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Ben Hildebrand Shares Experiences From 14, 56 and 7 Day Darkness Retreats A long darkness retreat — typically thirty days or more in total isolation from light — produces changes in consciousness that shorter retreats cannot. Ben Hildebrand spent 56 days in total darkness at Hridaya Family, our darkness retreat facility in Chiapas, Mexico. What follows is what he found, and what actually shifts at each stage. When the door opened after 56 days, our retreat host came to speak

We often imagine spiritual practice as something separate from “regular life.” Meditation, yoga postures, breathwork—these can feel like escapes from bills, deadlines, and daily stress, offering a brief taste of peace before life drags us back. Entire traditions are built on this model, emphasizing renunciation: leave behind the world’s burdens—money, sex, food—and devote yourself fully to hours of practice in secluded monasteries or forests. While alluring in theory, such pa

With the premise that the human psyche is incredibly complex we will explore is mechanisms to gain greater understanding

In this article we will dive into and hopefully clarify the role that psychotherapy can play on the path of awakening. Many spiritual teachers and schools look down upon therapeutic methods. Some even say that any work that focuses on personality level patterns is like “re-arranging the furniture in your prison cell, you think it makes you more comfortable but you are still trapped”. Here, we’ll present a radically different, much more inclusive vision of psychotherapy that i

A couple of months back, I wrote about an opportunity we received to share a retreat in a prison in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. We were super excited about this amazing opportunity to share what we have to offer with people who really need it, but it didn’t work out. But! The woman who organized it kept in touch, and last Thursday, Sasha and Kirill went to a women’s prison in Mexico City to lead a retreat there! (I had to stay home because of a very non-committal Karma Yoga t

A potent dream that catalyzed a process of transformation that eventually lead to this project.

Some insights on practice and progress from half a lifetime of practice and 10 years of teaching

“You have an inclination: In the flash of one second, you feel what needs to be done. It is not a product of your education; it is not...