Tibetan Nyingma Institute Ancient Wisdom for the Modern World

Spring 2010 Workshops

Weekend workshops offer fresh insights and spiritual refreshment in a gentle, meditative atmosphere. Unless otherwise noted, Saturday workshops begin at 10 AM and conclude at 4:45 PM and include a vegetarian buffet lunch. Workshop participants may arrange to stay overnight at the Institute for an additional $40 per night.

If no prerequisite is listed, then the workshop is open to students at all levels of experience.
For workshops lasting longer than three days, see the Retreats Page or Human Development Retreat Page.

Each course is an integral part of one of our seven Certificate Programs and we recommend that all those interested in attending courses register for one of these programs, each of which offers a focused educational opportunity to master an aspect of our curriculum. It is also possible to attend individual courses for which you meet the prerequisites as an auditor.Following each course description is the name of the Certificate Program or Programs that the course is part of (in parentheses). Clicking on the Program name will take you to a full description of the Program.

KNR404 Balancing Emotions through Tibetan Yoga

March 13

Kum Nye exercises relax and heal both body and mind. Movement, massage, and breathing exercises restore emotional balance, easing the stress of everyday life. Students master exercises that can be used both in formal practice and in the midst of activities. The workshop includes a private Kum Nye massage session to promote relaxation.

Cost: $80. Instructor: Jack van der Meulen assisted by the Kum Nye staff. Register early, since class size is limited. Workshop is in the following Certificate Programs: Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga) Program; Beginning Nyingma Meditation Program; Nyingma Psychology Program; Path and Practices of Liberation Program.

Medicine Buddha Retreat

March 26-28 (see “upcoming retreats” for description and costs)

MED401 How to Meditate

March 27, 10 AM – 1 PM

This half-day workshop provides basic instruction in meditation along with time to discuss how to sustain or renew a regular meditation practice. You will learn how to sit and focus the mind in silent meditation. You will also learn walking meditation and Tibetan chanting. This workshop is a good introduction to the unique Nyingma approach to self-development, an approach that emphasizes individual responsibility and freedom.

Cost: $45. Instructor: Hugh Joswick. 10 AM – 1 PM, followed by lunch. Workshop is in the following Certificate Programs: Beginning Nyingma Meditation Program; Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga) Program; Nyingma Psychology Program.

DHS403 Turning the Mind to the Dharma April 2-3, Friday, 7-9 PM; Saturday, 10 AM-4:45 PM

The power of the Dharma rests equally in the Buddha’s teachings and in our own potential to realize those teachings in a deep, experiential manner. We turn the mind to the Dharma and unlock its beneficial power through contemplating freedom, impermanence, suffering, and karma. Learning to apply these contemplations we enable the Dharma to bring healing wisdom into our lives.

Cost: $95. Instructors: Sylvia Gretchen and Jack Petranker. Friday, 7-9 PM; Saturday, 10 AM-4:45 PM. Prerequisite: concurrent registration in DHS201 or consent of the instructors. Workshop is in the following Certificate Programs: Path of Liberation Program; Path and Practices of Liberation Program.

Inner Peace: Developing Confidence Retreat

April 9-11 (see “upcoming retreats” for description and costs)

DHS411 The Heart Sutra

April 10, 10 AM – 4:45 PM

Treasured for millennia, the brief text known as the Heart Sutra crystallizes the Buddha’s wisdom. Remarkably, the text celebrates the path of transcendence as it demolishes conceptual beliefs about it. We learn to recite the Heart Sutra and study its meanings according to traditional Tibetan commentaries.

Cost: $80. Instructor: Barr Rosenberg. Open to all interested students. Workshop is in the following Certificate Program: Two-Year Nyingma Studies Program.

Preparation for the Time of Death Retreat

April 12-17 (see “upcoming retreats” for description and costs)

NPR409 Transitions as Teachers

April 17, 10 AM – 4:45 PM

Times of transition present unique opportunities to make fundamental changes. Although they are universal, the most powerful transitions—death, illness, loss—are often deeply feared. This workshop presents ways to cultivate an awareness of both small and large transitions as positive and natural forces of creativity. Letting go of the fear of transformation, we discover within transitions new beginnings and vast possibilities.

Cost: $80. Instructor: Sylvia Gretchen. Prerequisite: One year of meditation experience. Workshop is in the following Certificate Programs: Nyingma Psychology Program; Two-Year Nyingma Studies Program.

