Becoming Earth: Honoring Nature as the Source of Life

A retreat led by Tiokasin Ghosthorse,
co-facilitated by Karen Doyle Grossman and Vaishalee Patel

This in-person retreat is a rare chance to immerse in a way of being that honors nature as the source of all life, promoting humanity’s right relationship with Earth.

Led by Tiokasin Ghosthorse, and co-facilitated by Karen Doyle Grossman and Vaishalee Patel, we will gather on sacred land on the banks of the Hudson River to engage “the precious and vanishing world behind the human-made world.” These words of Geneen Marie Haugen encourage us to “turn again to the wild Earth who made us to ask for counsel and direction, to ask how we might participate imaginatively and consciously, even now, in Earth’s unfolding dream.” Bypassing our western ways of analytical thinking, we’ll relearn how to participate in the land’s dreaming as our ancestors did. To bookend each day, Vaishalee Patel and Karen Doyle Grossman will offer morning and evening practices and wisdom originally perfected by the yogis and cave dwellers of the Himalayas. These practices offer opportunities to delve within, discovering the connections between the innermost microcosm and universal macrocosm.

Come prepared to spend time outside, to invite your intuition to lead the way, and to deepen your meditation and breathwork practices.

SPEAKERS

Tiokasin Ghosthorse is a member of the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation of South Dakota and has a long history with Indigenous activism and advocacy. Tiokasin is the Founder, Host and Executive Producer of “First Voices Radio” (formerly “First Voices Indigenous Radio”) for the last 30 years in New York City and Seattle/Olympia, Washington. In 2016, he received a Nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize from the International Institute of Peace Studies and Global Philosophy. Other recent recognitions include: Native Arts and Cultures Foundation National Fellowship in Music (2016), National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship Nominee (2017), Indigenous Music Award Nominee for Best Instrumental Album (2019) and National Native American Hall of Fame Nominee (2018, 2019). He also was recently nominated for “Nominee for the 2020 Americans for the Arts Johnson Fellowship for Artists Transforming Communities”. Tiokasin is a “perfectly flawed human being.”

Karen Doyle Grossman, is currently a strategic advisor to the Garrison Institute. She was the founding Vice President, Social Innovations at Mercy Corps, a $400 million international organization operating in 44 countries. At the Aspen Institute, Karen worked for the Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program, Socrates Program, and president’s office. She created and founded MicroMentor, the world’s largest community of entrepreneurs and experienced volunteer business mentors. She later served as Executive Director of WorldTeach, Vice President for the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and on the Board of Directors for Yoga Alliance, Democracy.com and the Union of Arab ICT Associations (IJMA USA). She is currently researching how environmental professionals use mindfulness to sustain themselves and their ecological action in the context of existential risk as a doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University. Karen was initiated into the Himalayan Tradition of yoga and meditation in 2005, and has taught hatha yoga and meditation in this lineage.

Vaishalee Patel has been practicing yoga and meditation for 25 years, teaching a holistic and integrative approach to breath, body, and mind for the last 15 years. She is a registered yoga teacher (RYT 500) and completed 1500-hour yoga and meditation teacher trainings at the Institute of the Himalayan Tradition (St. Paul, MN). Vaishalee is passionate about teaching students of all levels and abilities, striving to understand each individual on a personal and spiritual level.

In her professional career, Vaishalee is a technology and business executive with over 20 years of experience across various industries, including healthcare, medical devices, financial services, and education. Vaishalee is currently the Senior Director, International Safety Operations & Capabilities at AbbVie. She founded Som Yoga to help individuals find balance and deepen the mind-body connection. Vaishalee holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, Human Resources and Management, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

COVID-19

The health and safety of our guests and staff is a top priority for the Garrison Institute. To attend a retreat or event all guests, teachers, and staff are required to self-test (at home antigen test is acceptable) within the 48-hour window prior to arriving for a retreat on site, and to bring a 2nd self-test kit when coming on site. We encourage everyone to self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and other illnesses before your visit. If you experience symptoms or have a positive diagnosis, please notify us immediately at events@garrisoninstitute.org We will continue to follow any COVID-19 guidelines set forth by our local officials, New York State and the CDC.