Category Archives: Retreats and Events

Three Week Basics of Meditation Course

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Sponsored by One Dharma Nashville
Thursdays April 30, May 7 & 14
7 – 8:30 p.m.
12 South Dharma Center

This 3 Week course is appropriate for beginners as well as more experienced meditators who want to refresh the fundamentals of their practice. In a step-by-step process you will learn the basics of insight meditation and mindfulness practices. You will learn to be more in touch with your body, emotions and mind. You will complete the class with tools to establish an effective and ongoing practice. These practices will help you reduce stress and expand your capacity for well-being and compassion. The class will also provide a supportive environment with plenty of time for discussion and Q&A.

Led by senior meditator and One Dharma co-founder Patsy Cutillo, with guidance from founding teacher Lisa Ernst. Patsy has been meditating for 15+ years and has attended numerous daylong and residential meditation retreats. She is also certified as a Medical QiGong therapist.

Course fee is $60 and can be paid through Paypal here.  A reduced fee spot is available in the case of financial need. Please inquire. For information or to reserve your spot, email pccutillo@yahoo.com.

Spring Renewal Residential Meditation Retreat

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Intimate With Life
Bethany Hills Retreat Center, Kingston Springs TN
Thursday Evening, April 16 – Sunday Noon April 19
Led by Lisa Ernst

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“Enlightenment is Intimacy With All Things” – Dogen

Each spring the earth awakens from its winter slumber as the days grow warmer and longer. Surrounded by newly leafed trees and rolling hills, we will renew our minds and hearts in the simple yet profound practice of sitting and walking meditation. Gradually this practice will lead us to intimacy with all of life as we touch the present moment with a kind and open heart.

This silent retreat will be held at Bethany Hills Retreat Center, Kingston Springs, TN. It will include sitting and walking meditaiton, instruction, dharma talks and private meetings with the teacher. Retreat cost is $225. Participation for all three days is required. Fee covers lodging and all meals. There will be a separate opportunity at the retreat to make a *dana offering (donation) to the teacher. Two sliding scale spots are available for those who need financial assistance. Paypal is available here. If paying by check, information and address are available at this  link. Please include your email address.

Lisa Ernst is a meditation teacher and founder of One Dharma Nashville. She has been meditating for 25 years and received dharma teaching authorization in the Thai Forest lineage of Ajahn Chah, Jack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman. In her teaching, Lisa emphasizes both transformational insight and everyday awakening as an invitation to embrace all of the path’s possibilities.

*Dana: According to the Buddha, generosity, or sharing what we have, is one of the central pillars of a spiritual life. In the act of giving we develop our ability to let go, cultivate a spirit of caring, and acknowledge the inter-connectedness that we all share.

Please contact onedharmaretreat@gmail.com for questions or to reserve your spot.

Mindfulness and Lovingkindness in Huntsville

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The Power of Presence: A Mindfulness and Lovingkindess Workshop
Saturday, March 14, 1 – 4 p.m.
Yoga Center of Huntsville
Led by Lisa Ernst

Learn to rest your heart and mind in ease and presence. We will tune in more fully to our present moment experience, drawing on the practices of mindfulness and lovingkindness. These transformational practices help us expand our capacity for well being, compassion and joy.

Suitable for beginning as well as more experienced meditators, the workshop will include instructions in mindfulness and lovingkindness practices, sitting and walking meditation and group discussion. Cost is $50 if registered by March 6. This workshop will be hosted by The Yoga Center of Huntsville.

Lisa Ernst is a meditation teacher, artist and founder of One Dharma Nashville. In her teaching, Lisa emphasizes both transformational insight and everyday awakening as an invitation to embrace all of the path’s possibilities. She has been meditating for over 25 years and leads classes and retreats nationally.

