One Ground, Two Paths and Two Results: A Meditation, Yoga, and Shadow Work Retreat

“We will become our opposite if we do not learn to accommodate the opposite within us.”  – Carl Jung

At the heart of contemplative life is the archetypal journey – returning home to the ground of our essential being, our true nature, which is love. Buddhism teaches that when we split from the  “ground of being,” we can either take the path of remembrance or forgetting.

The path of remembrance teaches that when we remember who we truly are, we know that we are the ground, and we feel whole and can experience the liberation and freedom of nirvana. On the other hand, if we take the path of forgetting (which is what most of us have taken), we forget that we are the ground, which leads us to samsara, to feeling lost, empty, anxious, alone, and disconnected from love. 

Whether we experience nirvana or samsara depends on our own minds, the crux is that they are not two different places – they are states of mind. 

Meditation is one of the most impactful tools we have for cultivating positive mental states, states of being that enable us to experience the ground as it truly is, and gain confidence and maturity. This is the teaching on “one ground, two paths, two results” that we will explore together.

“Our fears are like dragons guarding our deepest treasures.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

In this retreat, we will complement our meditation practice with shadow work called Feeding Your Demons® (FYD), an exquisite five-step process whereby we offer attention and compassion to our inner obstacles, our “demons.” In this context, demons are those thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that block our experience of freedom. This process is greatly beneficial when working with various personal demons and other dilemmas of modern life. A 2018 FYD pilot study found that working through this process was associated with increased self-compassion, emotional awareness, and self-regulation, satisfaction with life, and decreased stress, craving, depression, and intolerance for uncertainty. FYD transcends spiritual constructs, serving as a meaningful tool for anybody, regardless of religious affiliation or personal philosophy. 

In this retreat, you will experience:

• Meditation practices indoors and out in nature, gazing over the Pacific Ocean, weather permitting.
• Teachings and discussions on the seminal Buddhist teaching of “one ground, two paths, two results.”
• Five step Feeding Your Demons® personal process.   
• Gentle and accessible therapeutic yoga to bring more comfort and ease to your meditation and your life.

Please bring loose, comfortable clothing, a journal, writing implements, and if you have art supplies, such as colored pencils, pens, pastels, and/or watercolor, feel free to bring them. Paper and art supplies will also be provided in the workshop.