RETREAT—2023 Fall Retreat: Dream Yoga & Lucid Dreaming

IN PERSON & ONLINE RETREAT

2023 FALL RETREAT: DREAM YOGA & LUCID DREAMING
with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Yangdron Kalzang, Gabriela Torres-Platas, Alejandro Chaoul, Andrew Holecek, David Germano, and Timothy Lyons

Last year we started a six-year program focusing on the meditation practices of the Bön Mother Tantra, which is one of the most sacred texts of the ancient Bön buddhist tradition.

Unique feature of this new format is that each afternoon Rinpoche will be joined by special guests who will share their different spiritual, scientific or medical perspectives.

The focus this year is the second chapter of the Mother Tantra – Dream Yoga. Each morning, Rinpoche will teach on bringing our dream states into our spiritual practice and our spiritual practice into our dream states. In the afternoons, our special guests will give short presentations on specific topics related to lucid dreaming followed by open conversations that include Rinpoche. We will also explore a variety of practices related to dreaming and sleeping, led by our presenters.

We will learn how to prepare for sleep, the types of dreams that can arise, and how to bring lucidity into our dreams and the potential to impact our general well-being through greater awareness of the cycles of day and night. This recognition can transform every aspect of our waking life, opening us to infinite creative possibilities available in every moment.

This retreat is designed for all levels of students, from beginners to experienced lucid dreamers.

This year our special honored guests are:

• Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is the author of The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep and 10 other English language books on meditation and practices from the Tibetan Bön Buddhist tradition. He is the founder of Ligmincha International, and the creator of the CyberSangha™. Rinpoche has students in more than 25 countries, teaches around the world and reaches thousands of students through his online programs. He is known for the depth of his wisdom and his unshakeable commitment to helping students recognize their true nature.
• Yangdron Kalzang earned a Tibetan Medicine degree from the Tibetan Medical University in Lhasa, Tibet, and her Master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Five Branches University, Graduate School of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She is an Acupuncturist licensed by the state of California and an Acupuncturist and Herbalist certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). She is also a founding member and current faculty member of the Shang Shung Institute, School of Tibetan Medicine in Conway, Massachusetts. Yangdron Kalzang serves as an educational resource for the University of California at San Francisco and Stanford University medical students and faculty and many Buddhist centers in the Bay Area. She regularly lectures and delivers seminars on Tibetan medicine.
• Gabriela Torres Platas is currently studying the neural and physiological correlates of Tibetan dream and sleep yoga in expert practitioners at Northwestern University. She is interested in understanding the mental and health benefits of contemplative sleep practices. Gabriela holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from McGill University where she studied the molecular and cellular mechanisms of depression and suicide. She pursued clinical research training to study the effects of different Mind-Body interventions (such as mindfulness-based interventions, among others) on different psychiatric disorders.
• Alejandro Chaoul is the founder and director of The Jung Center’s Mind Body Spirit Institute. He has been a student of Tibetan Buddhism since 1989, and particularly in the Bon tradition since 1991. Alejandro is a senior teacher at The 3 Doors and a Tibetan Yoga and meditation teacher for the Ligmincha Institute. As faculty and director of education at MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Integrative Medicine Program, for the last 20 years Alejandro has taught Tibetan meditation to cancer patients, their families, and caregivers, and researches the effects of Tibetan mind-body practices with cancer patients. He is also a fellow of the Mind and Life Institute.
  
• Andrew Holecek is an author and spiritual teacher who offers talks, online courses, and workshops in the United States and abroad. As a long-time student of Buddhism, he frequently presents this tradition from a contemporary perspective – blending the ancient wisdom of the East with modern knowledge from the West. Drawing on years of intensive study and practice, he teaches on the opportunities that exist in obstacles, helping people with hardship and pain, death and dying, and problems in meditation. Known as an expert on lucid dreaming and the Tibetan yogas of sleep and dream, he is an experienced guide for students drawn to these powerful nocturnal practices.
• David Germano is Professor of Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Virginia, where he directs the Tibet Center and the Generative Contemplation Initiative. His personal scholarship is focused on Buddhist philosophy and contemplative practice, with a particular focus on the Great Perfection (rdzogs chen) tradition. He has trained many doctoral students in Tibetan Buddhism, with students currently professors at Northwestern, University of Toronto, Stanford University, Davidson College, Florida State University, Naropa University, Case Western Reserve, and many other major institutions of higher education. At UVA, he founded and directed for many years SHANTI (Sciences, Humanities and the Arts Network of Technical Initiatives) and the Contemplative Sciences Center.
• Timothy Lyons is a Jungian psychotherapist with over 25 years of clinical experience working with dreams. In conjunction with Jung’s depth psychology, Tim utilizes Tibetan dream and sleep yoga, alchemical symbolism, and integrative medicine to help clients understand the linkages between body and mind and their distress, and to develop the healing potential of their imagination, dreams, and physical well-being. Tim’s postgraduate work includes studies at the Philadelphia Jung Institute and research into infant observation and art therapy. His practice is further informed by yoga and Taoist philosophies, and teacher training in Trul Khor. Tim’s career also includes work as architect, editor, writer for the Washington Post, and lecturer for the Jung Society of Washington and the Smithsonian Institution.

Schedule – New York time
Link to your local time zone
Tuesday
4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. Onsite registration/Check-in
6:00 p.m.–6:45 p.m. Dinner
6:45 p.m.– 7:00 p.m. Break
7:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m. Dialogue

Wednesday
9:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m. Teachings by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
11:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Break
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Guided Practice
12:30 p.m.–1:00 p.m. Break
1:00 p.m.–1:45 p.m. Lunch
1:45 p.m.–3:00 p.m. Break
3:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m. Dialogue
4:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m. Break
5:00 p.m.–5:45 p.m. Guided Practice with Dialogue Presenters
6:00 p.m.–6:45 p.m. Dinner
6:45 p.m. –7:00 p.m. Break
7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. Evening Talk with Dialogue Presenters

Thursday–Saturday
7:30 a.m.–8:30 a.m. Morning Practice
8:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m. Break
9:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m. Teachings by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
11:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Break
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Guided Practice
12:30 p.m.–1:00 p.m. Break
1:00 p.m.–1:45 p.m. Lunch
1:45 p.m.–3:00 p.m. Break
3:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m. Dialogue
4:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m. Break
5:00 p.m.–5:45 p.m. Guided Practice with Dialogue Presenters
6:00 p.m.–6:45 p.m. Dinner
6:45 p.m. –7:00 p.m. Break
7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. Evening Talk with Dialogue Presenters

Sunday
7:30 a.m.–8:30 a.m. Morning Practice
8:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m. Break
9:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m. Concluding Teachings by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
10:45 a.m.–11:15 a.m. Break
11:15 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Capstone Conversations with Dialogue Presenters
12:30 p.m.–1:00 p.m. Break
1:00 p.m.–1:45 p.m. Lunch

View the event page:

Serenity Ridge Dialogues 2023