Mantra Healing: Sound & Silence

Mantra Healing: Sound & Silence is a weekend mantra retreat at Drala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, led by Tibetan doctor Nashalla G Nyinda. It is a foundational program for anyone curious about chanting, mantra meditation or Tibetan Buddhist sound practice, and beginners are welcome. Over two nights, you learn what common mantras and seed syllables mean, chant together, and then rest in the silence that follows.

The word mantra comes from two Sanskrit roots, man (mind) and tra (protect). The retreat takes that meaning seriously: mantra as a tool for protecting, settling and purifying the mind, with sound that carries into the spaces of meditation.

What to Expect

The weekend begins on Friday afternoon with check-in at the Guest Services Cabin, followed by a welcome, an opening orientation, and an introduction to mantra practice and the foundations of Traditional Tibetan Medicine.

Saturday is the fullest day. You receive instruction on seed syllables and well-known mantras, practice group chanting, and take part in an individual body-mind assessment that points toward chanting methods suited to you, drawn from Traditional Tibetan Medicine. Sound and silence meditation exercises follow, and the evening is given to practice and integration.

Sunday opens with morning practice and deeper meditation, with more time in silence and stillness, then a closing circle. Departure is by 12:30 PM.

This is not a cerebral retreat. The emphasis is on feeling sound move through the body and interact with the energy centers, rather than on academic study. Chanting and silence both have room: you sound together, then listen for what has shifted. Nobody needs to be a singer, and there is no right or wrong way to do it.

About Nashalla Nyinda

Dr Nashalla Gwyn Nyinda (TMD Menpa, MA Acu, LMT) began studying Tibetan Medicine in 1999 within an Interdisciplinary Studies BA at Naropa University, completed in 2001. At the request of her root lama, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, she pursued advanced Tibetan medical studies in Nepal and at the Chagpori Tibetan Medical Institute Clinic in Darjeeling. Former clients describe her as a healer who sees connections between things that may not seem related, and one long-time patient calls her a powerful tool in a wellness toolbox.

The Setting

Drala Mountain Center is a retreat center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado. Lodging is chosen at checkout, and every option includes meals and drinks, with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free choices.

- Dormitories: gender-segregated rooms for 7 to 8 people, with a shared bathroom and shower stalls down the hall.
- Monk Rooms: private indoor rooms with a bed, closet, large window and desk, using a shared bathroom. The most affordable private option.
- Single and Double Rooms: a private room with an attached bathroom (toilet, sink and shower), plus a dresser and closet.
- Junior Suite: a queen-size bed, desk, dresser, closet, sitting area and private bath with a tub.

Extra nights can be added at a reduced rate.

Before You Go

No experience with mantra, meditation or sound practice is required. The program is taught in English and suits all levels. Tuition covers two nights of lodging, all meals and beverages, mantra instruction and practice guidance, and both group and individual sound work. Arrival is on Friday between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM.

Participants who complete the weekend become eligible for the longer mantra accumulation retreats offered at the center.