Knowing Our True Nature: An Earth-Based Meditation Yoga Retreat

Deepen your connection with body, community, and the living earth through meditation instruction, yoga practice, and deep listening to the earth body—both inwardly and outwardly. Led by Kirsten & Mary, this annual silent Buddhist Insight meditation and Hatha yoga retreat is open to practitioners of all levels. We will practice outdoors among the oak groves, pond, hiking trails, and natural waters as much as possible. This retreat is also dana (AKA donation) based so our fees are only set to cover the cost of vegetarian meals and lodging (glamping, camping and BYOTent).

Kirsten Rudestam, PhD, works as a meditation teacher, environmental educator and wilderness guide. She has been practicing Buddhist meditation since 2001 and teaching contemplative practices since 2006. She completed IMC’s 4 year Meditation Teacher Training Program along with several other extensive dharma and ecodharma trainings. She has a PhD in Environmental Sociology from UC Santa Cruz. She also offers individual mentoring and programs in meditation, deep nature connection, ceremony, and radical resilience.

Mary Paffard lives onsite at Pomo Tierra Ranch and has been teaching yoga and training teachers worldwide since 1985. She co-founded Yoga Mendocino, a non profit yoga center and was Director of Teacher Training. She completed the Dedicated Practitioners Program at Spirit Rock and is currently part of a Buddhist Ecology Chaplaincy program at the Sati Center.

Off-Grid Retreats is a nonprofit headquartered in San Francisco with the mission of connecting people to nature through a contemplative lens. We support certified teachers to bring their offerings outside so more people can access guided mindfulness / meditation / movement / etc 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.

For more info, please go to offgridretreats.org/events/april2026knowing