Finding the Refuge Within: A Silent Meditation Retreat in Hawai'i

Finding the Refuge Within is a silent meditation retreat held online and hosted by Lama Willa Blythe Baker from the residential retreat in Hawai'i. It is offered through Natural Dharma Fellowship and suits meditators who want to practice in silence with a teacher's guidance, wherever they happen to live.

The retreat takes its title from the idea of refuge: the steadiness we look for outside ourselves and can learn to find in our own awareness. Lama Willa teaches in the fellowship's tradition of natural meditation, an approach inspired by the natural world, and this online silent retreat brings that approach to people at home while she leads from Hawai'i.

What to Expect

This is an online silent meditation retreat, so you take part from your own space rather than traveling. The teaching comes from the retreat in Hawai'i, where Lama Willa hosts the sessions. The title and format point to a practice centered on silence and inward attention, with a teacher's voice to orient and support you. Because you join from home, it helps to set aside a quiet corner and as much uninterrupted time as your life allows.

About Willa Blythe Baker

Lama Willa Blythe Baker is a meditation teacher at Natural Dharma Fellowship, a community in Springfield, New Hampshire, whose retreat center is Wonderwell Mountain Refuge. The fellowship describes its approach as natural meditation, inspired by the natural world.

She originally crafted the teachings of the fellowship's Margha Program. Margha means "path" in Sanskrit. The two-year program alternates between Natural Meditation and Bodhicitta, drawing on meditations adapted from traditional Himalayan Buddhist training. It is open to newcomers and to seasoned practitioners. Lama Liz Monson and visiting lamas now transmit these teachings at the program's retreats, and Mitras, who are spiritual friends and mentors, guide participants through the year.

Lama Willa also teaches in the fellowship's Natural Freedom Dzogchen Program, also called the Natural Freedom Sangha. Her teaching spans both the gradual path of the Margha Program and the Dzogchen teachings, which gives her silent retreats a grounding in more than one stream of practice.

Before You Go

The retreat is held online, so all you need is a reliable connection and a place where you can sit undisturbed. The fellowship's Margha Program is open to newcomers as well as experienced practitioners, and the same welcoming spirit marks its wider offerings. If you are new to extended silence, plan for a gentle pace and give yourself room to rest between sessions.