For more information or to register, call 256-533-7975

Stability and Clarity Daylong Meditation Retreat

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Saturday, February 28, 2015, 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Rural West Bellevue
Led by Lisa Ernst

Retreat full, wait list only

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Cultivating clear awareness of our present moment experience reveals insights into the nature of suffering and liberation. We see that everything that arises is not my “self” but a display of impermanent conditions. When the mind sees life through this clarity and is unclouded by confusion, we create the foundation for well-being, joy and equanimity.

Led by meditation teacher Lisa Ernst, this silent retreat is suitable for beginning as well as experienced students. The retreat will include periods of sitting and walking meditation, instructions and dharma talk. Cost is $50. There will be a separate opportunity at the retreat to make a dana (generosity) offering to the teacher. A reduced fee spot is available in the case of financial need. Please inquire for details.

You can pay through paypal  here or write a check, made out to One Dharma Nashville, and send to: One Dharma Nashville, 2301 12th Avenue South, Suite 202, Nashville, TN 37204. Please include your email address. For questions, email onedharmaretreat@gmail.com.

Half Day Forgiveness and Compassion Workshop, Saturday, January 17 in Chattanooga

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Led by Lisa Ernst, hosted by the Center for Mindful Living, Saturday, January 17, 1 – 4 p.m. Forgiveness is not simple and it can’t be forced. At times, it may even seem impossible. Yet our ability to forgive allows us to access equanimity in our hearts and minds. We learn to meet our suffering as well as the suffering of others with kindness and compassion. In this workshop, we will deepen our capacity to find forgiveness and compassion for ourselves and for others. Cost is $25 for members, $30 for non-members. Registration is here.

Meditation Series at Nashville Library Branches

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I’m doing a series of mindful meditation classes for the Nashville Public Library. These classes include instruction, guided and silent meditation and time for questions. There’s no registration or fee, you can just drop in. Here’s the current schedule:

Downtown: De-stress during lunch, 12:15 – 12:50 p.m. every second Monday of the month. Next meeting coming up on January 12.

Mindful Meditation Class at the Green Hills Library, Thursday, January 22, 6:30 – 7:30  p.m.

Mindful Meditation Class at the Bellevue Library, every first Wednesday of the month, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Next meeting coming up on February 4.

If you’re in Nashville I hope you’ll join me for any of these sessions that work for you. Here’s a link to the local public library system events list.

The Dharma of Writing and Meditation Workshop

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Saturday, January 31, 2015

9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Nashville Friend’s House

Led by Lisa Ernst

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Please join us for a day of contemplative writing and meditation practice. We will cultivate writing inspiration through meditation and exercises that help us open our hearts to the truth of what we most want to express. These practices will also help us to communicate more eloquently from our authentic voice, both in written and verbal form. In addition, we will have an opportunity to share our writing in an atmosphere of compassionate support.

This workshop is suitable to beginning and experienced writers and meditators. Cost is $75 – $100, sliding scale. Please pay at the highest level you can afford so we can accommodate those who need reduced fee, scholarship spots. For a scholarship spot, please inquire to the email below. You can pay by Paypal here using the donate button. If paying by check, please make it out to One Dharma Nashville and send to 12 South Dharma Center, c/o One Dharma Nashville, 2301 12th Avenue South, Suite 202, Nashville, TN 37204.  Please include your email address.

Lisa has been meditating for 25 years in both the Zen and Vipassana traditions. She is the founder and guiding teacher of One Dharma Nashville. In addition to regularly teaching meditation classes and retreats, Lisa has written numerous articles for magazines, newspapers and newsletters. She was the technical editor for the current edition of Meditation for Dummies. Her blog include essays and poetry: www.thelotusbloomsinthemud.com. For questions, email onedharmaretreat@gmail.com

New Years Half Day Intention Setting Retreat

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Thursday, January 1, 9 a.m. – Noon 12 South Dharma Center Led by Lisa Ernst

“One of the Buddha’s most penetrating discoveries is that our intentions are the main factors shaping our lives and that they can be mastered as a skill.” – Thanissaro Bhikkhu

