The light prevails.
The light prevails.
Once a year, Pema Chödrön leads a winter retreat where she gives an extensive set of teachings to some of her closest students in the intimate shrine room of her seaside monastery, Gampo Abbey. The room can only fit 40 people, but you’re invited to take your seat from anywhere in the world.
This is not a retreat that asks you to be different from who you are or to escape what is happening. It is a retreat about befriending what is already here—including the parts of you that are afraid, the parts of you that are angry, and the parts of you that wonder if anyone else is feeling this too.
Take Your Seat with one of the wisest voices of our generation as she shares practical methods for working skillfully with the outer and inner difficulties of our time.
Take Your Seat to learn practical and reliable methods for being steady, brave, and tender amid the turbulence.
Take Your Seat among a community of individuals, coming together as a collective, inspired to go beyond the status quo and embrace the full potential of human experience.
Once a year, Pema Chödrön leads a winter retreat where she gives an extensive set of teachings to some of her closest students in the intimate shrine room of her seaside monastery, Gampo Abbey. The room can only fit 40 people, but you’re invited to take your seat from anywhere in the world.
This is not a retreat that asks you to be different from who you are or to escape what is happening. It is a retreat about befriending what is already here—including the parts of you that are afraid, the parts of you that are angry, and the parts of you that wonder if anyone else is feeling this too.
Take Your Seat with one of the wisest voices of our generation as she shares practical methods for working skillfully with the outer and inner difficulties of our time.
Take Your Seat to learn practical and reliable methods for being steady, brave, and tender amid the turbulence.
Take Your Seat among a community of individuals, coming together as a collective, inspired to go beyond the status quo and embrace the full potential of human experience.
“You can’t change the way the world is, but you can change how you relate to the world.”
“You can’t change the way the world is, but you can change how you relate to the world.”
Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam Trungpa
Meet your teacher.
Meet your teacher.
Pema Chödrön
Pema Chödrön
Beloved Buddhist teacher, author, and nun, Pema Chödrön has inspired millions over the past five decades through her example and her message of practicing peace in turbulent times.
She is the author of best-selling books including: When Things Fall Apart, The Places That Scare You, Comfortable with Uncertainty, Welcoming the Unwelcome, and most recently, Another Kind of Freedom.
At ninety, she continues to teach with the warmth, humor, and directness she is known for—and her deep experience and presence shine in this new home retreat for the moment we are in.
Pema first met her root teacher, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in 1972. She received the full monastic ordination in the Tibetan lineage of Buddhism in 1981 and is the resident teacher at Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia—the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery for Westerners in North America.
Beloved Buddhist teacher, author, and nun, Pema Chödrön has inspired millions over the past five decades through her example and her message of practicing peace in turbulent times.
She is the author of best-selling books including: When Things Fall Apart, The Places That Scare You, Comfortable with Uncertainty, Welcoming the Unwelcome, and most recently, Another Kind of Freedom.
At ninety, she continues to teach with the warmth, humor, and directness she is known for—and her deep experience and presence shine in this new home retreat for the moment we are in.
Pema first met her root teacher, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in 1972. She received the full monastic ordination in the Tibetan lineage of Buddhism in 1981 and is the resident teacher at Gampo Abbey in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia—the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery for Westerners in North America.
if you've been…
if you've been…
Bracing instead of breathing
Turning away from the parts of yourself you’re ashamed of
Worn out from trying to fix what can’t be fixed
Wondering where the steady, brave voices are
Looking for ways to be of genuine benefit
Bracing instead of breathing
Turning away from the parts of yourself you’re ashamed of
Worn out from trying to fix what can’t be fixed
Wondering where the steady, brave voices are
Looking for ways to be of genuine benefit
this is for you.
this is for you.
The Teachings
—
The Teachings
—
Each lesson maps to one of the four dignities, mythic representations of embodied wisdom, with a concluding lesson on incorporating them into your daily life. The four practices build on each other and form a framework for a more uplifted way of interacting with the world.
Each lesson maps to one of the four dignities, mythic representations of embodied wisdom, with a concluding lesson on incorporating them into your daily life. The four practices build on each other and form a framework for a more uplifted way of interacting with the world.
Lesson 01
Lesson 01
Tiger
Tiger
Tiger
Friendly to Yourself
Friendly to Yourself
This lesson will help you:
Understand why Pema chose these teachings for this moment and what they ask of us.
Recognize what “not catching the flu” means in your own daily life.
Discover the difference between resisting reality and collaborating with it.
Feel into the lineage and the larger story you are entering.
This lesson will help you:
Understand why Pema chose these teachings for this moment and what they ask of us.
Recognize what “not catching the flu” means in your own daily life.
Discover the difference between resisting reality and collaborating with it.
Feel into the lineage and the larger story you are entering.
Lesson 02
Lesson 02
Lion
Lion
Lion
Uplift your energy
Uplift your energy
This lesson will help you:
Discover lungta—windhorse—the bank of energy that is always available to you.
