Retreats
With the exception of our annual "warm weather" retreat, Lama Linda's meditation retreats are held at the Dharma Centre of Canada near Kinmount, Ontario, located less than three hours from Toronto with options to carpool. The Dharma Centre is nestled in 400 hundred acres of forested land, allowing retreatants to immerse themselves in the natural world. The Dharma Centre includes a warm and inviting Main House where wholesome and delicious meals are served, private rooms and cabins, and a beautiful Temple which hosts our meditation classes. Attendees will be invited to take on a small daily karma yoga assignment to support the DCC. AIT's retreats at the DCC are usually silent, with opportunities for discussion during class and one-on-one teacher interviews.
Retreats
Dates: February 1-8, 2025
Location: Sian Ka’an Biosphere, Tulum, Mexico
With the exception of our annual "warm weather" retreat, AIT's meditations retreats, led by Lama Linda, are held at the Dharma Centre of Canada near Kinmount, Ontario, located less than three hours from Toronto with options to carpool. The Dharma Centre is nestled in 400 hundred acres of forested land, allowing retreatants to immerse themselves in the natural world. The Dharma Centre includes a warm and inviting Main House where wholesome and delicious meals are served, private rooms and cabins, and a beautiful Temple which hosts our our meditation classes. Attendees will be invited to take on a small daily karma yoga assignment to support the DCC. AIT's retreats at the DCC are usually silent, with opportunities for discussion during class and one-on-one teacher interviews.
2025 Retreat Calendar
Join us for a relaxing and transformative meditation retreat in the beautiful setting of a sacred biosphere in Mexico. Inspired by the teachings from Namgyal Rinpoche’s book, Suchness, this retreat is designed to help you explore mindfulness, inner peace, and compassion through simple guided meditations, quiet reflection, and group conversations. Surrounded by nature, you'll have the perfect space to unwind and discover a deeper sense of awareness and calm.
This retreat offers a balanced mix of meditation, travel, and connection with others. It's open to everyone, whether you're completely new to meditation or have some experience. While the retreat includes 48 hours of peaceful silence to encourage deeper reflection, you'll also have plenty of time to relax, learn, and enjoy the warm and inviting environment. Come and experience a retreat that will refresh your mind, body, and spirit in a way that goes beyond a typical vacation.
Dates: March 21-23, 2025 (weekend retreat)
Location: Dharma Centre of Canada
A Vajrayana Buddhist meditation retreat focused on Prajna Paramita—often translated as "the Perfection of Wisdom"—invites practitioners to explore the profound relationship between form and emptiness as expressed in Buddhist teachings. Rooted in the Heart Sutra's famous assertion that "form is emptiness, and emptiness is form," this retreat guides participants through deep meditative practices to realize the non-dual nature of reality. Through visualization, mantra recitation, and subtle meditative techniques, participants learn to transcend ordinary conceptual thinking, directly experiencing the emptiness underlying all phenomena while recognizing that form itself is a manifestation of this very emptiness. This short, silent retreat is a journey toward awakening the wisdom that perceives the interdependent and impermanent nature of all things, dissolving the illusion of separateness and cultivating a compassionate, awakened heart.
Pathways to Awakening: A Journey through Bardos and Death Practices in Vajrayana Buddhism
Dates: August 8-13, 2025 (weekend or 5-day retreat)
Location: Dharma Centre of Canada
This meditation retreat offers a deep dive into the profound teachings on the bardos - the transitional states of life, death, and rebirth - as illuminated by Vajrayana Buddhism. Drawing on the rich collection of books available in the Dharma Centre of Canada's library, participants will explore key concepts related to dying and death, including the nature of consciousness, the process of dissolution at death, and the opportunities for awakening that arise within the bardos. Alongside the teachings of Namgyal Rinpoche and other great masters, the retreat will feature teachings on the bardos from Qapel (Doug Duncan), who contributed significantly to this lineage before his passing in 2024. These teachings illuminate practices that prepare the mind for a conscious death and a transformative rebirth.
Throughout the retreat, students will be encouraged to explore the library at their leisure, selecting books that resonate with them to deepen their understanding and support their meditation practice. Through meditation, reflection, and study, participants will enrich their practice by confronting the impermanence of life, gaining clarity on how to apply these teachings to both the dying process and daily life, guided by Vajrayana death practices, Namgyal Rinpoche's profound insights, and Qapel's (Doug Duncan's) contemporary perspectives.
Awakening Through Dream Yoga
Dates: November 7-14, 2025 (weekend or weeklong retreat)
Location: Dharma Centre of Canada
The Buddha taught four meditation postures—sitting, walking, standing, and sleeping. Sleeping, often overlooked, occupies a significant portion of our lives, yet it holds profound potential for awakening. This retreat delves into the practice of Dream Yoga, one of the Six Yogas of Naropa, originally taught in the 8th century and further elucidated by Namgyal Rinpoche in his book Womb of Form. Participants will be encouraged to track, record, and categorize their dreams as a means of piercing through the illusions of both the dream world and waking life. While this is primarily a silent retreat, group sessions will provide space for discussion and sharing of insights. You are encouraged to attend the full week, but individuals will be allowed to attend for the weekend only (November 7-9).
