Contemplative Care Retreat 2023: Turning Fear into Courageous Compassion

Led by Chodo Robert Campbell Sensei, Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei & Pamela Ayo Yetunde.

Wednesday, October 18th - Sunday October 22nd, 2023 at the Garrison Institute in Garrison, NY.

Our Contemplative Care Retreat this year is an invitation to connect with others, deepen your practice, and begin the work of transforming fear into compassion.

Contemplative care practices move us through our fears, toward actions of courageous connection with others and ourselves. In our time together during this retreat, we will ask: How can we wholeheartedly face what frightens us, look closer at what divides us, and to allow space for ourselves and others in new reservoirs of compassion to flourish all around us?

Practice altruism. Practitioners of contemplative care walk the bodhisattva path, as ones who live by a vow, root it deeply in their daily lives, and seek to awaken and widen out in every moment for the benefit of others. What might living by a vow to turn fear into courageous compassion look like for you in your daily life, in your caring partnerships?

Through meditation, dharma talks, personal meetings with teachers, and experiential learning exercises, we will consider together how to care for one another while continuing to cultivate our own unique expressions of joy, courage, compassion, and connection. This retreat will include periods of silence between dinner through breakfast.

This annual retreat is open to all, whether you are new to meditation and integrating spiritual practice with care or you are an experienced practitioner needing reinvigoration. We celebrate anyone who wishes to dive deeper into practice and relationship.

For alumni of our Foundations in Contemplative Care program or Contemplative Medicine Fellowship, the annual retreat is a reunion and an opportunity to reconnect, meet other practitioners, and nourish your practice within community.

Come join us this fall!

20 Continuing Education Credits (CEs) for Social Workers are available for this retreat. There is a $25 certificate fee for CEs. Please be sure to add this to your registration if you'd like to receive CEs for this retreat. You will also be required to complete an evaluation form after the retreat in order to receive CEs.

NYZC is an approved provider of SW CEs through the NYSED State Board for Social Work. If you are licensed outside of New York State, please check with your local SW Board to make sure they'll accept these CEs.

COVID-19 POLICY

It is the Garrison Institute's policy that every guest and participant must self-test (at home antigen test is acceptable) within the 48-hour window prior to arriving for a retreat on site, and bring a second self-test kit when coming on site. They do not require proof of a negative test result. If you have a positive test result, please notify us immediately at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please see their Safety Protocols for Covid-19 page for more information.

The Garrison Institute will continue to follow any COVID-19 guidelines set forth by local officials, NYS, and the CDC.

HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY

Please review and complete the required questionnaire and waiver found here. Registrations are not considered finalized until this form has been completed.

SCHOLARSHIPS

A limited number of partial scholarships are available for this retreat. Scholarship accommodations are for shared (double or triple) rooms only. Please apply for support by completing a Scholarship Application Form. Due to limited funds, preference will be given to sangha members who regularly participate at the Center. Priority deadline: September 6, 2023.

GETTING THERE

The Garrison Institute is reachable by car or Metro North Railroad. There is also a Shortline Bus to Poughkeepsie, which is 30 minutes from the Garrison Institute. For further information, please see this Travel and Transportation pdf on the Garrison website.

Please anticipate an arrival time between 3:00pm and 4:00pm, with dinner at 5:00pm. Please check your registration confirmation email for more information on what to bring.

REFUND POLICY

More than 2 weeks ahead of the retreat - 50% refund. Within the two weeks prior to the start of the retreat - non-refundable. Registration will close at 4pm Eastern Time on October 6th, 2023.

All prices include tuition, lodging, and three vegetarian meals a day. Mid Level and Sustaining Level pricing are available for those who wish to increase their support of NYZC and our work to make the dharma accessible to all.

Donations (dana) to teachers are not included in registration cost. Dana is a foundational practice that emphasizes the importance of cultivating generosity without attachment or expectation of reward. In the Soto Zen teachings, we practice the act of giving not for benefit but to transform the mind of the giver and receiver equally.

The teachers offer themselves freely as an expression of dana. We encourage you to contribute an amount meaningful to you at the end of the retreat.