WMC’s Annual Retreat

Westchester Meditation Center’s Twelfth Annual Winter Retreat

From the Calm Seat to the Hot Seat: Cultivating a Meditation Practice that Spans Both Worlds

February 7-14, 2025

Garrison Institute, Garrison, NY

Judy Lief will join us again this year in leading this retreat!

Meditation is meant to transform our experience not just when we are on the cushion, but throughout our entire life, encompassing the difficulties of the so-called real world. To do this, we cultivate an attitude of acceptance and imperturbability which is flexible and open, not tight and fixated. This year we will focus on finetuning our practice to sustain us in all aspects of our experience, not just on the cushion. Please join us in this effort to cultivate warmth and openness in a world increasingly in need of those qualities. Both new and experienced practitioners are welcome.

Scholarships are available for this program. Please see the sidebar to the right, or continue scrolling (on smartphone).

The separate vajrayana track* will include talks on the wonderful and pithy Song of Mahamudra by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye, and will feature separate shrine rooms for prostrations, ngondro and sadhana practitioners.

An immersive retreat is a powerful way to settle one’s mind, deepen one’s practice, attune to one’s innate well-being, and open one’s heart. Surrounded by natural beauty and far from the clamor of our busy lives, Garrison Institute offers the ideal environment for contemplative practice.

The retreat will be jointly led by Judy Lief, senior teacher in the tradition of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and master editor of his works, and the senior teachers of the Westchester Meditation Center (WMC) - Derek and Jane Kolleeny, and Gene Bobker. 

This mostly-silent retreat will be primarily focused on sitting meditation, but the daily schedule will also include walking meditation, talks, guided meditations, yoga, and free time, with two individual meetings with a meditation instructor and two discussion groups.

If you are seeking scholarship support, please fill out that application before taking the step of registration.

Registration is through the Garrison Institute.

*If you are a Vajrayana practitioner and want to participate in this track, please email westchestermeditationcenter@gmail.com.

New to the retreat experience? This retreat is perfect for both new and experienced practitioners. If you are new to the retreat experience, please provide us with some background information by filling out a short form:

Scholarships available: We are committed to making our programs affordable to all. If the cost of the retreat is a challenge and you are interested in requesting financial support, please click below to learn more and apply. Various  scholarships are available for this program, each targeted to specific circumstances. Westchester Meditation Center and the Profound Treasury Dharma Foundation both aim to support past participants in their programs. Another source, the Hemera Foundation, provides funding for those employed in, or studying: Education, the Arts, Healthcare, Non-profit, Government, or the Military Reserves.

Please apply by December 31, 2024 by following the link below.