Buddha with bowl and flowers

“Every place is under the stars, every place is the center of the world. Stand in your own dooryard and you have eight thousand miles of solid ground beneath you, and all the sidereal splendors overhead.”
– John Burroughs

Join AIM’s founder and guiding teacher, Ronya Banks, and teacher Eddie Le Shure for our annual weekend meditation retreat, Friday, April 7th – Sunday, April 9th, 2017.

Wisdom Through Presence

Most people’s inner wisdom gets drowned out by today’s fast-paced, demanding world. Amidst silent beauty, we will practice meditation and other contemplative practices to help us reconnect with our innate wisdom.  We will also be cultivating a profound awareness and acceptance of “things as they are.”  We will find, within each moment, a deep current of peace and profound contentment, as well as an abiding wisdom to help guide us on life’s precious journey.

During this weekend retreat, you will practice Vipassana—Insight Meditation—a path that cultivates a more natural, fully-embodied presence and an innate wisdom.

About the Retreat

This residential retreat is a silent meditation experience, taking place over the weekend: three days and two nights. The daily schedule involves periods of sitting and walking meditation, with a focus on mindfulness and kind presence. The teachers will offer dharma talks and meetings with participants.

The retreat is appropriate for those who are new to retreat practice as well as for those with more experience. All are welcome.

The Teachers

Ronya Banks

Ronya Banks

Founder and lead teacher of the Asheville Insight Meditation Center, Ronya Banks began her meditation practice in 1985 and has since spent a great deal of time on silent residential Insight Meditation retreats with over 30 different teachers.

Characterized by her down-to-earth personality, Ronya is known for being able to distill complex subjects into easily digestible teachings.  Besides being in the joint Spirit Rock & Insight Meditation Society’s Community Dharma Leader program, she also lived as a monastic as a Theravada Buddhist nun.

Eddie LeShure

Eddie LeShure

Eddie LeShure is a Registered Substance Abuse Counselor, a Certified Peer Support Specialist, and a NAMI Family Support Group Facilitator who has practiced mindfulness meditation for over 30 years. His primary passion is bringing mindfulness practice into the worlds of addiction recovery, trauma relief, and self-care.

Eddie teaches and leads groups in various treatment and recovery settings, as well as in series classes, workshops, retreats, and detention centers. He began meditating in the early ‘80s and since then has lived in both Zen and Tibetan Buddhist retreat centers. He has studied and sat with a variety of renowned Buddhist teachers.

Retreat Details
Heartwood Refuge
Location

The retreat will be held at the beautiful Heartwood Refuge Retreat Center in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The retreat center offers both single occupancy and double occupancy rooms.

The dormitory rooms each have their own private bathroom/shower in a dwelling separate from the meditation building.

  • Meals: Vegetarian. Inquire about any food restriction needs via the contact information below.
  • Linens: Provided.
Registration Fee

The cost is for room and board only. The payment of the teacher is dana-based through your generosity.

Payment plans are available for those with financial need. Both credit cards and checks are accepted.

  • Double occupancy: $130
  • Single occupancy: $170
Registration

You may register and pay for the retreat by visiting the Retreat Calendar page at Heartwood Refuge’s website. Scroll down to the April 7th entry for the Wisdom through Presence retreat and click on that entry, then click on the “Register” button on the pop-up page. REGISTER NOW »

**Note**: Our last retreat filled up very quickly, so register early to ensure your spot.

Questions?

For more information or assistance, contact Darlene at darlene@heartwoodrefuge.org

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