The Inner Journey of Meditation
A 2-Day Meditation Retreat
Jeff Carreira
with Jeff Carreira
Registration Closed
Saturday, December 16th - Sunday, December 17th, 2023
10:00am - 5:00pm US Eastern Time
Balanced Planet Yoga, 795 E Rte 70, Suite F, Marlton, NJ
$120 - $180

In this retreat you will explore the power of meditation to expand your awareness and reveal your true self.

The inner journey of meditation will take us from the external world of time and space, through the inner universe of spirit, and finally to the causal source of existence. This is the classic journey of awakening that has been described in different ways by spiritual and esoteric traditions throughout history and around the world.

During this retreat our journey will be organized according to the inner guidance explained as the final four limbs of yoga in the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali. In that classic text the path to enlightenment (Samadhi) involves the withdrawal of attention from the external senses (Pratyahara), the development of focused concentration (Dharana), and deep meditative absorption (Dhyana).

By loosely following the wisdom of this time-honored spiritual tradition we will experience the true miracle of meditation. We will not limit our exploration to the wisdom of the Vedantic tradition of India, we will also find inspiration in Christian and Islamic mysticism, transpersonal psychology, and existential philosophy.

Although our intellectual inquiry will be thrilling, this is not a class, it is a retreat, and the emphasis of our time together will be on engaging your practice and experiencing inner wonders for yourself. Everything we explore during the weekend will be in service of deepening our meditation and gaining direct access to the mystery of being.

I believe that in just two days of focused practice you can experience a release of the constraints and limitations of your familiar self-identity and open to an unimaginable fullness of being.

If you are new to the practice of meditation, this retreat offers a comprehensive and highly accessible introduction to one of the world’s most revered spiritual practices.

If you are a seasoned practitioner, you will have the opportunity to explore meditation in new ways that allow you to rest effortlessly in the truth of inner wholeness.

The two days of this retreat will be divided into four sessions, each with a different focus. In each session. you will receive all the guidance you need to understand and successfully practice what you learn.

Sincerely,

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Jeff Carreira
Co-Founder & Director of Education, Emergence Education
What We Will Explore on this Retreat
 
Session One:
Turning Inward
In this session we will focus on the fifth limb of yoga, Pratyahara, by retracting our attention from its habitual outward focus and turning inwards toward the mystery of mind. You will discover that what we customarily think of as the inner world of mind does not exist physically inside us, it exists all around us, just beyond the appearance of the external reality we are so familiar with. As you learn the art of inner journeying, you will discover how to pierce the veil of illusion that keeps us from discovering our true spiritual being.
Session Two:
Focused Concentration
In this session our attention turns to yoga’s sixth limb, Dharana, and we learn to bring our attention to a laser sharp focus. The focus that we develop will allow us to pay exclusive attention in whatever direction we choose. We will first explore what it means to focus exclusively on the movement of thought and feeling, then on the unknown void behind our thoughts and feelings, and finally on the experience of awareness itself. Learning to focus in this way will prepare us for a leap in consciousness.
 
 
Session Three:
Meditative Absorption
In this session we discover that true meditation is not a practice that we do, it is something you fall into like sleep. True meditation is an inner state of consciousness that can be called luminous absorption. The seventh limb of yoga, Dhyana, arises when our attention becomes utterly captivated by the experience of being and slowly we forget about the world around us, ourselves, and what we are doing. In this state of pure awareness consciousness continues but without any object to be conscious of or any sense of being someone who is conscious.
Session Four:
Enlightenment
The eighth limb of yoga is Samadhi or Enlightenment, the supreme fruition of the spiritual quest, that cannot be achieved through willful effort. Samadhi always arrives as a gift of grace when our karma is sufficiently ripened. In this session we will explore the dawning of an undeniable clarity that the higher states we have aspired to, are in fact already who we are. You will see that Enlightenment is the direct recognition that the awareness you thought belonged to you, is actually the awareness of the universe itself.
 

Retreat Details:

You will receive materials that provide all the information you need to support you to create a true retreat experience during these 4 days.

These materials will include:

  • Detailed instructions for setting up your retreat space.
  • Information for using the video conferencing platform.
  • Guidelines for making the best use of the virtual format.

This is a full virtual retreat conducted live with Jeff Carreira for 8-hours each day.

Each day will begin with meditation, followed by an hour of spiritual instruction and guidance that will create context for that day’s practice.

Each day will end with a 30-minute session when you can engage with Jeff about your experience of practice and ask any questions that come up for you.

The rest of the day will be spent in silent practice with a 90-minute lunch break.

Recordings
Each morning teaching and each evening Q and A session will be recorded and made available to retreat participants in the protected online portal.
Schedule
Saturday
10:00am to 1:00pm
  • Session One
1:00pm to 2:00pm
  • Lunch (byo or plan to eat locally)
2:00pm to 5:00pm
  • Session Two
Sunday
10:00am to 1:00pm
  • Session One
1:00pm to 2:00pm
  • Lunch (byo or plan to eat locally)
2:00pm to 5:00pm
  • Session Two
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What past retreat participants said about their experience...

"The impact for me was most profound. On integration day an awareness of the Truth arose in me and left me totally flummoxed. Just what I have been working for, for so many years. I am truly a different person than the one who started the retreat last Friday. Profound gratitude to Jeff and the team."

~ W. Francis.

"The daily teaching, Q&A's and and meditation sessions were so powerful, they brought such calm and flow to me and in turn to my family. Jeff's teaching enabled me reach greater depth in my meditations as each day passed."

~ T. Bird.

"Jeff’s instructions and felt his passion to lead us into a available view of the world and ourselves. My life is so completely different. I’m looking out with Cosmic Eyes now... Wow So simple and so wonderful. Thank you."

~ N. Torrence.

"This retreat was a wonderful and profound experience of sinking into the depth of Being. Experiencing blissful happiness and liberation, just abiding there, without needing anything. Even in the face of challenges from outside, like a noisy neighourhood."

~ J. van den Bogaard.

"The retreat came at the perfect time in my life. It was the calm at the end of an internal and external storm that led to deep insights and deepening Awareness of my True Self. Jeff has an ability to transmit deep truths that find a home in soul."

~ M. Earlenbaugh.

"The retreat was eye opening and life-changing, giving me a new understanding of me as a soul, and deepening my relationship with it. Giving all day to meditation for a few days, rather than an hour a day for a prolonged period, has brought changes in me that are indescribable. I did not want it end!"

~ J. Aebi.

Two Options to Register
In-Person Option

($150 per person for Balanced Planet Yoga members who can register through Balanced Planet Yoga).

Virtual Option
The virtual option includes recieving audio recordings of the retreat. This is not live.
Register - $120
All sales are final. No refunds will be available if you choose to cancel.
Registration Closed
All sales are final. No refunds will be available if you choose to cancel.