Calle Libertad 80, Colonia MonoPatzcuaro, MichoacanMexico
January 3 - 9, 2025
About this Retreat
Jake Lorfing has been active in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition for over 35 years as a student, teacher, administrator, and meditation instructor. Following a career in psychiatric nursing, he now spends more time teaching contemplative photography and end of life issues, teaching others to live more fully and joyfully. Jake has taught contemplative photography around the states, Mexico, and Canada in a variety of formats. He travels extensively for photography and his photos are on display in private and public venues. His short stories and articles have been published in two anthologies of Buddhist fiction, Nixon Under the Bodhi Tree and You Are Not Here, both from Wisdom Publications, and in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.
Melinda Rothouse is a professional creativity coach, consultant, author, and educator, as well as a meditation and contemplative arts teacher, based in Austin, Texas. She is also a singer/songwriter/bass player. Her creative and professional work embrace a lifelong love of learning with an emphasis on journey and process. A former teacher of comparative religions, she holds a Ph.D. in psychology with a specialization in creativity studies. She is the author of two books: A Mindful Approach to Team Creativity and Collaboration: Creating a Culture of Innovation, drawing on insights from her doctoral research and her experiences working with organizational leaders and teams, published in 2020 from Palgrave Macmillan, and the co-author of the Silver Nautilus Award winning Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities, published in 2021 from Mandorla Books.
Details of this retreat
The Art of Impermanence explores the process of change and becoming, of the ephemerality of our everyday experience, through the lens of creativity and contemplative arts practice. Through a combination of daily mindfulness meditation practice and creative arts exercises, we will explore the vulnerability inherent in our existence as sentient beings, observing how all phenomena arise and pass away. Using an array of artistic media, including writing, photography, movement, sound, and visual arts, we’ll awaken to the fluid nature of life from the loving container and lush gardens of Casa Werma in Patzcuaro, Mexico.
Each day will begin with breakfast at Casa Werma, followed by a morning meditation session and contemplative arts exercise. We’ll break for lunch and then return for an afternoon meditation and contemplative arts exercise. We’ll then gather in the evenings over dinner to share our creative reflections, discuss, and deepen our experiences together.
There are no prerequisites for the program. Participants should bring a digital camera or phone for photography, a journal or notebook for writing, and any personal art supplies they wish to use. We will have additional art supplies available at Casa Werma.
Full program tuition not including accommodations: $750 usd.
We invite all who are able to do so to pay the full tuition rate. By doing so, you cover the direct cost of your stay here and contribute to our year-round operating expenses.
Pay-It-Forward program tuition not including accommodations: $858 usd
We invite all who are able to do so to consider paying the Pay-It-Forward tuition rate. By doing so, you make it possible for us to offer scholarships to others, particularly our Mexico sangha, while also covering the direct cost of your stay here and contributing to our year-round operations. Please select Pay-It-Forward Tuition Add-On in Registration.
Subsidized program tuition not including accommodations: 20% off Full Tuition. If the full tuition is unworkable for you, please pay the subsidized rate if you can. By doing so you contribute towards the cost of your being here and everything it takes to keep Casa Werma operating year-round. Please type “SUBSIDIZED” in Discount Code in Registration.
What to expect: The first and last program dates for any program at Casa Werma are considered primarily travel days. We start with dinner on the first listed program day, followed by orientation and opening remarks by the teacher. On the final listed program day, there will be no program activities and a light, continental breakfast will be available to all participants.
Travel arrangements: We recommend flights into Morelia airport (90 minutes away by car). We can help with travel arrangements, please inquire about options. Please visit our How to Get Here page for more info. All participant air travel will be offset by The Good Traveler carbon offset program.
Jake Lorfing and Melinda Rothouse are certified instructors in the Shambhala Nalanda Miksang tradition. Supportive and experienced teachers, they cumulatively offer a wealth of photographic, artistic, technological, creative and meditative skillsets.
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