June 8-9, 2024

11:00 am – 6:30 pm EST

Your commitment is to be present. You’re going to experience life as it is, rather than your expectations from the past or your desires for the future. You’re going to relate with life in the fullest sense.

—Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

About the Training

Deepen your meditation practice, and continue along the path of the Shambhala teachings on warriorship, in this weekend retreat.

Open Sky: Shambhala Training Level V builds on the presentation of basic goodness in Shambhala Level I,  the teachings on “cocoon” in Shambhala Level II, the exploration of fearlessness in Level III, and our deeper connection to inquisitiveness and openness in Level IV. Communicating with the world gently and fearlessly, our awareness is sharpened and we find the open clear sky of mind—a delightful source of wisdom and uplifted energy. We trust our nature enough to let go into the present moment.

Our meditation practice will build on the mindfulness-awareness techniques offered in the previous Shambhala Training Levels, and explore real techniques for how to connect with the power and magic of “now”.

Included in the Retreat

• Guided meditation instruction
• Sitting and walking meditation
• Talks by an experienced teacher 
• Silent periods
• Question & answer periods
• Group discussions
• Individual meetings with a trained Meditation Instructor 
• Connecting with people interested in meditation and discovering the brilliance of the world around them! 

Prerequisites

Shambhala Training Level IV.

Open Sky is the fifth retreat in a progressive series of weekend retreats, meaning each weekend is a requirement for the following weekend.

About the Teacher

Janet Solyntjes has been a member of the Shambhala community since 1984 and began directing Shambhala Training levels in 1993. She has led dathuns as well as co-directed Warrior Assembly and Enlightened Society Assembly. Janet has served as a meditation teacher on the faculty of Naropa University, Center for Mindfulness, Engaged Mindfulness Institute, and Mindful Leader. Janet and her husband, Jeff Price, are co-founders of the Boulder-based Center for Courageous Living.

About Shambhala Training

Shambhala Training is designed to help us develop fearlessness, confidence, openness and gentleness towards ourselves and our world. These qualities arise out of meditation practice and the study of Shambhala warriorship principles. 

Developed by Chögyam Trungpa in 1976, Shambhala Training offers teachings based on the vision that every human being has a natural source of innate wakefulness that we can discover, cultivate and express in our life.

This path is open to anyone seeking to develop gentleness and strength through meditation. Shambhala Training is a series of contemplative workshops suited for both beginning and experienced meditators. The simple and profound technique of mindfulness-awareness meditation can benefit people of any spiritual tradition and way of life.

Meditation practice helps us to examine our states of mind without trying to change them. This practice encourages openness to oneself and what’s around us, and transforms the way we habitually see our life and our world. Our old habits and patterns become more transparent, leaving room for a more direct appreciation of situations.

The “Heart of Warriorship” curriculum consists of five weekend retreats that include meditation training and practice, talks by senior teachers, personal interviews, and group discussions. These retreats provide a strong foundation in mindfulness-awareness meditation practice, emphasizing the development of genuineness, confidence, humor, and dignity within the complexity of daily life.