NEW OFFERING - Practice of Presence
Save the date for Fall 2026 Silent Retreat
Oct. 8 (2pm) - Oct 14 (2pm)
Single - $1300
Dorm Cabin or Tent Camping - $675
RV - $875
Commuter - $525
ZOOM - $150
Contact Kathleen Bren with questions, thebrens@outlook.com
The dorms at the Ascension Center are simple, rustic cabins originally built for children’s summer camps. They offer a humble and supportive space for deep inner work, with a layout that fosters both solitude and shared community.
Each cabin contains two large dorm rooms, separated by a shared middle space. The dorms have open ceilings, so sound carries easily — you’ll be able to hear anyone in the adjoining dorm. It’s helpful to be mindful of alarm clocks and other sounds, especially during a silent retreat.
The dorm areas are furnished with bunk beds, and depending on retreat attendance, you may be sharing one side with another person. Some guests bring a lightweight room divider to create a bit more personal space. Many people also choose to pull their mattress onto the floor for more comfort and freedom of movement.
The central shared space between the dorms serves as a kind of cabin community space. People often bring snacks to share, and a tea kettle is provided for making hot water — a cozy alternative to walking across campus when you want something warm to drink.
Each dorm includes:
• One shared bathroom with:
• 2 toilet stalls
• 2 shower stalls
• Electricity and heat, though minimal natural light
• Rustic charm — these are older camp structures, so it’s normal to see the occasional dust bunny or spider.
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🧺 What to Bring:
• Twin-sized bedding (fitted sheet, blanket or sleeping bag, pillow)
• Towel for showering
• Robe and slippers for bathroom visits
• Headlamp or small flashlight for nighttime
• Optional comforts: mattress pad, extra blanket, earplugs, space divider, favorite tea/snacks to share
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The cabins aren’t luxurious, but they’re deeply supportive for the kind of work retreats invite: slowing down, listening inward, and resting into stillness. The simplicity of the space often becomes part of the medicine.
If you have any questions as you prepare, we’re happy to support you.
This retreat is held in silence. Throughout the retreat we will be giving each other the gift of silent, supportive togetherness. The combination of the vibrant transmission of the teaching, not talking, silent sitting, togetherness, and guided/supportive activities creates a potent atmosphere for realization. We have the opportunity to set aside - comparisons, preconceptions, identifications, roles, routines, stories. Many obscurations may be flushed up into conscious awareness, but the attention is brought to the simple devotion of becoming quiet and still. There are no goals around fixing, solving, changing, achieving or naming psychological patterns and personal problems. It is a time to rest from our allegiance to the comings and goings of the mind’s endless narration and the repeating cycle of thought-belief-feeling. In this willingness to rest and listen, without seeking, without searching, without agenda, there exists a precious opportunity to directly encounter and deeply experience the naturally Silent ground of our Being, the fundamental Reality. This encounter with our true nature; the redemptive, liberating and peaceful Presence THAT IS; naturally inspires and enlivens the potential to live from, and as, a liberated wholeheartedness.
PROGRAM
Retreat with Jennifer Tyler is an opportunity to explore the unfolding of the natural condition through:
*transmission of the teaching and lineage
* silent sitting * guided meditation
*teaching talks *sacred music
*heart opening movement
*guided spiritual inquiry
* evening gathering with inquiry and response
*intimate, heartfelt togetherness
*unstructured individual time for reading, journaling, inquiry, walking.........
Retreat Schedule (*subject to changes that reflect what is needed in the moment).
Thursday:
2-4 pm. Registration
5:00pm Dinner and visiting
6:15 - 8 Orientation, questions, intentions
8 pm Begin silence with guided meditation and silent sitting
Friday, Saturday and Monday, Tuesday:
6:45am Silent Sitting (optional)
7:30am Breakfast
9-9:30am Silent sitting
Break
9:45-10:30 Jennifer giving a talk
Break
10:45-11:30 Guided Meditation
11:30-12 Break
12-12:45 Lunch
12:30-2:00 Individual time (walking, napping, journaling, BEING, sitting, creating….)
2:00-3:30 Contemplative movement: Yoga; Qi Gong; Walking meditation. Or Small Groups
4:00-4:45 Silent sitting
5:00pm Dinner
6:15-8:00 Question/response/reports from the silence/ poems/writings/music
8:15-8:45 Silent sitting followed by bedtime
Sunday
6:45am. Silent Sitting
7:30am Breakfast
9-9:30 Silent sitting
9:45- 5pm. Self guided contemplation and inquiry.
5pm Dinner
6:15-8pm. Inquiry/Response, reports from the silence, poems, music
8:15-8:45. Silent sitting
Wednesday
6:45am Silent Sitting
7:30am Breakfast
9-9:30 Silent Sitting
Break
10:00-12 Gratitude, appreciation and group picture
Noon Lunch and visiting. End of retreat at 2 pm.