NPS405 Self-Image

April 24, 10 AM – 4:45 PM*

False expectations, critical judgments, and negative emotions are rooted in complex images that we hold of ourselves and the world. This workshop looks directly at how self-images develop and how we can free ourselves from their

Cost: $80. Instructors: Sylvia Gretchen and Erika Rosenberg. Based on Tarthang Tulku’s Openness Mind. Workshop is in the following Certificate Programs: Nyingma Psychology Program; Two-Year Nyingma Studies Program; Path and Practices of Liberation Program.

MED401 How to Meditate

May 1, 10 AM – 1 PM

This half-day workshop provides basic instruction in meditation along with time to discuss how to sustain or renew a regular meditation practice. You will learn how to sit and focus the mind in silent meditation. You will also learn walking meditation and Tibetan chanting. This workshop is a good introduction to the unique Nyingma approach to self-development, an approach that emphasizes individual responsibility and freedom.

Cost: $45. Instructor: Olivia Hurd. 10 AM—1 PM, followed by lunch. Workshop is in the following Certificate Programs: Beginning Nyingma Meditation Program; Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga) Program; Nyingma Psychology Program.

Opening the Senses Retreat

May 3-8 (see “upcoming retreats” for description and costs)

DHS404 Training for Freedom

May 7-8, Friday, 7-9 PM; Saturday, 10 AM-4:45 PM

Classic Buddhist education uses three trainings—shila (ethics), samadhi (meditation), and prajna (wisdom)—to develop wholesome knowledge and power. This workshop introduces these traditional methods for clearing away the network of confusion and karmic patterns.

Cost: $95. Instructors: Sylvia Gretchen and Jack Petranker. Friday, 7-9 PM; Saturday, 10 AM-4:45 PM. Prerequisite: concurrent registration in DHS201 or consent of the instructors. Workshop is in the following Certificate Programs: Path of Liberation Program; Path and Practices of Liberation Program.

KNR420 The Art of Sitting Comfortably

May 8, 10 AM – 1 PM

Personalized instruction in how to sit comfortably is given by Nyingma instructor and trained physiotherapist Donna Morton. Donna will lead you through a motion assessment of back, hips, knees, and ankles. She will then introduce a variety of sitting strategies and will tailor a personal home program of Kum Nye exercises for each student to address specific motion limitations.

Cost: $60. Instructor: Donna Morton. 10 AM—1 PM, followed by lunch. Register early, since class size is limited. Workshop is in the following Certificate Programs: Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga) Program; Beginning Nyingma Meditation Program.

KNR416 Tibetan Yoga: Merging Movement, Breath, and Awareness

May 15, 10 AM – 4:45 PM

Tibetan Yoga (Kum Nye) teaches how to unify physical action with breath and awareness. In this experiential workshop, you will learn Tibetan Yoga practices that can help you to integrate physical and mental experience, leading to a greater sense of wellness and wholeness.

Cost: $80. Instructor: Jack van der Meulen. Workshop is in the following Certificate Programs: Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga) Program; Beginning Nyingma Meditation Program.

NPS415 Essential Practices for Well-being*

May 21 – 23

Spend a weekend at the beautiful Ratna Ling Retreat Center mastering ways to enhance your well-being. Experiential practices, including meditation, imagery exercises, and Tibetan Yoga, will help calm body and mind, expand the senses, and open the heart. The workshop will lead you through these practices in gentle, but effective ways that require no previous experience with meditation.

$350 ($275 for students) includes lodging, meals, and all instruction. Held at Ratna Ling. Begins with a 4:30 PM orientation on Friday, May 21, and continues through Sunday lunch. Instructor: Erika Rosenberg. Workshop is in the following Certificate Program: Nyingma Psychology Program.

KNR407 Kum Nye for Sustaining Inner Balance

May 22, 10 AM – 4:45 PM

Tibetan Yoga (Kum Nye) practices balance body and mind as they stimulate deep feelings of relaxation and ease. You learn techniques that help sustain a balanced and joyful outlook throughout the day.

Cost: $80. Instructors: Santosh Philip and Dave Abercrombie. Workshop is in the following Certificate Program: Kum Nye (Tibetan Yoga) Program.

Enlightenment Retreat

May 27-29 (see “upcoming retreats” for description and costs)