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New Year’s resolutions based on goals rather than true intention are often forgotten within a few weeks or months. But the Buddha taught another way – that the journey to liberation begins with Right Intention. By cultivating Right Intention, a part of the Eightfold Path, we can align our actions with our most deeply held values. In this retreat we will consult the wisdom of our own hearts and look with fresh eyes at what truly matters in our lives. We will refine our direction for the New Year and create intentions that support our truest values and aspirations. Led by meditation teacher Lisa Ernst, the retreat will include periods of sitting and walking meditation, dharma talk and discussion. Cost is $35 and  you can pay through Paypal here. Alternately, you can bring your payment to one of our meetings or send a check, made out to One Dharma Nashville to: 12 South Dharma Center, c/o One Dharma Nashville, 2301 12th Avenue south, suite 202, Nashville, TN 37204. For questions, email onedharmaretreat@gmail.com.

7 Day Residential Retreat Recap

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One Dharma held its first 7 day residential retreat in early November at Bethany Hills Retreat Center in Kingston Springs, Tennessee. By all measures it was a success and I anticipate we will do another one when the time is right.

We had all levels of experience, from three out of towners who had sat countless long retreats, to three who where on their first ever residential retreat. Sooner or later, all settled into the rhythm of deep practice and many reported transformative openings and insights during the week.

Here is a photo guide of our retreat. Thanks to Frankie Fachilla for contributing the photos..

Once the temps dropped, we had a fire going continuously in the meditation hall. Photo by Frankie Fachilla

Once the temps dropped, we had a fire going continuously in the meditation hall. Photo by Frankie Fachilla

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Our retreat altar. Photo by Frankie Fachilla

This stray cat was quite friendly and had a way of slipping through the lodge door. One of our retreat attendees, Christie Bates, kindly adopted the cat, now named Khit Nhat Hanh. Photo by Frankie Fachilla

This stray cat was quite friendly and had a way of slipping through the lodge door. One of our retreat attendees, Christie Bates, kindly adopted the cat, now named Khit Nhat Hanh. Photo by Frankie Fachilla

Still some leaves hanging on. The paths and trails around Bethany Hills Camp provided some good hiking opportunities. Photo by Frankie Fachilla

Still some leaves hanging on. The paths and trails around Bethany Hills Camp provided some good hiking opportunities. Photo by Frankie Fachilla

These rocking chairs on the deck weren't used too often once the "arcitc blast" hit on Wednesday. They still looked inviting. Photo by Frankie Fachilla

These rocking chairs on the deck weren’t used too often once the “arcitc blast” hit on Wednesday. They still looked inviting. Photo by Frankie Fachilla

We closed the retreat with this offering of merit:

The Buddha said that when we dedicate merit, it is just like adding a drop of water to the ocean. Just as a drop of water added to the ocean will not dry up but will exist as long as the ocean exists, so too, if we dedicate the merit of any virtuous action, it merges with the vast ocean of merit and endures until enlightenment.  ~Padmasambhava

By the power of this compassionate practice,

May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness

May all beings be free from sorrow and the causes of sorrow

May all live in equanimity.

Women’s Beachfront Retreat Opportunity in January

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This oppourtunity comes through Tammy Roth, a Nashville author, facilitator and artist:

January Beachfront Retreats at Carillon Beach, FL – these retreats are for women on a path of discovering (or recovering) their authentic selves. Each retreat will include different ways of going within to become still, quiet and tap into the most sacred parts of yourself (while having fun and enjoying yourself…yes it’s possible!) All retreats will be alcohol & substance free to avoid the traps of numbing and distracting (but still having fun and enjoying yourself) The retreats will include simple, whole foods meals, and will also rely on the powerful spirit of community to provide a sacred container as well as plenty of fun and laughter. Other aspects of the retreats will vary depending on date and co-facilitators. Pick the one just right for you! For full information, go here.