. He found that he could no longer force himself to do coaching and therapy with his clients. He descended into a private hell. Homeless, in debt—and suicidal—it took him months of “shadow work,” his own therapy, medication, and the astounding help of his family and friends to confront this mid-life death and rebirth … and then several more years of difficult inner work to become fully functional and healthy again.

Facing this dragon led him forward into a renewal of his life and sacred work. For example, he discovered the “Flash Awake” (see above).

Joy

For those of you that might understand the Enneagram: I am a poster child for the enneagram 7 type — from its glorious, healthy functioning as an “ecstatic appreciator” … to its compulsive, unhealthy gluttony for “more, More, MORE.”

I experience what the enneagram says about the enneagram 7: “Accept your invitation to abundance: to joyously celebrate existence and share your happiness. It is your True Nature to be happy and to add to the richness of experience for everyone..”

My parents used to call me “skitterbug,” because I was always skittering out to the creek behind our home in the 1950’s, and joyously playing up and down the creek — “catching and releasing minnows (!), building “forts” out of willows, jumping in the swimming hole.

To this day, it gives me great joy to play with Nature’s elements — like rocks, branches, and sand — to create that I call “UR Art.” UR is the ancient word for Earth. You will see various little examples of Ur Art along the trails in the forest on the retreat site, like this creature.

I “discovered” the Green Joy Flash. At least that is what I am currently calling it. This is the moment we have all probably had — in which a burst of joy flashes on us (or through us?) … like that special moment when we experience the “green flash” of a sunrise or sunset. I have made a study of this, and will show you how to recognize and cultivate it.

Moreinfo on Co-Teacher Josh Ellis

Hi everyone! First of all, I want to thank you for reading this far! We know it’s a lot of information but it’s important for us to put it all out on the table for you so you know exactly what you are signing up for. Hopefully it’s been at least a little bit fun for you to learn about this retreat and about Frederic and myself!

Anyways, I’m Josh and I am a 28-year-old explorer and adventurer of the worlds inside and outside of my cranium. I am a wilderness guide, the former Resident Director of Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center, and an ongoing student of Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield as a part of their meditation teacher training program. I am deeply passionate about helping people to live more fulfilling lives through connecting to and understanding our relationship with nature and I cannot imagine a better way to do this than through this special retreat that Frederic and I have put together.

I spent last year as the Resident Director of RMERC and played a big role in creating this truly one of a kind retreat center. If you haven’t been, it’s an extraordinary place and the ideal place to practice mindfulness and joyfulness in nature. If you have been to our little center up in the mountains, you surely know how magical it is. 

After working with all of the amazing teachers who came through our doors last season and learning the land like the back of my hand, it is my goal to share my experience with you and guide you towards new dimensions of nature practice. I’m so excited for September and I really hope that you are able to join Frederic and myself!

Wilderness

Wilderness has always occupied a very special place in my heart. I grew up in Upstate New York and my most treasured childhood memories are from hiking, swimming, and camping on the beautiful lakes of the Adirondack Mountains. My love of nature led me to the Boy Scouts of America and ultimately to earning the Eagle Scout distinction and learning skills that I still rely on to this day. As I entered my teenage years, my wanderlust began to grow and I was called westward to the Rockies, where I began to fall in love with multi-day backpacking and whitewater rafting trips. After graduating from college, I decided to turn down a lucrative corporate consulting job in New York City in favor of an extended backpacking trip beginning in Southeast Asia. One thing led to another and the two years following my graduation led to me exploring more than 15 countries and 4 continents. It was the adventure of the lifetime and featured more paradigm shifting moments than I could ever count. My connection to wilderness deepened in exciting ways during my travels and I returned home with a burning desire to bring together mindfulness and nature. This led to my accepting a position to help open RMERC and serve as Resident Director for the center’s first season in existence! I spent as much time exploring the stunning property as my responsibilities allowed and came to feel more connected to the river, trees, meadows, and mountains of RMERC than any other place I have ever spent time. Currently, I am a wilderness guide for Discover Outdoors, an adventure tourism company based in NYC and am in the process of building my own company, Pangaea Mindful Adventures, which aims to provide unique mindfulness based adventure travel trips to locations across the globe.

Mindfulness

I consider myself extremely lucky that mindfulness and meditation were introduced to me in my childhood. I have my uncle, a dharma teacher, to thank for this invaluable gift. Meditation has become an increasingly important part of my life over the past decade and has been one of the few constants through the significant changes my life has undergone – from high school, to college, to living out of backpack in remote parts of South America, to living in Manhattan. I have completed several multi-day retreats as a yogi and helped to facilitate many more in my role as Resident Director of RMERC. I am also currently studying with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield as a part of their two-year intensive meditation teacher training program. Beyond my practice itself, I am fascinated by the endless intersections of mindfulness, philosophy, contemporary neuroscience, and evolutionary psychology, and much of my time not spent meditating or exploring nature is spent studying these topics. Although I am young and young in the practice compared to many other teachers, I am confident that I have something unique to offer to people of all ages and of all experience levels!

Mindful of “The Shadow”

In the spirit of openness and transparency, Frederic and I both find it important to share with you the things that we are working on in our own lives, as these things define who we are as much as our joys and triumphs. Although we are nominally the teachers of this retreat, we are first and foremost humans – with much to learn and countless miles left to travel on our paths of self-discovery.

I struggle deeply with being an unrelenting “people pleaser.” I will often do whatever it takes to avoid conflict or the risk of someone feeling negatively about me, sometimes even compromising my values to do so. I have a hard time handling the difficult emotions that come with upsetting another person. While it is often a positive thing to avoid conflict, it is in many ways an unavoidable part of life and something very much outside of our control. My meditation practice has helped me to learn to love and accept the difficult emotions as much as the positive ones, and to let go of trying to control things that are outside of my jurisdiction. This has allowed to me to be truer to my values and able to respond to difficult situations from a place of wisdom, rather than a place of fear. However, this is and always will be a work in progress.

As a millennial brought up in a world of instant gratification and an overwhelming surplus of both information and distractions, I unsurprisingly struggle with ADHD. I have gotten much better at thwarting the monkey mind’s ceaseless attempts at taking the helm, but it is remarkably creative and persistent and still manages to move me towards the path of least resistance and towards distraction. At its best, my practice allows me to clearly see the impulses for what they are and act upon them from a place of rationality rather than from a place on mindless desire, but, admittedly, this is often the exception rather than the rule.

My friends and family would tell you that I have always been a very happy, positive, a jubilant person. However, it wasn’t until I started practicing meditation in nature that I truly understood what it meant to experience joy. For me, this has been one of the greatest treasures that mindfulness has given me and it is my intention to share this treasure with you. Mindfully exploring the forest, building a vibrant conscious community, and spending solo time listening the river is as sure a path to deep joy as I have ever found. Let’s explore it together!

Joy

My friends and family would tell you that I have always been a very happy, positive, a jubilant person. However, it wasn’t until I started practicing meditation in nature that I truly understood what it meant to experience joy. For me, this has been one of the greatest treasures that mindfulness has given me and it is my intention to share this treasure with you. Mindfully exploring the forest, building a vibrant conscious community, and spending solo time listening the river is as sure a path to deep joy as I have ever found. Let’s explore it together!

If you have any questions, just text Frederic at 303-619-1890

Remember we are capping this retreat at 14 participants —
small, real, intimate, so each of you can receive personal attention.

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