Description
We live in a time when many of us feel disconnected—from our bodies, from one another, and from the living Earth that sustains us. Through meditation, embodied awareness, and silence, this daylong retreat offers an opportunity to slow down, listen deeply, and remember that we are not separate from the world but intimately woven into it.
Drawing on the Buddhist teachings and the wisdom of the body, we will explore what it means to come home—not as a place we arrive, but as an ongoing practice of inhabiting our lives with greater presence, tenderness, and care. As we settle into the rhythms of breathing, movement, stillness, and the natural world, we begin to rediscover a sense of belonging that is less dependent on circumstances and more rooted in direct experience. Rather than striving to become someone different, this day invites us to soften into the simple intimacy of being alive.
Held primarily in noble silence, the retreat will include alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, somatic movement, Dharma reflections, and practice instructions. The schedule will also include with a mid-day lunch break to practice mindful eating and a discussion period toward the end of the day to explore how the practice can be integrated into daily life.
Bring your lunch, yoga mat if you have one, and any appropriate props you will need for your sitting meditation practice. Rising Fawn Gardens has chairs, large bolsters and blankets. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes for walking outside.
While the retreat is open to practitioners of all levels, some prior meditation experience is recommended.
Earth, Isn’t This What You Want by Rainer Maria Rilke
Earth, isn’t this what you want? To arise in us, invisible?
Is it not your dream, to enter us so wholly
there’s nothing left outside us to see?
What, if not transformation,
is your deepest purpose? Earth, my love,
I want it too. Believe me,
no more of your springtimes are needed
to win me over—even one flower
is more than enough. Before I was named
I belonged to you. I see no other law
but yours, and know I can trust
the death you will bring.
See, I live. On what?
Childhood and future are equally present.
Sheer abundance of being
floods my heart.
Tickets
$45 per person
Retreat cost: $45 registration fee + Dana* for the teacher
Janka offers two work-study scholarships for those in need. Email Janka to inquire or if you have any questions about the retreat.
*Dana, or generosity, is at the heart of the Buddhist path. In this tradition, the teachings are offered freely rather than through a fixed teaching fee, and teachers rely on the generosity of participants to support their livelihood and the continuation of the Dharma.
Your $45 registration fee covers only the basic costs of hosting the retreat — including the Rising Fawn Gardens rental fee, credit card processing fees, and administrative expenses. Janka does not receive compensation from the registration fee.
Offering these teachings is both her vocation and livelihood. She depends on dana to sustain her ability to continue offering retreats, spiritual guidance, and practice opportunities within the community.
In a culture shaped by consumerism and fixed-price transactions, the practice of dana can feel unfamiliar or uncertain. Rather than thinking of dana as a payment for services, you might approach it as a practice of reciprocity, gratitude, and shared participation in sustaining the teachings.
There will be an opportunity at the end of the retreat to offer dana in whatever way feels sincere and appropriate for your circumstances.
Cancellation Policy: Janka has a no refund policy. If extenuating circumstances prevent you from being present, please contact Janka in advance of the retreat and she will transfer your $45 credit toward any of her future retreats.
Event Facilitator
Janka Livoncova
Janka Livoncova is an Insight Meditation teacher, Certified Life Coach, and Somatic Movement Educator. She has practiced and studied the Dharma for over three decades, beginning in the Soto Zen tradition and, since 2010, studying under her dharma mentors, Kittisaro and Thanissara. She is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders program and Sacred Mountain Sangha’s Dharmapala training. Rooted in a deep love of life and the wisdom of the living world, her teaching weaves together Buddhist wisdom, meditation, somatic movement practice, and deep listening to support a more rooted, awake, and embodied relationship with life.
