Mindful Shenandoah Valley - Meditation Community

“KEEP CALMLY KNOWING CHANGE”
~ A summary of our entire practice of meditation, from master and scholar Bhikkhu Analayo

For thousands of years, meditation masters throughout the world have told us that if we can tap into a deep, experiential knowledge of what is often called emptiness, or sunyata, we can understand the entirety of the Dharma, the whole thing – and discover the Maha-Sukha, the Great Bliss.

And the good news is: this profound freedom isn’t far away, or unattainable – it can be tapped into in every moment, if we know how to look for it.

Vipassana (Insight) meditation – the oldest form of Buddhist meditation practice – shows us how to do this.

The root meaning of vipassana - “to see things as they are,” - means to know and experience our entire universe and everything in it as constantly and forever changing – including ourselves.

During this 5-day meditation retreat, we’ll explore how we can use our practice to begin to “see things as they are,” and experience the profound joy and ease that can arise by letting go.

Along with the crucial teachings of the 5 Remembrances, we’ll do this by deeply exploring and learning to accept and embody the 3 Truths of Life: impermanence (annica), suffering (dukkha), and interdependence, or no-self (annata).

Our silent retreat together will include dharma talks, periods of both guided and silent meditation, walking meditation, Q&A sessions about these essential practices, and a special bonfire to end.

Some meditation experience might be helpful, but the practice and its teachings is applicable to all, and all are welcome.
THE TEACHER: Shell Fischer, founder and guiding teacher of Mindful Shenandoah Valley, offers more than 35 years of extensive mindfulness practice and study. She is a Buddhist teacher, trained in the Tibetan Vajrayana tradition at Naropa University – the nation’s leading contemplative university – and in the Theravadan Vipassana (Insight) tradition by Dr. Tara Brach – one of the world’s foremost Insight teachers. She is also a graduate of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher-training program led by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of MBSR and the Stress Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.
Prior to teaching, Shell wrote about mindfulness and yoga for national magazines. Her main focus as a teacher is on metta (loving-kindness) practice, and her hope is to guide her students in nurturing even more kindness and compassion for themselves, and for all the situations they find themselves in throughout their lives, through the practice of meditation and mindfulness – which she believes everyone can learn.
THE RETREAT CENTER: Peterkin Camp & Conference Center, 286 Clubhouse Rd., Romney, WV

Nestled in a valley of unsurpassed natural beauty, and surrounded by the South Branch of the Potomac River, the sprawling, private campus at Peterkin offers a refuge of quiet, serenity, and peace amid the rush of our everyday lives.
Peterkin boasts 1,400 acres of private forest with clean mountain streams and miles of hiking trails. It is about 60 minutes from Winchester, VA, and about 2 hours from Washington, D.C. There is also a beautiful outdoor yoga pavilion, 200-year-old poplar trees, walking paths right along the roaring creek, and a walk to The Falls.
This serene, secluded center includes comfortable beds (single or shared) with shared bathrooms. The exquisitely quiet meditation hall on campus sits right next to the creek, and is heated and air-conditioned, with windows that also allow the sounds of nature to be enjoyed while practicing.
The food service staff provides nutritious, delicious vegetarian meals, and special dietary needs can be accommodated with notification prior to the retreat.
LEARN MORE HERE: https://www.mindfulvalley.com/retreats/april-23-27-2026-keep-calmly-knowing-change/