Mindful Climbing!
Join Us for a Unique Practice Opportunity
A beautiful natural setting.
A small number of climbers.
Cultivate and deepen awareness through mindful climbing and mindful living.
What to Expect
Embodied movement and presence in our climbing—building awareness, grounding, and connection.
Personal growth and transformation.
Silent and guided meditation, walking and eating meditation.
Group sharing and community building
A spirit of lightness and interbeing, with time to connect, play, and rejoice in a wonderous natural setting.
Logistics
The details you need to know to join us..
Sign up and Registration Signup allows you to share your interest in the retreat. As the retreat is limited to only 10 climbers, we will contact you after your initial interest signup to ensure that the retreat is a good fit for you. After the initial signup, you will be able to complete full registration. Registration closes on September 20. You will receive further updates and details by e-mail after signing up and registering.
Climbing Experience The retreat is suitable for climbers of all levels. Some belay experience is helpful but not required. Those who have never climbed are encouraged to get some climbing experience before the retreat at a local gym or crag!
Accommodations We will camp within a 10 to 15-minute drive of the climbing area. A group camping area will be selected and secured in advance. Personal camping gear is required.
Food Participants must be self-sufficient and bring their own food. We aspire to be sensitive to each other’s food practices and diet choices, with an overall aspiration for food that is in harmony with the Five Mindfulness Trainings. We will cook and prepare meals together at meal times. It is encouraged to bring some food to share, if you are comfortable with this. We may provide some group food and may have access to some cooking equipment to share.
Cost We will split all costs for shared food, campsites, fees, and other group costs. There will be a cost of $60 (per person) for climbing insurance. Campsite costs will likely be $20-$40 per person. Travel and food are up to you!
Donations Donations will be accepted to support the retreat organizers and teachers in offering practice and facilitation and also to offset their costs. A donation in the range of $50 to $100, beyond costs, would be greatly appreciated!
Travel We will coordinate together as much as possible to carpool to the retreat, though we expect retreatants to arrange personal travel details as needed. A coordination meetup point and time will be established for approximately 5 pm on the first day of the retreat.
What to Bring Personal camping gear (tent, waterproof gear, cooking gear), food, water, and personal necessities (sunscreen, hat, medicines, etc.) for four days of camping. Something to sit on, such as a camp chair or cushion, can be helpful for meditation sessions. Personal climbing gear (shoes, harness, chalk) and lead rope & quickdraws if you are already an experienced lead climber.
Ethics and Practice We will ground our practice in the Five Mindfulness Trainings and the Plum Village Tradition of Practice.
Risk Management While climbing presents an inherently dangerous activity, the rewards can be worth it. Reducing our risk is of the highest priority in climbing and mindfulness practice. Participants are encouraged to be mindful of their own limits and to communicate openly. We will establish basic climbing practices and protocols to support our climbing and practice together. As an AMGA certified single pitch instructor, I (Aaron) will bring all of my years of experience, as well as professional skills and training to our practice.
“Life is available only in the present moment.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh
Meet the Organizers
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I am brother True Dharma Fulfillment, a mindfulness teacher, counselor, trauma healer, and climate justice activist. In the past, I have been a monastic in the Plum Village tradition as a student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and I am an ordained Dharma Teacher in this tradition. I engage with social and environmental justice practice through this tradition.
I have been climbing since the 1990s and have always loved sharing the joys of climbing with others; I have recently completed AMGA single pitch instructor certification.
I live and work at Deer Park Monastery in Southern California. I enjoy spending time in solitude, and with friends, in the wild spaces of forests, mountains, and oceans.
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I am an individual who practices and constantly tries to learn how to bring equal opportunities for all beings through direct actions. Nature connection is a very important practice for me to stay grounded, humble and embrace interbeing.
I was born in the land of the Mexicas, previously known as Tenochtitlán, now known as Mexico City. I grew up in the largest city in the world, surrounded by volcanoes , mountains, forest, a city built on top of a lake bed, where prehispanic and Spanish culture are intermixed, creating a unique identity with an odd relationship to nature and among individuals from different ancestral backgrounds. My own ancestry is odd: Native Mexican, Spanish, German and Belgian, providing privilege in some occasions and discrimination in other occasions.
I am someone who loves connecting with all beings, human and non-humans, who gets energized by others and strives to recognize the value in all beings. Thus, one of my deepest aspirations is to have a daily practice of interbeing so my actions may manifest true love.