Since speaking with Esalen less than 24 hours ago when they made the difficult decision to cancel next week’s retreat, we have been diligently brainstorming, calling on allies, and mobilizing all the forces of goodness in the universe to salvage something special for those of you who still long to receive the benefits of engaging in immersive practice.
Wednesday & Thursday, August 19-20
Metta and the Divine Abodes: Meditation, Yoga, and Wisdom to Live a Better Life
A more-compact version of Hannah’s beloved workshop at Esalen, which was cancelled this year due to the Timber Fire.
Nonresidential in Santa Cruz, California
Where: private spa garden with sauna, hot tub, cold plunge & yoga shala
When: Wednesday & Thursday, August 19th & 20th
10am - 5pm daily + optional evening activities
Please Note:
This iteration does NOT include lodging. You would find your own accommodations in or around Santa Cruz, California. Or commute both days from a nearby location. You could use booking.com, VRBO, Airbnb or other lodging search sites.
About these profound practices:
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
—Mary Oliver
The Brahmavihārās (divine abodes) are profound practices that uncover your natural capacity to live your life easefully with love, connection, wisdom, and joy. In this experiential workshop, we’ll use daily guided meditation practices, storytelling, song, relational mindfulness practices, self-directed neuroplasticity, yoga, and somatic play to explore the classical Buddhist Heart practices known as the “boundless states” or the “four immeasurables.”
In this workshop, we will explore these four key virtues (found in the Yogic & Buddhist traditions) and ways to cultivate them, including:
Loving-kindness (metta) practices for self-acceptance, relational healing, gratitude, forgiveness, and kinship with all beings.
Compassion (karuna) practices for tenderness, resilience, an open-heart to suffering, and a greater sense of our shared humanity.
Sympathetic joy (mudita) practices for enthusiasm, authentic joy, generosity, and celebratory participation in life.
Equanimity (upekka) practices for wisdom, perspective, clarity, and an unwavering sense of trust.
Whereas some spiritual practices are aimed at otherworldly enlightenment, the four divine abodes help us awaken to the beauty, clarity, and vast possibility available right here in our complex, often messy, mundane, and wholly sacred human experience. They are a pathway to unburdening ourselves of self-doubt, resentment, and regret. They guide our way home to that wellspring in our hearts from which unconditional love flows, where we contact our wholeness, discover radical acceptance, and remember our belonging in this world.
No matter who you are, where you are on your spiritual path, or what you’ve been through, discovering renewal is possible. Join us if you long for a deep, playful, tenderizing workshop that may touch your heart and leave you forever transformed.
REGISTER FOR THE 2-DAY IMMERSION
Limited to 15 people.
Reserve your space now.
Cost: $650 per person
Confirm your enrollment via one of the following options:
Paypal: send to hannahsm@gmail.com (no added fees. Choose “friends and family” to avoid fees)
Zelle: email us at care@hannahmuse.com for instructions
After payment is sent, we will send you a confirmation email that includes the address and other details.
SCHEDULE FOR THE 2-DAY IMMERSION
Wednesday & Thursday, August 19-20
10am - 5pm with optional evenings
Private spa garden & yoga shala
Wednesday - Day 1 of 2
9:30-10 arrival
10am-1pm
METTA: practice, dharma teachings & engaged mindfulness
1-2:15pm
Lunch break (nearby lunch recommendations will be provided)
2:30-5:30pm
KARUNA: practice, dharma teachings & engaged mindfulness
**OPTIONAL evening activity: Wednesday night 5:30pm-7pm
Spa Garden Time - relaxation space for use of Sauna, Hot tub, Cold plunge, all located onsite.
Thursday - Day 2 of 2
9:30-10 arrival
10am-1pm
MUDITA: practice, dharma teachings & engaged mindfulness
1-2:15pm
Lunch break (nearby lunch recommendations will be provided)
2:30-5:30pm
UPEKKA & closing circle: practice, dharma teachings & engaged mindfulness
**OPTIONAL evening activity: Thursday night
To Be Confirmed.
About your teacher:
Hannah Muse is an internationally-renowned teacher of meditation and yoga, and scholar of nondual yogic and Buddhist traditions. An ordained priestess, mother, and mythologist, Hannah is known for curating exquisite retreats that transform the mind and awaken the Heart. A devoted student and practitioner for two decades, Hannah has been guiding pilgrimages and retreats for over fifteen years. She serves on the faculty of the Esalen Institute, as the Director of Awake Heart Teacher Trainings and Mount Madonna Center’s Prenatal Training, and has been a featured facilitator in dozens of other trainings, festivals and conferences around the world.
Hannah has trained extensively with masters in various traditions including Nondual Śaiva Tantra, Buddhism and is currently enrolled in graduate work at Harvard. Some of her most influential teachers are Baba Hari Dass, her root teacher in the Yoga tradition, eco-Buddhist Joanna Macy, and Buddhists mindfulness teachers Tuere Sala and Tara Brach, whom Hannah completed training with over eight years ago. She bows in deep gratitude to all her teachers, too many to name here, and yet one each a precious gift on the path.
In addition to her fulfilling teaching life, Hannah (who’s background is in social and ecological advocacy) serves as President of the nonprofit Yoga for All Movement, an organization that offers yoga and mindfulness to thousands of people each year in jails, recovery centers, juvenile halls and other historically underserved communities.
When she’s not sharing her love of the dharma, you can find Hannah lovingly guiding meditation twice each week in the Shelter in the Heart global online sangha, laughing til she cries with her teen daughter, practicing asana with her husband (whom she met on pilgrimage in India), dancing wildly, or meditating quietly.
Limited to 15 people.
Reserve your space now.
Cost: $650 per person
Location: Private yoga shala & garden spa in Santa Cruz, CA - location will be emailed upon registration. It is very close to the intersection of Highway 1 & Highway 17 and less than 1/2 a mile from the ocean.
Lodging and meals not included
“The more you sense the rareness and value of your own life, the more you realize that how you use it, how you manifest it, is all your responsibility. We face such a big task, so naturally we sit down for a while.”