Types of Home Retreats

Types of Programs Offered

Basic Mindfulness Home Retreat programs come in various "flavors" depending on the focus methods used and where emphasis is placed.

The primary categories are:

Introductory Classes
Retreats within the 5 Ways Framework
Retreats within the Flexible Choice Framework

Retreats are further divided according to whether the emphasis is on Foundations, Deepening or Sharpening. All this is explained below.

Introductory Classes

Introductory classes are 4-hour programs designed to give you what you need to do the monthly phone-based home retreats. Upon completion of the introductory class, you will be familiar with the following introductory material.

The basic theory of Mindfulness - How developing concentration, sensory clarity and equanimity leads to reduced suffering, elevated sensory fulfillment, multifaceted self-knowledge and positive behavior change.
What it means to "note" sensory events. Noting is the basic focusing method you will be using.
How to do a specific noting technique called EASY REST.
How to apply that technique to various situations and goals in your life such as stress reduction, improved concentration, processing emotions, physical discomfort, urges that lead to unproductive behavior and so forth.

After completing an Introductory Class, you can begin to participate in retreats conducted within the 5 Ways Framework.

5 Ways Framework

Retreats conducted within the 5 Ways Framework utilize only 5 techniques:

FOCUS IN - Involves tracking your subjective experience in terms of visual thoughts, mental conversations and emotional-type body sensations.
FOCUS OUT - Allows you to anchor and merge with the external world.
FOCUS ON REST - Involves focusing on pleasant restful states such as physical relaxation, emotional peace, internal quiet and blank, and external silence and light.
(The EASY REST technique you lean in the Introductory Class is a simplified version of this.)
FOCUS ON IMPERMANENCE - Learn to track how sensory experience changes and when things vanish. This allows you to appreciate both the wave-like nature of experience and the absolute rest that comes when the waves momentarily cease.
LOVING KINDNESS - Actively generating and radiating states of unconditional positive regard.

Taken together these 5 techniques cover the entire range of traditional approaches to spiritual knowledge. Once you have mastered them you will have everything you need for "hockey stick curve" personal growth.

Flexible Choice Framework

Since the 5 Ways described above provide you with essentially everything you need, it is never required that you learn any other ways of practicing. So you may never do any programs within the Flexible Choice Framework. If you do begin to work within this context, it should only be after you have thoroughly mastered the 5 Ways. (I estimate you should give yourself about a year to do that.)

The Flexible Choice approach represents a very flexible (but also very complex!) way to organize Mindfulness practice. Indeed it represents a sort of "universal menu" within which all known meditation techniques can be neatly classified.

You begin with the premise that there are 6 Basic Sensory Spaces: Touch Space, Sight Space, Sound Space, Feel Space, Image Space and Talk Space. (Smell and taste are by convention grouped under Touch Space.)

These can be grouped into various systems such as Mind Space (Image-Talk), Subjective Space (Feel-Image-Talk), Bodymind Space (Touch-Feel-Image-Talk), Body Space (Touch-Feel), Vision Space (Sight-Image), Hearing Space (Sound-Talk) and so forth.

Any technique can be classified in terms of which system you choose to work with (your "focus space") and which method you choose to apply there (your "focus method").

Retreats are further classified as to whether they emphasize Foundations, Deepening or Sharpening.

Foundations Retreats

At a Foundations retreat for a given technique the emphasis is on three things.

Learning how to do the technique "perfectly" -- understanding and practicing the full power of its apparatus. Especially emphasized is how to use "options" such as labeling, zooming, restricted noting and so forth to deal with difficulties and make use of doorways of opportunities.
Becoming confident in using any special terminology associate with the technique.
Learning to apply the technique to specific areas and issues of importance to you in your life (such as stress relief, improved concentration, behavior change, dealing with emotions, confusion, physical discomfort and so forth).

Foundations retreats are where you learn new techniques, but they are more than that. Even after you have become familiar with a technique, you will be surprised by how much you can learn by systematically going over the basics again. So in theory you can do the Foundations retreats for a give technique many times. Very experienced practitioners will sometimes participate in Foundations retreats, but with a different "hat" on. They come to learn how to teach the technique to others.

Deepening Retreats

At Deepening retreats it is assumed that you are already familiar with the technique(s) being used. The emphasis is on going deeper with them by practicing for longer periods of time or while moving or working with other challenges. There are no new concepts or special exercises involved here. It's all about getting strong through repeated and extended exercise.

Sharpening Retreats

As with Deepening retreats, at Sharpening retreats it is assumed that you are already familiar with the technique(s) being used. But here the emphasis is on honing your ability to do them by being guided in various special exercises. Each of the core techniques or standard flexible choice procedures has associated with it numerous special exercises. You are not expected to ever do these on your own (unless you want to!). Rather Shinzen or a facilitator will guide you...all you have to do is follow along. As a result of this guidance you will probably notice that your ability to do the core techniques or standard methods is dramatically improved - honed, sharpened.

For example, if you participate in a Sharpening retreat for the FOCUS IN technique, you would be guided through special exercises such as Mindful Mantra, Noting Image Types or Noting Feel Flavors. These are designed to improve your clarity and contact regarding internal talk, mental images and emotional-type body sensations. When you go back to the FOCUS IN technique, things will probably be much clearer and easier.

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