Dr. Frederic Wiedemann & Josh Ellis
Nature + Mindfulness + Joy
A Uniquely Fun Nature Retreat!
*This Event Was Joyfully Fulfilled …
However, please:
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[wd_hustle id=”NewsletterSignup” type=”embedded”/]Nature + Mindfulness + Joy
At Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center in Ward, Colorado
With Josh Ellis & Frederic Wiedemann, PhD
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 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!
We are also capping this retreat at 18 people, to keep it small and intimate and to ensure that everyone receives plenty of personal attention. In addition, it allows us to guarantee that everyone will get their own private room!
Theme For This Retreat
On this uniquely fun retreat, we combine an extraordinary wilderness setting …. with a mindfulness retreat … with a focus on joy … with a wonderful conscious-community. We will artfully weave together periods of silence, heart-opening experiential exercises, conscious community building, and play, laughter and movement in the wilderness.
On Saturday, you will have the option (and our guidance) to spend a half-day on this beautiful land in silence … before we meet again together Saturday night as a community for celebration and dance. This will not be your typical mindfulness retreat! Because of our age difference (see Bios below), we have chosen to team together to integrate the best that wisdom and youth can bring to your life path right now.
Join us for this delightful 3-day, 3-night adventure into nature + mindfulness + joy!”
P.S. For an additional nominal fee, joy bugs attending the entire retreat can stay at the center on Sunday night and Monday day — on a self-retreat basis, or do an additional solo. Frederic will stay on the property, and be available for logistics, questions, guidance, and one-on-one time.
The Big 13 Benefits
In Our “Joyful Retreat Bundle” For You
Have you ever gotten all of these 13 benefits below . . . in just 4 days/3 nites?
- Nature’s Healing: Beauty, solace and inspiration in this wilderness setting
- Mindfulness, Body, Movement, Breath &/or Nature Practices in every session
- Loving Community: consciously creating yummy, supportive community together
- Two teachers—a 26 yo millennial & 70 yo 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
AND this Nurturing Container:
- Private Room: in a classic mountain Lodge
- Healthy Food, all catered, with chef-prepared dinners
- Locally: Just 45 minutes from Boulder on St Vrain River & spectacular views
- Smartly Scheduled, from Thursday afternoon through Sunday lunch
- Capped at 18 souls — small, intimate, real, with personal attention
- SPECIAL RATE $220, plus your love donation, for ALL food, lodging & activities.
If you are interested in attending, please enjoy the information below.
And you will find a link to register.
If you have any questions, just text Frederic at 303-619-1890.
Retreat Information
- 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)
- Your choice of lodging: single room or outdoor tent site
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:
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- 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.
- If you choose to camp, then some camping experience (car camping or backpacking) is helpful, but not required. You can stay as close to the Lodge or as far away as you like.
- 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 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 Thursday at 5pm through Sunday at 1pm), so please plan your travel arrangements accordingly!
Transportation & Arrivals/Departures
- For those flying in, you will be arriving at “DIA” (Denver International Airport)
- Again, the center is at 8500 feet, similar to most Colorado ski towns. If you are concerned about acclimating from sea level, consider a day or two in the Denver/Boulder area before the retreat
- If you want to carpool from the Denver/Boulder area or the airport, let us know what you need (or can offer!), and we will help coordinate.
- We begin at 4PM on Thursday Sept 5, 2019, and end at 1PM after lunch on Sunday Sept 8.
- If you are flying into Denver, the airport is 1 1/2 hours from the center, so you should plan on landing no later than 1:30 PM to get to the retreat on time (assuming that you have your ground transportation figure out, and arranged)
- Flights departing Denver should leave no earlier than 3:30PM, so you can get to the airport on time.
Please do not plan on leaving the retreat early, as Sunday is a vital part of the total experience!
- 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
- 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
The cost of the retreat is set as low as possible, and consists of the two elements below:
ONE, the actual expenses: renting the center, lodging, food, cooks, insurance, etc:
Food & Lodging Prices
| Entire Retreat 9/5 – 9/8 | |
| Tent Camp Site | $190 |
| Private Room | $230 |
TWO, none of these fees above go to your leaders, Josh or Frederic. We are financially compensated for our time and leadership only through an additional love donation from you. In the tradition of the Buddha, this is called Dana, and our teachings are offered without a set fee. In turn, we ask that your love donation to each of us be as generous as possible within your means. Please bring a check or cash for this portion of the total retreat costs. We are grateful for this support of our teachings and group facilitation!
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- Scholarships: It is our intention that cost not be an impediment, so scholarships of up to $100 are available for those who choose the camping option.
- To apply for a scholarship, include a note explaining your circumstances and the amount requested, along with the registration form and the remaining amount you need to pay. Your deposit check is not cashed unless a scholarship is approved.
- If you are a dedicated full time activist leader and need a scholarship, you may be eligible for the World Wildlife Fund special scholarship, which can cover up to 100% of the retreat cost. Please get an application from our Web site.
- Scholarships: It is our intention that cost not be an impediment, so scholarships of up to $100 are available for those who choose the camping option.
- Three simple, healthy and delicious vegetarian meals a day will be provided from dinner Thursday night through lunch on Sunday, including “solo food” on Saturday 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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
- For staying in the Lodge:
The retreat center provides pillows, sheets and blankets for all indoor lodging (not for camping). Towels are provided for everyone. There are no laundry machines. The meditation hall has plenty of zafus, zabutons and chairs, but feel free to bring any props and cushions you need.
- 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.
- 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
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
- 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.
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).
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.
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 I!
Anyways, I’m Josh and I am a 26-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 a current 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 I!
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.
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!
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!
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 18 participants —
small, real, intimate, and each of you can receive personal attention.