The presence of mindfulness infused with the warmth of a kind heart profoundly transforms our own experience of being alive and how we relate with others and with the world. Kindness expresses an attitude of connection with life; the word "kind" has the same root as "kin" or family. When we are truely kind we deeply listen - to ourselves, to others, to life. In this daylong retreat we will explore how we can cultivate and find our home in true kindness, in our moment-by-moment living of our daily lives. The retreat day will include meditation instruction, sitting and walking meditation, guided practices and a talk and discussion, with opportunity for questions in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Everyone is welcome: beginners and more experienced practitioners. Space is limited! This event will be limited to 25 participants. Registration Information Cost: Sliding scale: $40 (students, unemployed, retired) - $50 (regular fee) - $60 (supporter fee). TNI is dedicated to offering affordable rates to all. Our sliding scale fees allow retreatants to pay according to their financial means. Please contact us if you need to request a further reduction in rate. Free-will donations (dana) to Daryl to support her teaching practice will be invited at the end of the day. Registrations can only be done through this link. It is not possible to register through The Yoga Connection Studio website. What to bring: Cushions and blankets are provided for sitting on the floor and chairs are also available. If you prefer to sit on a bench, please bring your own. Wear comfortable clothing. There will be a 45 minute break for lunch, and we encourage you to bring something simple which does not need to be heated. Tea will be provided. Please arrive at 9:45 am. Getting to the Centre: The entrance to the Yoga Connection...

Insight meditation offers us a way towards freedom from habits of confusion, clinging and resistance, the drivers of human suffering. As drivenness diminishes, we come home to who we truly are and can be open and intimately present in the unfolding of life. The warm quality of presence is love; our deepening practice reveals the boundlessness of an awakened heart. This retreat will explore within our own experience how insight and wisdom free us to love wholeheartedly, and how love liberates us from the painful delusion that we are isolated and separate. This retreat is recommended for people with a foundation of meditation practice, and a previous insight retreat. There will be optional Feldenkrais (Awareness Through Movement) sessions offered by Janet Maxwell.   Registration Information ARRIVAL TIME: 3:30-5:30 pm, Wednesday, July 18. The retreat will conclude by lunch on Sunday, July 22. Everyone is welcome to stay for lunch. COST: TNI is dedicated to offering affordable rates to all. TNI retreat fees are on a sliding scale basis that allows participants to pay according to individual means. Fees do not include compensation for the teachings, and teachers rely on the generosity of retreatants for a sustainable income. There is an opportunity to offer dana (donations) to the teachers at the end of each retreat. The deposit is included in all of our fees. Sliding Scale:              $505– $575 - $640 Deposit:                      $255

Co-Teacher: Jean Esther  When we go on retreat and dive into silence and inner awareness we have the opportunity to recognize and release the habits of mind that limit our freedom and peace. Possibly the most challenging and important arena into which we bring our practice of mindfulness is relationships. While we may want to respond to our intimate relations, colleagues, friends and neighbors with authenticity and an open heart, relationships are often the context in which old reactive patterns are triggered. In this retreat Daryl Lynn Ross and Jean Esther will explore how to be intimate with ourselves, and authentic and compassionate in how we relate with others. The retreat schedule will include sessions of mindful speaking and interaction as well as times of silence, all engaged in with a spirit of kindness. Sitting and walking meditation, teachings, mindful movement and discussions about practice will round out the retreat schedule. This retreat is open to all, and is not specifically designed for couples. Couples and individuals of all sexual and gender orientations are welcome.  Please note: we ask that couples not share a room together.   Registration Information ARRIVAL TIME: 3:30-5:30 pm, Thursday, August 9. The retreat will conclude by lunch on Sunday, August 12. Everyone is welcome to stay for lunch. COST: TNI is dedicated to offering affordable rates to all. TNI retreat fees are on a sliding scale basis that allows participants to pay according to individual means. Fees do not include compensation for the teachings, and teachers rely on the generosity of retreatants for a sustainable income. There is an opportunity to offer dana (donations) to the teachers at the end of each retreat. The deposit is included in all of our fees. Sliding Scale:              $390 – $440 - $490 Deposit:                      $195  

The Four Noble Truths are the core of the Buddha’s teaching. They are a plan of action to release the stress, anxiety, and tension in the mind, heart, and body. The teachings approach this in a non-conventional way. We are not trying to change anything, but are learning to be with life as it unfolds. We use the calm, peace and well-being that come from meditation as a springboard for greater insight into our life and our true nature. Insight is the doorway to wisdom and...

The Buddha said, "There is one thing that, when cultivated and regularly practiced, leads to deep spiritual intention, to peace, to mindfulness and clear comprehension, to vision and knowledge, to a happy life here and now, and to the culmination of wisdom and awakening. And what is that one thing? It is mindfulness centered on the body."  The first mindfulness practices that the Buddha taught were attending to the body— coming to our senses. Mindfulness of the body is an invitation to open to...

When we go on retreat and dive into silence and inner awareness we have the opportunity to recognize and release the habits of mind that limit our freedom and peace. Possibly the most challenging and important arena into which we bring our practice of mindfulness is relationships. While we may want to respond to our intimate relations, colleagues, friends and neighbors with authenticity and an...

Loss is part of life; no one escapes change and loss. We might ourselves feel lost, not knowing how to continue on when someone we love has died, a relationship ends or a dream or vision no longer seems possible. Sitting together, with the guidance of the teachers and within the stability of meditative awareness, we will explore how to compassionately accept the pain and confusion of loss, see its universality and be open to...