Urban Retreat

Join us for a life-changing weekend Urban Retreat in beautiful Berkeley, CA this Summer. 

Time is a force that runs throughout our lives, but too often we are disconnected from it, take it for granted and eventually run out of it completely.  We live hectic lives where there is not enough time to do anything well.  As internal and external pressures build, we may feel exhausted and at times despair, discouragement and even depression. Is this all there is?  This special Retreat is an opportunity to lay down your “to-do” list and schedule for a few precious days and discover something new. 

Explore deepening your relationship with time, connecting your important dreams, ambitions, priorities and work to time in a new way.   As a result, work becomes healthier, more meaningful and productive.  Stress is transformed into flow.

• willingly challenge our abilities recognizing our unique path to growth,
• overcome obstacles with more ease,
• quickly transform negativities and
• offer inspiration to ourselves and others through creative accomplishment.

Explore how to tap the inner wellspring of creativity and innovative knowledge within each of us, deepening our understanding and vision, providing us with reliable guidance.  As we learn to trust this guidance, we ‘read’ situations with more care and accuracy.  Decision-making improves.  Work quickly becomes a path of ease and accomplishment.  

We will gather at Dharma College, a beautiful educational facility in downtown Berkeley, within a block of the Berkeley BART station (a car is not required to get here from the airport!).

We will spend two full days together exploring and practicing.  On Sunday our capstone experience will include boarding the Matthew Turner, a 132 foot sailboat  at the Berkeley Marina to sail together for five hours with the crew from Call of the Sea, an experienced local nonprofit educational organization. 

This is an opportunity to test our practice and work together as a team.  The eleven sails on board this ship require we quickly learn to work together and communicate well in a new and changing environment to power the ship safely.

(Sound like your work?)  The crew will be there to guide us.  Together we will explore the magic and beauty of the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean.   You will want to wear rain gear (both pants and jacket) even on a sunny day. We encourage all participants (including those local to the area) to stay at the beautiful Hotel Shattuck Plaza next door to Dharma College.  We have negotiated a corporate discount for you using this link here.

This will allow you to have a full immersive experience with the best support for transformation. Hotel Description: Set in a mission-style building dating from 1910, this sophisticated hotel is less than a block from the Downtown Berkeley BART station and a 5-minute walk from UC Berkeley.  Modern rooms offer free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs and iPod docks, plus coffeemakers, and desks with ergonomic chairs. Some rooms have views of San Francisco Bay. Suites add separate living spaces. Room service is available.

Perks include a fitness center, a restaurant featuring organic California cuisine, and a lounge offering hand-crafted cocktails There is also a complete list of other hotels in the Berkeley area which can be found here.

Total Investment:  $750 per person.  This includes all instruction, experiences, materials, and meals during your stay.  Meals are vegetarian with vegan and gluten-free options, hand-prepared with locally grown produce and love.  You are responsible for travel expenses and hotel charges.  Book early to get the best rates.