5 Day Silent Meditation Retreat with Upasaka Upali
Wednesday, September 9 – Sunday, September 13, 2020
About the Retreat
This retreat will serve as a platform to support your meditation practice, wherever it’s at, and aims to provide a space where it can deepen and flourish. It will consist of extended periods of meditation, personal interviews, evening teachings, nourishing food, and natural surroundings.
The retreat will be held in Noble Silence, meaning that there’s very little talking, activity, or distraction. This allows you to maximize the amount of time each day that you spend meditating. This will be Upali’s second retreat at Sugar Ridge.
About The Mind Illuminated
The Mind Illuminated (TMI) is an ancient meditation technique with modern considerations, including the perspective of cognitive science. It incorporates both concentration and insight practices. It has grown in popularity due to the way it gives clear and tangible instruction on how to meditate, demystifying the practice of meditation as a whole and giving greater access to the benefits of meditation for everyday people.
Sample of Daily Meditation Schedule
To be followed as it fits your needs for practice
7:30 – 8:30am Seated Meditation
8:30 – 9:30am Breakfast *
9:30-10:15 Seated Meditation
10:15-10:45 Walking Meditation
10:45-11:30 Seated Meditation
11:30-11:45 Walking Meditation
11:45-12:30 Seated Meditation
12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch *
1:30 – 2 Walking Meditation
2:00 – 3 Seated Meditation
3:00 – 3:30 Walking Meditation
3:30 – 4:30 Seated Meditation
4:30 – 6 Yoga / Physical Activity time
6 – 7 Dinner
7 – 7:45 Seated Meditation
7:45 – 9 Dharma Talk
9 – 9:15 Walking Meditation
9:15 – 10:00 Seated Meditation
* 1:1 Interviews with Upali will take place between Breakfast and Lunch
Meet Your Teacher
About Upali
Upasaka Upali (aka Paul Peterson) is a meditation teacher who works with beginning to advanced meditators. Upali’s teaching style strives to provide tangible instruction, inspire consistent practice, and to create a rewarding meditation experience. The style of meditation Upali teaches can most accurately be described as Shamatha-Vipassana, or the Elephant Path, and emphasizes cultivating both stable attention and strong awareness. The style is most clearly described in the book The Mind Illuminated. Upali currently resides in Chattanooga, Tennessee in the United States. He teaches worldwide audiences online and travels throughout North America and Europe to teach in person silent meditation retreats.
Registration Details
– Accommodation
– All meals, classes and workshops for 4 nights, 5 days
– Full use of Sugar Ridge’s amenities
Cost and Registration:
– $660 + HST for Quad Shared accommodation (Shared with up to 3 other guests of the same gender)
– $765 + HST Double Shared (Shared with 1 other person)
– $875 + HST Private Cabin
Dana can be given at the end of the retreat directly to Upali. This can be in the form of cash or can be given through Upali’s webpage: https://
Please contact Upali by email with any questions: [email protected]
About the Retreat
This retreat will serve as a platform to support your meditation practice, wherever it’s at, and aims to provide a space where it can deepen and flourish. It will consist of extended periods of meditation, personal interviews, evening teachings, nourishing food, and natural surroundings.
The retreat will be held in Noble Silence, meaning that there’s very little talking, activity, or distraction. This allows you to maximize the amount of time each day that you spend meditating. This will be Upali’s second retreat at Sugar Ridge.
About The Mind Illuminated
The Mind Illuminated (TMI) is an ancient meditation technique with modern considerations, including the perspective of cognitive science. It incorporates both concentration and insight practices. It has grown in popularity due to the way it gives clear and tangible instruction on how to meditate, demystifying the practice of meditation as a whole and giving greater access to the benefits of meditation for everyday people.
Sample of Daily Meditation Schedule
To be followed as it fits your needs for practice
7:30 – 8:30am Seated Meditation
8:30 – 9:30am Breakfast *
9:30-10:15 Seated Meditation
10:15-10:45 Walking Meditation
10:45-11:30 Seated Meditation
11:30-11:45 Walking Meditation
11:45-12:30 Seated Meditation
12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch *
1:30 – 2 Walking Meditation
2:00 – 3 Seated Meditation
3:00 – 3:30 Walking Meditation
3:30 – 4:30 Seated Meditation
4:30 – 6 Yoga / Physical Activity time
6 – 7 Dinner
7 – 7:45 Seated Meditation
7:45 – 9 Dharma Talk
9 – 9:15 Walking Meditation
9:15 – 10:00 Seated Meditation
* 1:1 Interviews with Upali will take place between Breakfast and Lunch