Tomales One-Day Passage Meditation Retreat

Experience the passage meditation lifestyle and deepen your understanding of Easwaran's eight-point program

Introductory
Program
Tomales, California, USA
1 day

“Wherever people gather for selfless ends, there is a vast augmentation of their individual capacities. Something wonderful, something momentous happens. An irresistible force begins to move, which, though we may not see it, is going to change our world. In this lies the power and the meaning of spiritual companionship.” – Eknath Easwaran

Spend a day immersed in the teachings of Eknath Easwaran, and the passage meditation lifestyle that emerges when you practice these teachings. In this one-day program, we will practice all the eight points of Eknath Easwaran’s method of passage meditation together. The BMCM retreat house in rural Tomales, CA, will be our home base. You will get a chance to experience the kind, calm, focused lifestyle that emerges when we practice passage meditation.

If your family and friends would like to join you, the prerequisites are quite easy to fulfill!

Retreat content

In this day-long retreat, we will immerse ourselves in Easwaran’s teachings and the lifestyle that emerges when you practice these teachings. The day will include:

study of Easwaran’s writings
a mantram walk
a videotaped talk by Easwaran
two thirty-minute meditation sessions
a bring-your-own vegetarian lunch
a visit to the Blue Mountain Center where Easwaran and Christine lived.

Prerequisites

You are an active member of a BMCM local satsang, or
You have attended any BMCM retreat or program since 2017*

*If you haven’t attended a BMCM retreat or program since 2017, you can meet this prerequisite by attending any BMCM Introductory Retreat, Introductory Webinar, or Returnee Workshop.

Times when it is best not to attend a Tomales retreat

This retreat is not suitable for you if you are not feeling well or you can’t participate safely in day-to-day physical activity. Choose one of our online retreats instead as a way to be spiritually replenished in your own home.

Fee and Enrollment

The standard fee is $35. The sliding scale is $10–$35.

Explanation of Sliding Scale

Our sliding scale means that you can choose the price that's right for you. If you can pay the standard fee, that will cover the cost of your retreat.

Please choose a lower fee if the standard fee is too much for you to afford.

Financial Aid

You're welcome to attend this program with a scholarship if you need to pay less than the lowest end of the sliding scale. Our scholarship fund is created out of donations from generous friends to help more people attend programs.

We also offer payment plans, so you can pay your fee in installments.

For either a scholarship or payment plan, please don’t register online, and instead write to financial.aid@easwaran.org or call us at 800-475-2369. We’ll get back to you within three days.

Donations

If you would like to make a donation to help others attend a retreat, please visit our donations page.

Refund

If you need to cancel your retreat, please let us know as soon as possible so that your spot can be given to someone on the waitlist. We’ll refund your full fee.

Schedule

The Tomales One-Day Retreat starts on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m. Here is a sample schedule for the day: Tomales One-Day Retreat Schedule

It’s important to be here for the full retreat, including the final session when we visit Ramagiri Ashram, so please plan to arrive on time and depart after 4:30 p.m.

The retreat house doors open at 8:30 a.m. for you to register and settle in before we start at 9:30 a.m.

The program ends at 4:30 p.m. Final check-out time at the retreat house is 5:00 p.m.

*If you are planning to get a flight on Saturday evening, please choose one that will allow you to stay until the end of the program.

Travel Information

Our retreat house is in the small town of Tomales in West Marin, 55 miles north of San Francisco. Transportation is available. You will receive more information after you register.