4-Day Darkness Retreat in Crestone, Colorado
4-Day Darkness Retreat in Crestone, Colorado
Crestone, CO, USA
Up to 6 in group
September 14 - 18, 2026
Retreat Highlights
- Private cabin accommodations at Chamma Ling, a sacred Tibetan Buddhist retreat center in the remote mountains of Crestone, CO
- Personalized pre-retreat preparatory call 2 weeks before arrival
- Preparatory bodywork may be available as an optional add-on service for an additional charge
- Two organic warm meals per day, served at your cabin
- Daily check-in with your retreat guides throughout the experience
- Optional additional bodywork or massage available
- Limited group size — intimate and carefully held space
- One of North America's most spiritually potent landscapes
About this Retreat
James Farmer is the founder of Noble Mentors, a therapeutic mentoring organization on Colorado's Front Range, and a guide at Deeper Current Coaching. He has spent years working in the intersection of contemplative practice, therapeutic support, and real-world mentoring — helping people navigate pivotal life transitions through authentic relationship and embodied wisdom.
James draws from Tibetan, Taoist, and yogic traditions, as well as years of experience holding therapeutic space for young adults and families in crisis. He brings a rare combination of clinical understanding, spiritual depth, and genuine human presence to every retreat he leads.
As a guide for darkness retreats, James creates containers that are safe, deeply supportive, and attuned to each participant's unique unfolding. He is trained and experienced in holding space for the full range of inner experience that can arise in the dark — from profound stillness to difficult emotion — with steadiness, warmth, and care.
Jacob Goldberg is a therapeutic mentor and guide at Deeper Current Coaching. He brings a grounded, embodied presence to his work, drawing from years of experience in therapeutic mentoring, somatic awareness, and contemplative practice.
Jacob has a gift for holding space with warmth and attentiveness — creating an environment where participants feel genuinely seen and supported as they move through the unique terrain of darkness retreat. His approach is both practical and deeply attuned, offering participants steady companionship during their time in the dark.
Based in Colorado, Jacob works with Noble Mentors and brings his relational depth and contemplative training to every retreat he guides alongside James Farmer.
Details of this retreat
A 4-day supported darkness retreat at Chamma Ling Retreat Center in Crestone, Colorado.
This retreat offers a simple and intentional container for stepping away from the pace, stimulation, and demands of everyday life. Held in the quiet mountain setting of Chamma Ling, it is a chance to enter a period of solitude, stillness, and deep inward attention, with thoughtful support throughout the process.
On the first day, participants arrive at 3:00 p.m. and have time to settle into their private cabins, get oriented, and walk the beautiful mountain landscape of the land. That afternoon, each person also has the option of receiving a bodywork session in preparation for entering the dark. Participants enter the darkness that evening.
From there, you will spend 72 hours in complete darkness in your own cabin. During that time, two meals a day are delivered to your cabin, and daily check-ins are provided to support your experience while still preserving the solitude of the retreat. There is also the option to receive additional bodywork or massage during the retreat in your darkness cabin if desired.
On the evening of the fourth night, participants are invited to come out of the dark and take part in a revealing ceremony. That evening is set aside for beginning the integration process, whether through journaling, walking the land, resting, or optionally connecting with other participants who are also emerging from the dark.
Afterward, participants spend one more night in darkness. On the following morning, there is a community breakfast and optional closing circle to share anything from the retreat and prepare for re-entry into the world. Check-out is at 11:00 a.m. on the fifth day.
This retreat is centered on simplicity, solitude, and inner listening. Without the usual input of screens, conversation, and constant activity, many people find that attention begins to settle and turn inward in a different way. For some, the retreat becomes a space for rest, prayer, meditation, reflection, insight, or simply being with themselves more directly.
This retreat offers a simple and intentional container for stepping away from the pace, stimulation, and demands of everyday life. Held in the quiet mountain setting of Chamma Ling, it is a chance to enter a period of solitude, stillness, and deep inward attention, with thoughtful support throughout the process.
On the first day, participants arrive at 3:00 p.m. and have time to settle into their private cabins, get oriented, and walk the beautiful mountain landscape of the land. That afternoon, each person also has the option of receiving a bodywork session in preparation for entering the dark. Participants enter the darkness that evening.
From there, you will spend 72 hours in complete darkness in your own cabin. During that time, two meals a day are delivered to your cabin, and daily check-ins are provided to support your experience while still preserving the solitude of the retreat. There is also the option to receive additional bodywork or massage during the retreat in your darkness cabin if desired.
On the evening of the fourth night, participants are invited to come out of the dark and take part in a revealing ceremony. That evening is set aside for beginning the integration process, whether through journaling, walking the land, resting, or optionally connecting with other participants who are also emerging from the dark.
Afterward, participants spend one more night in darkness. On the following morning, there is a community breakfast and optional closing circle to share anything from the retreat and prepare for re-entry into the world. Check-out is at 11:00 a.m. on the fifth day.
This retreat is centered on simplicity, solitude, and inner listening. Without the usual input of screens, conversation, and constant activity, many people find that attention begins to settle and turn inward in a different way. For some, the retreat becomes a space for rest, prayer, meditation, reflection, insight, or simply being with themselves more directly.
Schedule
Morning: Gentle waking, optional breathwork or movement
Midday: First warm organic meal delivered to your cabin
Afternoon: Deep rest, inner inquiry, unstructured time in the dark
Evening: Second warm organic meal delivered to your cabin
Throughout the day: Daily check-in available with retreat guides
No fixed schedule — the retreat is designed to support your own organic unfolding
Midday: First warm organic meal delivered to your cabin
Afternoon: Deep rest, inner inquiry, unstructured time in the dark
Evening: Second warm organic meal delivered to your cabin
Throughout the day: Daily check-in available with retreat guides
No fixed schedule — the retreat is designed to support your own organic unfolding
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Getting Here
Deeper Current Coaching, Crestone, CO, USA
Directions
Crestone is located in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of southern Colorado. The nearest major airport is Denver International Airport (DEN), approximately 4 hours north. Colorado Springs Airport (COS) is the closest regional airport, approximately 2.5 hours away. We strongly recommend renting a car as Crestone is remote. Detailed driving directions to Chamma Ling Retreat Center will be provided upon booking.
Accommodation
Each participant stays in their own private, fully darkened cabin at Chamma Ling. Cabins are comfortable and simple, designed to support deep rest and inward focus. Standard and premium cabin options are available.
Regular Cabin
Large Cabin
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
Chamma Ling Retreat Center is a sacred Tibetan Buddhist retreat center set in the remote mountains of Crestone, Colorado — one of the most spiritually rich landscapes in North America. Participants stay in private cabins surrounded by silence, high desert wilderness, and the vast open sky of the San Luis Valley.
Meals
Menu Types
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
Two organic warm meals per day, delivered to your cabin. Designed to support stillness and deep nourishment. Vegetarian and vegan options available.
What's Included
- Darkness preparatory call approximately 2 weeks prior to your retreat
- Private lodging in a standard or premium cabin at Chamma Ling Retreat Center
- Two organic warm meals per day, energetically designed for stillness and deep nourishment
- A preparatory bodywork or acupuncture session
- Daily check-in during your retreat with retreat guides
What's Not Included
- Airfare and transportation to Crestone, CO
- Optional additional bodywork or massage (available at added cost)
- Personal items, supplements, and medications
- non-retreat consumables
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