Heart Free as a Wild Deer: Meditation & Somatic Practice Retreat with Sean Oakes

Sean Oakes, PhD (he/him, queer, of Spanish/Puerto Rican and Northern European ancestry living on unceded Pomo land in California), teaches Buddhism, Yoga, and somatic practice. He received teaching authorization from Jack Kornfield, and focuses on the integration of philosophy, somatics, and social justice discourse with the Dharma. He teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, East Bay Meditation Center, Insight Timer, and elsewhere.

Off-Grid Retreats is a nonprofit headquartered in San Francisco with the mission of connecting people to nature through a mindfulness lens. We support teachers (like Sean) to bring their offerings outside so more people can access guided mindfulness in nature. We offer scholarships and providing sliding scale tickets to our retreats. We also coordinate a nature practice fellowship, rentals and overnights for other nonprofits.

This retreat will reside at Shelterwood Collective, a Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ-led community forest and retreat center. Comprised of 900+ acres, Shelterwood Collective is nestled above the Russian River in Sonoma County, CA, on Unceded Kashaya and Southern Pomo territory.

Sean will lead a variety of practices & teachings - Insight Meditation, chanting, Yoga, somatic movement and Buddhist study. Sean intends to lead practices in nature, weather permitting. There are lovely shaded places to gather along with lush trails to walk along.

There is a loop trail that starts / ends at camp. This trail is 3 miles on gravel and takes about 1.5 hours. There is another hike up to a natural clearing that looks out on neighboring ridgetops and a couple that meader along the creek. All of the hikes all require decent mobility. For more accessible paths, individuals are able to walk around camp and/or along the winding path for cars.

No prior meditation experience required. This retreat will be held in the container of Noble Silence. Lodging (single or shared - indoors, glamping or camping) is on a sliding scale. We also provide simple vegetarian meals with substitutions for allergies / diets.

For more info, please go to offgridretreats.org/events/oct2025heartfree