Kim Roberts: Change Your Mind - Yoga and Meditation Retreats
It is a strange phenomenon in the universe that when you are not meant to do something, you can work and work, and nothing will come of it. By contrast, when you are meant to be somewhere, there is absolutely no effort involved and things just fall into place. This has been my experience in this magical land. I found myself here on a 3 month contract a year ago, and one door after another opened, so that now I am based out of the gorgeous Zhiwa Ling hotel, offering classes and retreats during the fall and spring seasons. Summers are now reserved for Colorado, with the possibility of weekend retreats near Crestone.
What has come out of my 2 year sabbatical is a realization that periodic retreat is a necessity for advancing on the path of practice. People often ask me what it means to do retreat practice. The answer to this question depends on who is asking. For those new to practice, retreat can be as simple as taking a few days out from the daily routine and engaging in a more disciplined schedule of practice or resting with awareness in a peaceful location. For seasoned practitioners, retreat can mean 3 years of solitary meditation, silence and seclusion. There are endless variations in-between. The aim however, is a reconnection with the basic intelligence of the mind, that mine of wisdom that guides us in our journey toward enlightenment. This journey looks different for everyone, so taking time to check in with this inner wisdom is essential if we are to consider ourselves practitioners of yoga or meditation. What are the fruits of practice? As my root teacher, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche said, “The path is the goal.” So the practice is to enjoy the path.
My goal is to update this page monthly, so please check back often to see what develops…
KIM ROBERTS
My grandmother Toppy was possibly my first yoga teacher. When I was a teenager and sat on the terrace with her late into the night listening to waves and talking about The Great Mystery, she often shared her simple yet profound philosophy: Relax and Enjoy.
Richard Freeman introduced me to Ashtanga yoga in 1992. While pursuing a masters degree at Naropa University in Contemplative Psychology, I was so inspired by Richard’s teaching that I ended up practicing with him for 10 years in Boulder and eventually teaching with him. I still study with him regularly because he shows me how to stick with a program without being a fundamentalist. In 1997 I went to study with Pattabhi Jois in Mysore. After several years and a few more extended visits, I received his authorization to teach the Ashtanga system.
I first started teaching yoga in 1995 at a 3 month long dharma retreat: we were meditating for 10 hours a day and people were desperate for relief from aches and pains. So I shared what little I knew. Because of this auspicious introduction to teaching, and as a student of Tibetan Buddhism, I see the benefits of yoga practice as an aid to prepare the body for meditation. Since then, I’ve taught yoga and meditation in a strange variety of settings: jail, a psychiatric hospital, by correspondence with prison inmates, luxury hotels, embassies, schools, studios and retreat centers in North America, Europe and Asia. I taught privately in Paris while working in the Inter-Religious Dialogue department at UNESCO, ran retreats in post-tsunami Sri Lanka to help garner support for victims, and from 2006-07 directed the yoga program at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong. Now, I make my teaching base in Bhutan, with time for summer retreat in Crestone, Colorado.
Initially inspired by the great wisdom of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who led me to this path, I’ve been an enthusiastic Dharma student since 1992, and study regularly with my primary teacher, the Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche.
CONTACT
www.papayayoga.com
What has come out of my 2 year sabbatical is a realization that periodic retreat is a necessity for advancing on the path of practice. People often ask me what it means to do retreat practice. The answer to this question depends on who is asking. For those new to practice, retreat can be as simple as taking a few days out from the daily routine and engaging in a more disciplined schedule of practice or resting with awareness in a peaceful location. For seasoned practitioners, retreat can mean 3 years of solitary meditation, silence and seclusion. There are endless variations in-between. The aim however, is a reconnection with the basic intelligence of the mind, that mine of wisdom that guides us in our journey toward enlightenment. This journey looks different for everyone, so taking time to check in with this inner wisdom is essential if we are to consider ourselves practitioners of yoga or meditation. What are the fruits of practice? As my root teacher, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche said, “The path is the goal.” So the practice is to enjoy the path.
My goal is to update this page monthly, so please check back often to see what develops…
KIM ROBERTS
My grandmother Toppy was possibly my first yoga teacher. When I was a teenager and sat on the terrace with her late into the night listening to waves and talking about The Great Mystery, she often shared her simple yet profound philosophy: Relax and Enjoy.
Richard Freeman introduced me to Ashtanga yoga in 1992. While pursuing a masters degree at Naropa University in Contemplative Psychology, I was so inspired by Richard’s teaching that I ended up practicing with him for 10 years in Boulder and eventually teaching with him. I still study with him regularly because he shows me how to stick with a program without being a fundamentalist. In 1997 I went to study with Pattabhi Jois in Mysore. After several years and a few more extended visits, I received his authorization to teach the Ashtanga system.
I first started teaching yoga in 1995 at a 3 month long dharma retreat: we were meditating for 10 hours a day and people were desperate for relief from aches and pains. So I shared what little I knew. Because of this auspicious introduction to teaching, and as a student of Tibetan Buddhism, I see the benefits of yoga practice as an aid to prepare the body for meditation. Since then, I’ve taught yoga and meditation in a strange variety of settings: jail, a psychiatric hospital, by correspondence with prison inmates, luxury hotels, embassies, schools, studios and retreat centers in North America, Europe and Asia. I taught privately in Paris while working in the Inter-Religious Dialogue department at UNESCO, ran retreats in post-tsunami Sri Lanka to help garner support for victims, and from 2006-07 directed the yoga program at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong. Now, I make my teaching base in Bhutan, with time for summer retreat in Crestone, Colorado.
Initially inspired by the great wisdom of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who led me to this path, I’ve been an enthusiastic Dharma student since 1992, and study regularly with my primary teacher, the Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche.
CONTACT
www.papayayoga.com