Come As You Are: Enjoy Our New Tuition-Free Foundations Series
By Cate Zovod, Director of Marketing, Drala Mountain Center
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Lao Tzu may not have been a Buddhist but his words prove wisdom is never the sole provenance of a single tradition.
Beginning – and being open to change – is deeply brave, especially in times where our instinct may be to re-entrench with that which brings us the illusion of safety or comfort.
Whether you’re considering starting a new meditation practice or picking one back up after years away, that first step—showing up—can feel daunting. Yet we hear from so many of you that is where your heart is leading you, if you only had a little nudge.
That’s why we’ve created a new series of tuition-free weekend retreats at Drala Mountain Center. We’re calling them Foundations, and they’re designed for exactly that moment: when you feel the tug to begin (again), but don’t quite know where to start.
These weekends are spacious, welcoming, and intentionally free of pretense or expectation. Come as you are. You don’t need special cushions or all-hemp pants or any idea of what “being spiritual” is supposed to look like. You just need a little curiosity, an open heart, and to follow that small, quiet voice telling you to come to the mountains.
What You’ll Find, Here and Within
There are three entry points into our new Foundations programs. Each one is a little different, but all of them offer space to slow down, reconnect with yourself, and be supported by experienced teachers and a welcoming community.
Foundations of Meditation
Whether you’re brand new to meditation or looking to return to the basics, this program offers a supportive and accessible entry point into contemplative practice. It will weave in foundational Buddhist teachings to offer context and inspiration for your practice, highlighting meditation’s deeper roots in wisdom, compassion, and self-discovery.
Retreat and Renewal
Part retreat, part solo adventure, with yoga, meditation, and hiking, but also plenty of freedom to rest, wander, and get back in touch with your mind and body. They know what you need if you can find your way to listening.
Back to the Cushion
If life has gotten in the way of your practice, or if it’s been a while and you’re not sure how to come back, this retreat offers a reset. No guilt, no judgment; just space and protected time for you to return.
Each retreat is held at our beautiful mountain campus in Red Feather Lakes, where the air is cleaner, the sky is wider, and the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya stands like a beacon in the forest. Tuition is free, and meals are included. All you cover is your lodging.
Why Now?
The world feels broken in many different ways. The land and seas are depleted. People are overwhelmed, overextended, and lacking in hope. Given who we are and the traditions we come from, we feel increasingly pulled to find ways to help. The best way we know how is to bring people to these mountain valleys and the stillness and wisdom that is to be found within them.
We created Foundations to remove barriers—financial, emotional, psychological and social —and to offer something richer than “a getaway”. By coming here, you don’t escape, you come home, to yourself and to your own sacred nature.
‘Tis the season
By June, the Rockies begin to hum with quiet abundance. Summer at Drala means golden light, alpine wildflowers, warm days and cool nights. You’ll see hummingbirds and likely deer. You will hear the wind gently stirring the pines. Take a nap in the grass. Hike up to the Stupa and realize, for the first time in weeks, that your shoulders have dropped and your jaw has unclenched.
It’s been a rainy late Spring, and the meadows are waking up in color. Paintbrush flames orange-red along the hillsides and the meadows are mottled with white and yellow wildflowers. Lupine spreads in violet drifts, and tiny alpine forget-me-nots wink blue from the edges of trails. You’ll spot wild geraniums, columbine and clusters of yellow arnica.
Step outside before breakfast and you’ll hear the sparkly whistles of a hermit thrush echoing through the pines—three notes that sound like water. Mountain bluebirds flash sky-colored wings over the open fields. A junco trills drily from the underbrush and the western meadowlark responds from a distant fence post. Hummingbirds rattle and dart like flying jewels. The whole landscape is alive, reminding us that we can thaw, return, and renew, like the land itself.
Come Celebrate Midsummer
Finally, we welcome everyone to come revel together at our Midsummer Celebration on June 21. It’s a beautiful daylong gathering featuring the Riwo Sangchö ceremony led by Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche and Dungse Jampal Norbu. Riwo Sangchö—“The Mountain of Burnt Offerings”—is a Tibetan smoke ritual where juniper and herbs are offered to the sky. It’s a way of purifying, releasing, and connecting: to the wisdom of the buddhas, the dralas of the land, and the elements themselves.There’s connection, ritual, and lunch! Along with plenty of time to soak in the mountain sun and join us in gratitude for our special place of refuge.
You are wanted and you are welcome
If you’ve been thinking about coming to the mountain, maybe the fact that you have read this far is your sign. This is the moment. Foundations weekends are light-touch with deep heart. You will learn, and you will unlearn. You will unplug and reawaken. Most importantly, you will remember you already have everything you need.