If you can IMAGINE
a place where individuals feel empowered and ready to create a sustainable world for themselves and others a place in British Columbia where the most important conversations locally and globally are occurring a place that hosts conferences on the intersection of meditation and neuroscience a place for continuing education courses for nurses, palliative care, addiction counselors, environmentalists, young economists and others making a difference a place with a dozen residents who, following a monastic schedule, have daily practices of meditation, agricultural work, study and community engagement a place where locals come for daily practice and lectures a place where international students can come to practice and study a place where a scholarship program and a work exchange program help those who need assistance a place and community where learning, engagement and support come naturally a place with a meditation room, dining hall, dormitory and small cabins for solo practice, all surrounded by a vast garden with a CSA program a place with all this richness in Kelowna
then you re imagining OKANAGAN DHARMA CENTRE A Canadian centre at the intersection of personal and social awakening. We are a leading teaching and spiritual retreat centre for individuals, families and professionals to cultivate their most noble qualities mindfulness, compassion, ethics, generosity, and wisdom. We see that for the future needs of the Earth and our society, humanity s outer development must be matched by an inner growth of emotional intelligence and wisdom.
VISION A Yoga and Buddhist practice and educational campus dedicated to developing the relationship between traditional teachings and compassionate engagement with our world. We realize this vision by being a refuge to the diverse people who come through our doors and by offering mature programs traditional, experimental, and systems-based that meet the needs of people, society, and the environment. MISSION To support a sincere and dedicated practice community and to serve others by providing training, retreats, and programs for social and individual transformation. We do this by: PROGRAMMATICALLY Having a deep and consistent daily meditation practice. Having a mature and harmonious residential community. Fostering a community of diversity. Offering a dynamic practice and training program for people interested in formal contemplative practices. Offering daily practice to residents as well as local and extended community. Offering leading edge mindfulness training for health care professionals, specifically addictions counselors, nurses and psychologists. Being at the centre of the dialogue between the disciplines of psychology, neuroscience, contemplative practice and psychotherapy.
Creating unique publications at the intersection of meditation and social change. Offering support and training of social activists. Having a facility rental and personal retreat program. PHYSICALLY Having a beautiful physical centre that is well taken care of. Providing a vibrant agricultural and CSA program offering the opportunity to put mindfulness to work with the lively world of agricultural training. ORGANIZATIONALLY Having an engaged and effective board. Having a well-organized management structure and management systems. Having an effective on-going fundraising program. Building an endowment to support the long-term sustainability of the organization. Having a strong, and dependable revenue steam through retreats, courses and conferences. Having an international membership who supports the centre and whom we support. Developing an international network of affiliates and attracting international students and conferences. We have already established a federally registered charity, the Michael Stone Foundation (registration #823600713 RR0001).
STRATEGY We will capture the current explosive growth of mindfulness and yoga by creating a leading International Centre, rooted in tradition, alive in this era, and serving what is currently needed. We will create a centre dedicated to the contemplative side of teachings, offering an interdisciplinary approach through various delivery systems - public events, daily practices, training, retreats, intensives, conferences, lectures and agricultural programs intersecting with the insights of western psychology, neuroscience, agriculture, environmental values, medicine and economics. We will, at a time when mindfulness and yoga are being adapted institutionally and diluted commercially, identify and work with new leaders and create leading edge practices and applications that respect traditions yet are relevant to our times. We will welcome mental health care providers, yoga teachers, educators and physicians interested in conversations as well as those already teaching contemplative practices who need a place for support and to deepen their own practice.
PROGRAMS & SERVICES Our programs and services will include, but not be limited to: Core practices: Mindful awareness can be defined as paying attention to the present moment with openness, curiosity, and a willingness to be with what is. Mindfulness is an excellent antidote to the stresses of modern times. It invites us to stop, breathe, observe, and connect with our inner experience. There are many ways to bring mindfulness into one s life, such as meditation, yoga, art, or time in nature. Mindfulness can be trained systematically, and can be implemented in daily life, by people of any age, profession or background. Mindfulness Training: We will provide foundational teachings for the growing mindfulness movement. Buoyed by neuroscience research supporting the positive effect of timeless mindfulness meditation practices, we will be the centre of the burgeoning expansion of mindfulness training worldwide. Yoga Training: As yoga becomes increasingly popular, practitioners are looking for both leading teachers and a physical centre where they can train and go deeper in their practice. Michael Stone is internationally recognized for his teachings and innovative training programs. Buddhist Studies: As Buddhist meditation and study grows roots in Canadian soil, there is an opportunity to build the first large Canadian retreat centre dedicated to a secular approach to teaching mindfulness, sitting meditation, texts, and practices, rooted in tradition but adaptable and alive in the current world. We do this through day-long programs, retreats and on-line learning. (see U.S. centres Spirit Rock, Upaya, and I.M.S.)
Education and Clinical Practice: We recognized a growing need for contemplative practice in the field of education and medicine. Contemporary culture is marked by extraordinary advances in science and technology, yet coupled with these advances is an increasing sense of pressure, complexity and information overload. Individuals across the lifespan are feeling tremendous stress, which is contributing to a variety of mental and physical health problems and diseases. Research: In the last ten years, significant research has shown yoga and mindfulness practice are beneficial in helping to reduce high blood pressure and boost the immune system; increase attention and focus, including aid those suffering from ADHD; help with difficult mental states such as anxiety and depression, fostering well-being and less emotional reactivity; and thicken the brain in areas in charge of decision making, emotional flexibility, and empathy. Our centre will collaborate with UBCO and KGH to begin new research in these areas.
CONTACT Melissa Berry Appleton c: 250-870-2101 mbappleton@hotmail.com Lee Appleton 250-300-7125 Lee.appleton@cibc.ca