Women’s Retreat at Waunita Hot Springs Ranch
Living and Leading with an Open Heart
with Laura Bartels
March 14 – 17, 2024
Waunita Hot Springs Ranch
Gunnison, CO
Join us for this offering of a women’s mindfulness retreat at Waunita Hot Springs Ranch near Gunnison, Colorado in a beautiful high mountain valley. Bringing the caring and experienced guidance of mindfulness teacher Laura Bartels and the practices and wisdom of the Mindful Life Program™ together in this retreat, we will explore practices and wisdom for opening our hearts to, and in the face of, the challenges and suffering of life and the world and how to be more intentional in leading with an open heart. With a view to our own flourishing, we will reflect on what insights and attitudes support us while identifying those habits and beliefs that limit us. Recognizing our interconnectedness with others, we strengthen further the unselfish value of opening our hearts at the edges of what challenges us.
This retreat is beginner friendly and also beneficial for seasoned mindfulness practitioners. We will engage with the essential elements of shamatha meditation and other meditations to bring this meditative clarity to opening the heart. Shamatha is a universal practice that is used to become more mindful and present in your life and can be applied to any spiritual or religious practice. It develops the stability of mind to help improve other meditation practices.
This retreat includes silence in the mornings with multiple short meditation sessions and plenty of breaks, quiet reflection, small and full group exploration and sharing, and guidance in the group teachings.
Waunita Hot Springs Ranch is a quintessential mountain ranch with an historic lodge and private hot springs. This high mountain valley ranch is family-owned and operated for over 50 years. The ranch is surrounded by Gunnison National Forest land and summer pasture.
About the Facilitator
Laura Bartels helped to create the Mindful Life Program and regularly teaches mindfulness courses, facilitates mindfulness groups and gives public talks on living mindfully. She is one of the instructors for the year-long MLP Teacher Training and Personal Development program. She also serves as the Executive Director of the Mindful Life Program. Laura’s professional path of 20 years brought her to be a leader in the field of sustainable building and community development. This provided a unique and valuable perspective on the need for “inner sustainability.” As Laura’s path has been one of navigating what it means to live consciously and meaningfully, it’s been a natural transition to move from outer sustainability to inner sustainability; when we are not in balance, we cannot be of benefit to ourselves or others. To learn more about Laura, see her full bio.
Retreat Details
This is a three-day retreat is located at Waunita Hot Springs Ranch. The retreat fee includes lodging, meals, and use of the Hot Springs. There are options for single and shared rooms. There are stairs to the meeting room for this event. If you have mobility issues, please contact us for more information.
Location: Waunita Hot Springs Ranch, located high in the Colorado Rockies at an elevation of 8,946 ft., is 10 miles west of the Continental Divide, east of Gunnison, Colorado. The ranch is surrounded by Gunnison National Forest. The main lodge and Hillside lodge include single and shared rooms, all with private bathrooms. The retreat activities take place upstairs in the barn, with views of the surrounding mountains. Fed by natural hot springs, the 35×90 ft pool is one of the largest private pools in Colorado and has an adjacent hot tub and bathhouse.
Dates: March 14 – 17, 2024. The retreat begins on a Thursday evening and ends on a Sunday around 11 to 11:30 am.
Meals: The meals will be vegetarian. There are gluten-free options available. Please let us know if you have additional dietary needs and we will contact the retreat staff.
Cost: $470 per person for a shared room. $610 per person for a private room. The price for the retreat is all-inclusive for the retreat, lodging, breakfast, and dinner (light snacks midday), and hot springs. The teachings are offered on a free-well donation basis. See the donations information below.
Travel: Waunita Hot Springs Ranch is located 27 miles east of Gunnison, Colorado. While Gunnison operates a regional airport, retreatants also fly into Grand Junction or Denver airports and travel by car to the ranch.
Register: Choose between a single and shared room. You can register securely online with a credit card, choosing your room type below. If you prefer to pay by check, contact us at [email protected] or (970) 633-0163. Space is limited. Please inquire if you have questions.
Donations: With this retreat, the teachings are offered on a free-will donation basis. You may offer a donation for the teachings at the retreat by cash, check, or credit card. This donation is not tax-deductible.
Retreat Schedule
Thursday
3:oo pm to 5:30 pm: Check-In
6:00 pm or 6:30 pm: Dinner
7:30 pm to 9:00 pm: Opening Session
Friday and Saturday (Noble silence is observed in the morning until brunch)
7:30 am – 8:30 am: Morning Meditation
9:00 am – 10:00 am: Breakfast
10:30 am – 12:00 pm Morning Session
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Break/Personal Time – light snacks
2:00 pm 5:00 pm: Afternoon Session
6:00 pm: Dinner
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm: Evening Session
Sunday
7:30 am – 8:30 am: Meditation
9:00 am – 9:45 am: Breakfast
10: 00 – 11:30 am: Closing Session and Farewells
You may stay and soak in the hot springs if you would like.
If you have any other questions or if we can be of help in any way, please let us know. Please contact us at [email protected] or (970) 633-0163.
