Touching the Earth: A Retreat at Omega Institute with Rochelle Calvert and Ji Hyang Padma

In our technology-saturated culture, we hunger for direct experience of the sacred—for true connectivity that goes beyond the quick fix of images and information. Join Ji Hyang Padma, PhD, and Rochelle Calvert, PhD, to find that connection and discover how the natural world serves as both mirror and medicine for your inner landscape—offering pathways to healing, awakening presence, and reclaiming your authentic wildness.

We will weave ancient Buddhist healing rituals with contemporary mindfulness and somatic practices, which makes it possible for meditation to go deeper-- bringing about transformation. Join us!

Our Pathways:

Sacred Storytelling & Ritual: Explore how meaning-making bridges inner and outer worlds through the Buddhist understanding that ritual is "embodied narrative." Learn Medicine Buddha practices and elements of Zen as vehicles for spiritual transformation and radical empathy.

Somatic Attunement in Nature: Through Dr. Calvert's evidence-based approach, you learn to calm and regulate your nervous system using the healing presence of the natural world. Discover how mindful connection with earth, water, wind, and growing things can rewire trauma responses and restore embodied wholeness.

Contemplative Outdoor Practices:  Engage in guided meditations, walking practices, and earth-based ceremonies that awaken your senses and deepen your capacity for presence. These practices draw from both Zen mindfulness traditions and contemporary nature-based healing modalities.

Inner Wildness Reclamation: Reconnect with the untamed, authentic aspects of yourself that have been domesticated by cultural conditioning. Learn to trust your somatic wisdom and the guidance that emerges when you're fully present to the intelligence of the natural world.

Daily Rhythm:  Each day will flow between indoor teachings and outdoor practice, honoring both contemplation and embodied experience. We'll begin with gentle movement and breathing practices, move into nature-based mindfulness sessions, explore ritual and ceremony, and close with group sharing and integration.