The Fullness of Being
A Silent Mindfulness Meditation Retreat

Note: The Fullness of Being retreat is open to everyone and also fulfills the 5-day retreat prerequisite for aspiring MBSR Teachers or as professional development for experienced mindfulness teachers (if in doubt, please check with your training organization).
What is “fullness of being”?
“Fullness of being” refers to living life authentically, able and content to be fully who we are. One way to discover and experience such fullness of being is through the path of mindfulness meditation—a path that strengthens our human capacities for openness, deep caring, resilience, insight, and more. The practice of silent meditation has been encouraged throughout time in many contemplative traditions as a way to reconnect us with our unconditional confidence, natural wakefulness, and inherent goodness.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an evidence-based, 8-week program. It was created in 1979 by Jon Kabat-Zinn, professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and is now offered throughout the world. The aim of MBSR is to explore the practice of mindfulness as a universal approach to meeting human suffering. This includes the suffering that results from losing touch with our innate capacity to be fully who we are with wisdom and good heart. The Fullness of Being retreat is offered in the tradition of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s MBSR program and will emphasize the direct experience of mind, body, and heart, while also honoring the contemplative roots of mindfulness meditation.
Silent Retreat Overview
The leaders of this silent retreat, along with the community of retreatants, will co-create a space of both structure and ease. To support our collective intention to show up in the world and be fully human and uniquely who we are, retreat leaders will offer meditation instruction and talks related to mindfulness, all held in a respectful container of noble silence.
New & Experienced Mindfulness Practitioners
Meeting ourselves and each other in retreat can be both challenging and rewarding. Prior mindfulness meditation experience can be helpful when engaging extended periods of meditation in retreat. However, The Fullness of Being retreat is also open to new mindfulness meditators willing to commit to the retreat’s program.
Retreat Co-leaders
Led by Janet Solyntjes and Rebecca Eldridge—both practitioners in the tradition of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and MBSR Teacher Trainers from the original UMass Medical School’s Center for Mindfulness (CFM). (see bios below)
Program Details
The daily schedule will integrate periods of formal practice (such as sitting and moving) and informal practice (such as eating), all held within the container of noble silence. The retreat leaders will offer mindfulness meditation instruction and guidance, and talks to illuminate the foundational principles of mindfulness for cultivating a stable, clear, and open sense of being.
Participants will have an opportunity to meet once with a retreat leader in a small group setting to discuss their retreat and practice experience, and there may also be a need to meet individually with a retreat leader.
Program Goals
- Provide a safe, nourishing environment for cultivating a deep and grounded mindfulness meditation practice.
- Foster a rigorous retreat experience accessible for all retreatants.
- Offer excellent support and guidance from highly trained, experienced meditation teachers.
- Practice noble silence to develop a strong container for deepening meditation practice.
Attendance Requirement: Participate in all practice sessions and a small group check-in about retreat and practice
Attitudes to Cultivate
- Non-judging
- Patience
- Beginner’s mind
- Trust
- Non-striving
- Acceptance
- Letting Be
- Generosity
- Gratitude
- Self-compassion and
- Kindness
Arrival & Departure
Friday, please arrive 3:00 - 6:00pm for registration.
Dinner will be served at 6:30pm.
The program will officially begin at 7:30pm.
On Wednesday, the program will finish by 12:30pm with lunch afterwards.
Pricing
Karmê Chöling values its commitment to making programs affordable and available to all who wish to study with us. To support this commitment we provide two program price options.
Generosity Price: $660.00
You're able to help us with this commitment by choosing the "Generosity Price". The money above the basic tuition cost goes into a scholarship fund for those who might not be able to attend a program otherwise.
Tuition: $550.00
This is the price of the program, it does not include housing options or material fees.
Please Note:
Price does not include accommodations, which will be added during the registration process.
Policies
Payment Policies:
Please read the payment policy before proceeding with registration.
Financial Aid:
Karmê Chöling offers full-time student discounts, scholarships and other financial aid.
Program Credit:
If using existing program credit to pay for a program, you must pre-register for this program at least two weeks prior to the program start date by calling the front desk (802-633-2384 x3000). Program credit may not be used to pay for housing or practice materials and may not be used on or after arrival day.
Instructors

Janet Solyntjes leads programs and silent retreats in both the Shambhala tradition and in the MBSR-based style of secular mindfulness. She is a certified MBSR teacher and the co-founder of the Center for Courageous Living which offers mentoring, coaching, and training in mindfulness.
Janet has served on the faculty of Naropa University, the Center for Mindfulness, the Engaged Mindfulness Institute, and Mindful Leader. She facilitates the annual leadership retreat: Do Nothing: Learning to Live Your Life with Genuine Care for entrepreneurs and supports business leaders and teams in the integration of mindfulness into workplace settings.

Rebecca Eldridge is a senior MBSR Teacher Trainer from the original Center for Mindfulness (CFM) at UMass Medical School. She now serves as Executive Director of East Coast Mindfulness, a meditation center that offers mindfulness programs exclusively online, including a free, weekly Worldwide Online Sit.
Rebecca’s personal meditation practice is guided by her teacher, Pema Chödrön, and she was featured giving meditation instruction in two meditation courses taught by Pema Chödrön: Making Friends with Yourself and How to Live with Compassion and Courage. She has also written articles for Diabetic Living about meditation for reducing stress and increasing compassion. In addition to training new MBSR Teachers worldwide, Rebecca works with organizations to develop and deliver online meditation programs for living with more authenticity, resilience, and joy, and finding deeper, more restorative rest.
Tuition & Housing are the only fees associated with this program. No Heart Gift is expected.
Instructors:
Janet Solyntjes
Rebecca Eldridge
Date & Time Details:
Location:
On-Land
Program Fee:
Generosity Price - $660
Tuition - $550
Room/Meals Fee:
This will be added in during the registration process.
View accommodations
Heart Gift:
Donation gift to the teacher.
Make a heart gift
Wellness Update:
Read our Wellness Policy
Getting to Karmê Chöling:
Contact Us:
Karmê Chöling
(802) 633-2384
info@karmecholing.org
Share This