Once again, the annual confluence of Ashtanga yoga, taught by Mark Cain, within the container of Vipassana meditation and silence, guided by Joy Fox.

No experience necessary beyond the desire to see what is possible. Thus, being where you are.

Mark Cain, of Dripping Springs Garden, has been practicing ashtanga vinyasa yoga for 12 years, weaving the practice into his full time work as an organic market gardener.

Mark has studied extensively with certified teacher Louise Ellis; with senior teacher Richard Freeman; and with root teacher Sri K.Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India.

Joy Fox, of Wattle Hollow, has been practicing and teaching Vipassana meditation for decades.

Joy’s primary teachers have been Sri Goenka, Jack Kornfield, Amita Schmidt, and Ruth Dennison.

Cost: $100 (talk to us if you wish to come, but lack the funds.

No one will be turned away, if we’re not already full.)

Retreat Registration Form

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:

Once again we will explore and examine the nature of present-moment reality versus our culture’s conceptual use of chronological time, and how we may re-orient ourselves, given a choice. We’ll use writing, sharing, creativity exercises, meditation and yoga to sink down into “this.”

Cost: $100, includes lodging, food and retreat. Please know that no one will be turned away for lack of finances.

Retreat Registration Form

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
Retreat Registration Form

(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

Cobbing Fun at A Greener America workshop

We will continue to build the newest cob building: Sea World, with more emphasis on sculptural furniture, adobe floors and the last of the windows. Expect your building experience to be accompanied by music, whimsy, and dancing. No suffering allowed.

We will also have a guest lecturer for a couple of hours on the weekend days, Richard Herman, sharing his expertise on permaculture.

Our meals will be gourmet vegetarian (from local sources), some of it cooked in solar ovens. Daily yoga classes for those who wish. This is a time to relax, learn, and commune with friends and nature.

Cost:$130., entire workshop, or $40/day includes lodging, gourmet meals, and hands-on experience.

Retreat Registration Form (pdf)

About Richard:

Richard Herman has devoted his life’s work to sustainable agriculture, animal husbandry and medical care, permaculture, and leading youth in wilderness adventures and education.

Trained from childhood on Ozarks farms, Herman has done extensive and varied work on three continents. He served for six years as large- and small-animal veterinary assistant, followed by stints in herd health management for Heifer International and physician’s assistant in schools and clinics in Kenya. His international experience has brought diverse perspectives in agricultural and health customs and traditions.

A certified consultant in permaculture, Herman teaches at community colleges and by invitation for numerous organizations. He served a tour in the U.S. Peace Corps in Lesotho, Africa, assisting schools with agriculture using permaculture principles. In Lesotho, he was member of a permaculture guild which established weekend workshops for teachers.

With the Lambourne charity for troubled youth in England, Herman designed and set up a farm using animals as therapy for young people. A field instructor with Outward Bound in Maine, he led groups into the wilderness for 2 and 3 week treks, orienteering, white water rafting, rock climbing, and canoeing.

Herman lives a low impact lifestyle, harvesting water from rooftops, collecting water in ponds and soil and has transformed a dry stream bed to a near year-round flowing stream. Using permaculture design on his land, Herman has also developed a forest garden, no-till kitchen gardens, intensive grazing systems, and a sustainably harvested forest; grows rishi and shitake mushrooms; and introduced tree grafting (creating a genetic library for scion woodland).

The Great Mother

Saturday, May 1st, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

This year we are inviting all the local NWA meditation groups to join us for a day of contemplative meditation focusing on the feminine principles of self-acceptance and unconditional lovingkindness.

We will tour the many Mother/Feminine meditation sites at Wattle (i.e. the Black Madonna, Virgen of Guadeloupe room, the Earth Mother, Gaia, Kuanyin), and silently discover what resonates from within. Meditation will be led by Joy Fox, with accompanying yoga.

Cost: dana/donation. Lunch will be provided.

You must reserve ahead of time, please.

Joy Fox and friends will demonstrate:

*natural healthful cooking
*solar cooking and baking, with a solar oven
*daily yoga classes
*cobbing – the ancient, but recently revived technique of adobe mounding for construction. We will be working on an outdoor project near the cob castle.

This week-long workshop is definitely a hands-on experience! You may join us for any portion of this retreat, but please reserve ahead.

Cost: $200 for everything, or $40/day (Some trades possible.)
Retreat Registration Form

This will be a deeper immersion into silence and mindfulness, utilizing Buddhist meditation, automatic writing, and the practice of yoga.

Led by Joy Fox, founder of Wattle Hollow.
Cost: dana (donation).

Retreat Registration Form