Rouse yourself when you’re feeling depressed, defeated, or dragged down.
Cultivate joyful exertion—enthusiasm as a chosen quality, not a mood.
Become the person in the boat who keeps calm, so the whole boat can calm down.
This lesson will help you:
Discover lungta—windhorse—the bank of energy that is always available to you.
Rouse yourself when you’re feeling depressed, defeated, or dragged down.
Cultivate joyful exertion—enthusiasm as a chosen quality, not a mood.
Become the person in the boat who keeps calm, so the whole boat can calm down.
Lesson 03
Lesson 03
Garuda
Garuda
Garuda
Release fixed mind
Release fixed mind
This lesson will help you:
Recognize the cage of pleasure/pain, praise/blame, gain/loss, fame/disgrace.
Move beyond hope and fear into the open sky of impartial mind.
Walk into difficult situations without needing them to go your way.
Use your senses as a doorway—seeing without the story.
Trust that success and failure are equally the path.
This lesson will help you:
Recognize the cage of pleasure/pain, praise/blame, gain/loss, fame/disgrace.
Move beyond hope and fear into the open sky of impartial mind.
Walk into difficult situations without needing them to go your way.
Use your senses as a doorway—seeing without the story.
Trust that success and failure are equally the path.
Lesson 04
Lesson 04
Dragon
Dragon
Dragon
Dance with Reality
Dance with Reality
This lesson will help you:
Engage the world with a sense of humor and play—even amid what’s hard.
Recognize every event as a message: “You live in a very rich world, one that never runs out of messages.”
Move back and forth from spaciousness to grounded action seamlessly.
Become the person who is both temporally and spiritually steady.
This lesson will help you:
Engage the world with a sense of humor and play—even amid what’s hard.
Recognize every event as a message: “You live in a very rich world, one that never runs out of messages.”
Move back and forth from spaciousness to grounded action seamlessly.
Become the person who is both temporally and spiritually steady.
Lesson 05
Lesson 05
The Path
The Path
The Path
Carrying the Four Practices Home
Carrying the Four Practices Home
This lesson will help you:
Walk away with all four practices—Tiger, Lion, Garuda, Dragon—internalized and portable.
Practice the index-card mindset: when you get hooked, name which practice to reach for.
Connect the four practices to the moments of your daily life.
Understand that all four practices serve one purpose: relieving suffering—yours and others’.
Continue the path beyond the retreat—because steadiness is lifelong training.
This lesson will help you:
Walk away with all four practices—Tiger, Lion, Garuda, Dragon—internalized and portable.
Practice the index-card mindset: when you get hooked, name which practice to reach for.
Connect the four practices to the moments of your daily life.
Understand that all four practices serve one purpose: relieving suffering—yours and others’.
Continue the path beyond the retreat—because steadiness is lifelong training.
Testimonials
Testimonials
What you will learn
Friendliness
Become unconditionally friendly with yourself, including the parts you don’t want to see or be seen.
Energy
Learn to raise your lungta—the inner energy that keeps you steady when the people around you are sinking.
Spaciousness
Discover a mind that doesn’t grasp, doesn’t flee—a sky that holds whatever weather comes.
Engagement
Move beyond hope and fear, into a way of meeting the world with curiosity and play.
Tools
Walk away with four portable practices to carry for the rest of your life.
Balance
Find the kind of steadiness that doesn’t require the world to be kinder than it is.
“Friendly with oneself means friendly with the darkest parts, as well as the sweetest parts.”
— Pema Chödrön
This Retreat Includes:
This Retreat Includes:
New Teachings
Experience this intimate set of teachings, 8 hours of video recorded with Pema at her home monastery of Gampo Abbey.
Interactive Discussion Forums
Connect with other students and receive guidance from senior practitioners on our facilitated discussion boards.
Printable Transcripts
Review the teachings at your own pace, highlight, and take notes with downloadable PDF transcripts.
Live Calls
Join two live Q&A calls in which Pema will take your questions, bringing the material to life in the here and now. (Saturday, October 24, and Saturday, November 14, at 2:00 p.m. EDT/EST)
Guided Practice & Contemplations
Bring the teachings alive with guided meditation practices and contemplation prompts themed to each lesson.
Recommended Readings
A list of readings and books recommended for deepening your study and practice.
Meditation Sessions
Sit with others in the retreat community during weekly live meditations with our retreat facilitators on Zoom (Sundays, October 25–November 29, 2:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m. EDT/EST).
Downloadable Audio Files
Take these profound teachings with you wherever you are—in the car, on a walk, or at the kitchen sink.
Unlimited Access
Access the retreat again and again as new insights emerge on your own path.
New Teachings
Experience this intimate set of teachings, 8 hours of video recorded with Pema at her home monastery of Gampo Abbey.
