Consciousness at the Edge of Life: Dark Retreat, Near Death Experience, & the New Science of Mind

This week-long meditation retreat at Blue Spirit Costa Rica in Nosara, Guanacaste, brings together dark retreat, near-death experience research and Tibetan Buddhist teachings on the bardos. It is led by Andrew Holecek, a scholar-practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism, and Mark Miller, PhD, a cognitive scientist and contemplative researcher. It suits people drawn to contemplative practice and to the science of consciousness, and to what happens to the mind when its usual anchors fall away.

What to Expect

The retreat starts from a question: why do people who come close to death, meditators who spend time in total darkness, and the Tibetan bardo teachings describe such similar territory? The common threads include radiant inner light, encounters with peaceful and wrathful presences, a sweeping review of one's life, and a loosening of the ordinary sense of self.

Holecek and Miller explore where contemplative tradition, near-death experience and the emerging science of consciousness meet. They introduce practices that let participants begin exploring this territory for themselves, including guided work with inner luminosity, presence and the loosening of self. Death can bring these experiences suddenly and without consent. Dark retreat offers a way to approach them gradually and deliberately, which is one reason Tibetan traditions have long treated darkness practice as preparation for dying. The invitation is not only about death, though. With fewer sensory and conceptual anchors, parts of the mind that usually stay hidden become easier to see, including how the mind constructs self and world.

The daily rhythm includes:

- 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. yoga or Qigong, on some mornings
- 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. morning workshop
- 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. afternoon workshop
- 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. evening program, on select evenings

Breakfast runs from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m., lunch from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. (not served on arrival or departure days), and dinner from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

About Andrew Holecek

Andrew Holecek is a scholar-practitioner in Tibetan Buddhism and Resident Contemplative Scholar at the Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies. He is the author of nine books, three of them on the nocturnal meditations of dream yoga and dark retreat. He has completed a traditional three-year Tibetan Buddhist retreat and collaborates with neuroscientists at Northwestern University on the study of lucid awareness.

About Mark Miller

Mark Miller, PhD, is a cognitive scientist, contemplative researcher and meditation teacher. He asks what the mind sciences can tell us about happiness, well-being and living well in an increasingly technologically mediated world. He co-leads a research program on advanced meditation that spans the deep absorptive states of jhāna, dark retreat and near-death-like experiences.

The Setting

Blue Spirit sits on the Nicoya Peninsula, one of the world's recognized longevity Blue Zones, near Nosara. Guests reach Playa Guiones, a three-mile sandy beach protected as a turtle nesting refuge, through the property's private beach access. The grounds include a saltwater infinity pool, meditation spaces, yoga halls and walking trails.

Accommodation ranges from air-conditioned rooms in the main building (Hermitage, Ocean View, Superior Ocean, Mountain View) to Garden Suites, Nature Suites and Pacifico Cottages, as well as simpler Eco Cottages and Platform Tents without air conditioning. Single and double occupancy are both offered.

Three buffet meals are served daily. The cuisine is ovo-lacto vegetarian, with vegan and gluten-free options always available, eggs at breakfast and local fish three evenings a week.

Before You Go

The stay covers seven nights, Saturday arrival through Saturday departure, plus full program tuition, meals, pool, meditation spaces, yoga halls, trails, beach access and Wi-Fi in most areas.

Not included are airport transfers (including the Liberia shuttle), massage and bodywork, Nosara Longevity Center treatments, the optional 7-day detox cleanse, purchases at the Blue Spirit Café and Store, and beach towels, which can be bought at the Gift Shop. Travel insurance is strongly recommended.