An in-person retreat hosted by Deer Park Monastery with the support of monastics and practitioners in the Plum Village Tradition.

“Everything can begin with you. You are the foundation of any change that will happen in your society.” 

Thich Nhat Hanh

Wake Up is an active global community of young mindfulness practitioners, aged 18-35, inspired by the teachings of Zen Master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh. We come together to practice mindfulness in order to take care of ourselves, nourish happiness, and contribute to building a healthier and more compassionate society.

As Wake Up practitioners, we are old enough to have identified habit energies that are contributing to our individual and collective suffering, but we are young enough to foster the strength necessary to affect meaningful and sometimes even radical change in ourselves and in the world.  “Beginning Now” is a retreat centered on shaking off complacency, transforming fear, understanding deeply our current situation, and going forward with wisdom, compassion, peace, and resolve.

Whether we’re brand new to meditation or we’ve been practicing for years, all of us can benefit from the collective energy of a retreat at Deer Park Monastery, a 400-acre refuge nestled deep in Southern California’s coastal chaparral. An in-person retreat at a dedicated practice center like Deer Park gives us time and space to take a break from our day-to-day worries, cultivate community, and reconnect with stillness, so that we may develop the solidity and freshness necessary to respond skillfully to the individual and collective challenges we face in our daily lives.

We’d be delighted if you would join us for what promises to be a legendary retreat.

Please note: Dear friends, we recognize that young people can face issues specific to their age. Therefore, with very few exceptions, we offer Wake Up retreats exclusively for those aged 18-35.

In this retreat:

• Sitting and walking meditation with live guidance from Deer Park monastics
• Live talks offered by senior monastic disciples of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh
• Spaces to connect with people our age as we look deeply into the challenges and joys that we experience in our daily lives, including specific spaces for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ identifying people
• A transmission of the Five Mindfulness Trainings offered by the monastics of the Plum Village Tradition.

Sample Schedule:

-6:00 Morning Sitting Meditation
-7:00 Walking Meditation
-7:45 Breakfast
-9:00 Working Meditation
-11:00 Dharma Talk
-12:30 Lunch
-2:00 Total Relaxation
-3:00 Dharma Sharing
-5:00 Exercise Time
-6:00 Dinner
-7:30 Evening Sitting Meditation

Registration is planned to open on Friday, March 4th.

If you want to be notified when registration will be available, please complete the RSVP form here.