Wattle Hollow Retreat Center

May 5-6, 2012

Susan Drouilhet has been studying Zhineng Qi Gong with a master named Mingtong Gu.  We will combine silent Vipassana meditation with a weekend of sinking down into the Qi Gong practices.

Susan Drouilhet, MS, LMT is a Wellness and Life Coach with a background in Integral Health Care and Energy Medicine. A member of the International Coach Federation (ICF), Susan offers individual and group coaching to a national audience. Susan is also a Massage Therapist, a Yoga Instructor and holds a Master’s degree in Energy Medicine, offering bodywork and teaching stress management and yoga classes in Northwest Arkansas. Starting in 2012, Susan will begin leading international wellness retreats.

Susan is currently working on a book (affectionately titled, “I’m Not Dead, Yet!”) which describes her own healing-through-cancer adventure: the gritty, the humorous, and the numinous. As part of this journey, Susan began studying Zhineng Qi Gong with Master Mingtong Gu. Realizing she had just dipped her toe into a very vast ocean, Susan now delights in sharing the practice of qi gong as she continues her studies toward teacher certification.

Cost: $100, plus a donation to Susan (to contribute to her further studies with Mingtong Gu.)
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Thursday – Wednesday, June 7 – June 13th, 2012

A week of in-depth Vipassana meditation, supported with yoga, writing exercises and sharing….. We will be exploring our various levels of self-identity…..an intensive investigation of the layers of stories (familial, tribal, national, archetypal, gender) that we have wrapped around ourselves.

Joy Fox will be your guide on this adventure.

Cost: by donation
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Wednesday, November 16th – Sunday, November 20th

A five-day Vipassana retreat with Michael Freeman

Michael Freemanis returning to Wattle Hollow this fall… Michael, (whose root teacher is Bhante Gunaratana, the Sri Lankan monk), runs the Southwest Sangha center in San Lorenzo, NM, near Silver City. He has taught courses at Barre’s Intensive Studies Program, (a branch of I.M.S.), at Esalen Institute, and at Lama Foundation in N.M.

As with all of Michael’s retreats, this one is freely offered to all who wish to join him.
But advance notice is required, and space will be limited to 15.

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June 16 – 22nd, 2011

Thurs 4pm – Wed 4 pm

This will be a week-long silent Vipassana-style meditation retreat, focused on the ways and means that we employ to deal with life’s inevitable stressors. . . e.g. Do we take refuge in food, addictive substances, relationships, or a particular mindset?

The length of this retreat offers us enough time to witness our own individualized patterns, and address them. We will use writing, yoga, and group sharing along with silent introspection to plumb the depths of our choices, and perhaps make some new ones.

In this week-long retreat, we will follow a more formal Theravadan schedule:
* starting the day at 6:00 a.m.
* somewhat longer sitting sessions (i.e. forty or forty-five minutes)
* fasting from lunch til breakfast. Meditators can experience the freedom from our cultural habit of always waiting to be fed the next meal, by having tea in the evenings.. And, there will be a crockpot of soup in the castle kitchen for those who need or wish an evening meal.

This retreat is being run by dana (a Pali word roughly translated as donation). Upon reflection, however, I’m asking for a $50. deposit when you register. It’s been my experience that, for those who haven’t somehow committed themselves, “something else” often comes up at the last minute. If you would like your deposit back, after participating in the week-long meditation, that can be easily arranged.

Although there is an option to do partial retreat, preference will be given to those who choose to attend the entire time.

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Saturday, December 11, 2010 – 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. (Last event before Spring)

A day of silent introspection (Vipassana style) meditation, combined with yoga stretching.

A chance to go inside, as the dark days of winter set in, and re-kindle our intention
to take refuge in, and cradle the higher wisdom that already lives inside us.

This one-day silent guided meditation, led by Joy, is open to all levels of experience.
Cost: dana ( the Pali word for donation). Lunch is included.

Retreat Registration Form

June 11th – 13th, 2010

(Friday evening – Sunday, 3 p.m)

The theme for this weekend silent meditation retreat will be:
“Time Out”

Joy Fox, Wattle Hollow owner, therapist, and retreat leader,
will guide us in exploring our concept of time:

“The iron grid of time that society imposes on our psyches keeps us locked into a certain mindset, and locked out of present tense reality. During this weekend, we will use writing, Vipassana meditation, eating exercises, stretching and sharing to peek into living here, now.”

Cost: $90, includes lodging, food and retreat. Please know that no one will be turned away for lack of finances.

Retreat Registration Form