Finding Calm and Insight Through the Breath: A Guided Meditation Retreat

In the quiet sweep of the Rocky Mountains, this retreat creates space to pause, breathe, and reconnect with something steady and dependable. As the noise of everyday life softens, you are guided back to the simple rhythm of inhalation and exhalation—an anchor for calm, clarity, and presence. Silence, natural surroundings, and a supportive structure shape an atmosphere where attention can settle naturally and deepen without strain.

About the Retreat

Through guided meditation and extended periods of practice, you will gradually refine awareness of the breath, beginning with steady attention and moving toward a more subtle understanding of experience. The training unfolds step by step, showing how focus on breathing naturally opens into awareness of the body, feeling tone, and mind. In this way, the practice becomes both settling and illuminating.

As the retreat progresses, calm and insight are developed together. What starts as simply following the breath grows into a grounded way of seeing that is directly connected to lived experience, offering a practical foundation you can bring into daily life.

What to Expect

• Guided seated meditation focused on the breath, with step-by-step instruction
• Quiet mornings in silence, supporting a steady rhythm of practice
• Periods of walking meditation
• Structured sessions alternating sitting, walking, and rest
• Sessions with brief teachings and time for questions
• A calm, distraction-free environment that supports sustained attention

This retreat is suitable for beginners with some meditation familiarity; full participation is recommended.

Why attend?

• Reconnect with a steady sense of calm that feels less reactive and more grounded in everyday life.
• Learn to remain present with your experience, even during stress, uncertainty, or emotional intensity.
• Develop clear, embodied awareness that supports wiser choices and more balanced responses.
• Leave with a simple, sustainable practice you can continue at home without confusion or complexity.
• Discover how quiet attention to the breath can open into insight, changing how you relate to thoughts, feelings, and habits.

Many participants find that what begins as a period of rest becomes a subtle but lasting shift: a quieter mind, a steadier presence, and a more direct connection to experience as it unfolds.

FAQs

Do I need prior meditation experience?
Some familiarity with meditation is helpful, but no advanced experience is required. Clear, step-by-step guidance is provided throughout.

Is the retreat held in silence?
Most of the retreat is in silence to support continuity of attention. There are designated times for instruction and questions.

What is the level of intensity?
The schedule is structured, with alternating periods of sitting, walking, and rest. The emphasis is on steady, sustainable practice rather than intensity.

What will I actually be practicing?
You will work with mindfulness of breathing as a complete path, moving from basic attention toward deeper calm and insight. The structure follows a classical framework that integrates body, feeling, mind, and mental processes.

What should I bring?
Comfortable clothing for sitting and walking, plus anything that supports ease in a quiet environment. Detailed packing guidance will be provided after registration.

Try it Out

This short introduction presents the practice framework used in this retreat, based on the Ānāpānasati Sutta. It outlines how mindfulness of breathing unfolds through sixteen progressive steps, moving from simple awareness of the breath toward a refined understanding of experience.

As the practice deepens, attention naturally expands to include the body, feeling tone, states of mind, and underlying mental processes—showing how the breath becomes a gateway to the full cultivation of mindfulness. In this way, the training demonstrates how calm and insight develop together rather than as separate practices. The central point is straightforward: the method is simple in form—the breath—but complete in scope. What begins as steady attention evolves into a comprehensive path integrating calm stability and clear seeing.

Retreat Faculty

Jirka Hladiš
Jirka Hladiš has been studying Buddhist philosophy and meditation under the guidance of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche since 1997. He joined the Nitartha Institute in 2002 and was authorized as a faculty member in 2007. Jirka has served as adjunct faculty at Naropa University’s Religious Studies/Wisdom Traditions department since 2006. Jirka’s interest is in approaching study, practice, and lived experience as an integrated path.

Lodging

Several accommodation options are available during checkout. All options include healthy meals and drinks. Inc V, VG, GF.

• Off Land
  Participants who prefer to commute from home or arrange their own off-campus lodging, such as a bed and breakfast or nearby camping, pay tuition plus $40/night for meals (3 meals per day) and use of the facilities.
• Car Camping
  There are 5 primitive parking spots in the Rigden parking lot for parking and sleeping. This includes food and access to the bathhouses in Rigden Lodge. Note: there are no water or electric hookups for RVs.
• Dormitories
  Rooms with beds for up to 7–8 people. These are gender-segregated, with men in one dorm and women in another. The dorms use a shared bathroom down the hall, with shower stalls.
• Monk Rooms
  A cost-effective indoor option for participants who want more privacy but are comfortable using a shared bathroom. These rooms are in the same hall as the Rigden Dormitories and include a bed, bedding, a private room and closet, plus a large window, desk, and desk chair.
• Single and Double Rooms
  The ideal choice for those who want both personal space and a private bathroom. Each room includes a little more space, a dresser and closet, and an attached 3/4 bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower, but no bathtub.
• Junior Suite
  Our Lodge Junior Suites include a queen-size bed with a cozy comforter, a desk, dresser, closet, private bath with bathtub, and a sitting area.