Meditation Sessions
Sit with others in the retreat community during weekly live meditations with our retreat facilitators on Zoom (Sundays, October 25–November 29, 2:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m. EDT/EST).
Guided Practice & Contemplations
Bring the teachings alive with guided meditation practices and contemplation prompts themed to each lesson.
Printable Transcripts
Review the teachings at your own pace, highlight, and take notes with downloadable PDF transcripts.
Unlimited Access
Access the retreat again and again as new insights emerge on your own path.
Live Calls
Join two live Q&A calls in which Pema will take your questions, bringing the material to life in the here and now. (Saturday, October 24, and Saturday, November 14, at 2:00 p.m. EDT/EST)
Interactive Discussion Forums
Connect with other students and receive guidance from senior practitioners on our facilitated discussion boards.
Downloadable Audio Files
Take these profound teachings with you wherever you are—in the car, on a walk, or at the kitchen sink.
Recommended Readings
A list of readings and books recommended for deepening your study and practice.
New Teachings
Experience this intimate set of teachings, 8 hours of video recorded with Pema at her home monastery of Gampo Abbey.
Live Calls
Join two live Q&A calls in which Pema will take your questions, bringing the material to life in the here and now. (Saturday, October 24, and Saturday, November 14, at 2:00 p.m. EDT/EST)
Meditation Sessions
Sit with others in the retreat community during weekly live meditations with our retreat facilitators on Zoom (Sundays, October 25–November 29, 2:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m. EDT/EST).
Interactive Discussion Forums
Connect with other students and receive guidance from senior practitioners on our facilitated discussion boards.
Guided Practice & Contemplations
Bring the teachings alive with guided meditation practices and contemplation prompts themed to each lesson.
Downloadable Audio Files
Take these profound teachings with you wherever you are—in the car, on a walk, or at the kitchen sink.
Printable Transcripts
Review the teachings at your own pace, highlight, and take notes with downloadable PDF transcripts.
Recommended Readings
A list of readings and books recommended for deepening your study and practice.
Unlimited Access
Access the retreat again and again as new insights emerge on your own path.
Retreat Excerpts
Retreat Excerpts
“There is a way to not get sucked under.”
— Pema Chödrön
Reciprocity
Buy One, Gift One
Share the gift of these transformative teachings. As a special bonus for this retreat, you’ll have the option to gift a second enrollment to a friend, loved one, colleague, or anyone else at no additional cost right when you sign up.
Share the gift of these transformative teachings. As a special bonus for this retreat, you’ll have the option to gift a second enrollment to a friend, loved one, colleague, or anyone else at no additional cost right when you sign up.
Immersion
"A Year with Pema Chödrön"
"A Year with Pema Chödrön"
You’ll also receive four 90-minute live call recordings from a question and answer series in 2023 called A Year with Pema Chödrön. These recordings feature a treasure trove of intimate advice on working with difficult circumstances.
You’ll also receive four 90-minute live call recordings from a question and answer series in 2023 called A Year with Pema Chödrön. These recordings feature a treasure trove of intimate advice on working with difficult circumstances.
Generosity
50% Off All Recommended Readings
50% Off Readings
Total Retail Value: ~$120
You Save: ~$60
Total Retail Value: ~$120
You Save: ~$60
Expand your library and deepen your study with 50% off titles on the recommended reading list for this retreat when you order at Shambhala.com.
Bonus
Materials
Stillness
Guided
Meditation
Guided
Meditation
A video introduction to meditation practice from Gaylon Ferguson that you can revisit again and again as you establish your own practice. All of Pema’s teachings hinge on establishing this practice as a baseline of working with her teachings.
A video introduction to meditation practice from Gaylon Ferguson that you can revisit again and again as you establish your own practice. All of Pema’s teachings hinge on establishing this practice as a baseline of working with her teachings.
“Success and failure are the path.”
— Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the home retreat begin?
How long does it take to complete the retreat?
How long will I have access to the retreat?
When are the live calls with Pema?
When are the meditation sessions?
How long will the discussion boards be available?
How does the buy-one-gift-one option work?
Can I take this training on an iPad / mobile device?
What if I have technical difficulties with the retreat?
Designed with you in mind
Designed with you in mind
This retreat was made to meet you where you are.
Whether you are new to meditation or have practiced for years, whether you have an hour in the morning or twenty minutes between appointments, whether you do the retreat alone or with your whole household—the materials are designed to support different lives and different paces.
Every video is subtitled. Audio versions are downloadable for the car, the walk, or the kitchen. Transcripts are printable for those who study by reading. Live sessions are recorded for those in different time zones. The discussion boards are available 24/7. The retreat is yours forever.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
If for any reason you are not completely satisfied, please email us at course-support@shambhala.com within 30 days, and we will promptly refund your purchase price.
If for any reason you are not completely satisfied, please email us at course-support@shambhala.com at course-support@shambhala.com within 30 days, and we will promptly refund your purchase price.