Supported meditation retreats in British Columbia, Canada

Choose a quality meditation experience at Clear Sky, a meditation retreat center in BC, Canada. In our solo cabins, you’ll find the ideal conditions to enjoy the fruits of your personal silent retreat.

Weekend Retreats and Longer Cabin Stays

• Choose your own dates, whether you’re looking for a weekend retreat or a few months in silent retreat
• Suggested balanced schedule of mindful activity and formal practice time
• Local or organic meals served to you in a separate room
• Daily check ins with a mentor/guide
• Option to join group meditations (available subject to onsite schedule)
• Your own cabin with valley views

Who thrives best on our personal meditation retreats?

We specialize in offering quality personal, solitary retreats for people with meditation experience who want the support to take their practice to a deeper level. Our retreats include some mindful activity, which most retreatants find supportive to their formal practice.

A recent testimonial:

“How would I describe my 5-day ‘silent’ retreat at Clear Sky? In a word: Healing. My days started off with a 7am group meditation with the retreat organizers. The group energy was both very grounding and vibrant – and I quickly felt a deep sense of connection and peace in their company. I ate in silence three meals a day – the delicious food made it easier (but not easy!) to bring my wandering mind back to the pleasure of the wholesome offering.

Twice a day I participated in ‘Karma Yoga’ which essentially means doing some chores in silence (I loved stacking wood, and making kindling). This activity offered me the opportunity to maintain a sense of awareness while being in the world, and watching the thoughts and emotions that come up. These duties added structure to the day – though I did sleeping a lot for the first couple of days.

What really made Clear Sky special for me was the authenticity of the community running the retreat centre. They are committed to their spiritual work while taking a light-hearted approach to their dealings with me. They also consciously work at helping each other blossom on the spiritual path. It created an entire atmosphere where I felt supported with such gracious and attentive care.I come back from my time there, rested, grateful, and ready to give back to the world.Thanks you all for your loving presence. Blessings!”

Rob Rutledge, MD

We offer two clear options if you’d like to do a cabin retreat with us:

OPTION 1) Practice and Integrate – for people who have or are trying to re-establish a regular meditation practice, can sit in meditation for 20 minutes or longer several times a day, and would like some structure and routine to support their meditation retreat. The minimum stay is two nights. You may find this a good alternative to doing a Vipassana retreat, which requires many hours each day of formal meditation and often a commitment of 10 days. Come for a weekend retreat or longer. This option includes three hours of mindful activity, such as weeding, berry-picking, or firewood collection.

Click here to jump down to the Practice and Integrate package details

OPTION 2) Just Practice – our full immersion package, reserved for people with a solid background of meditation retreat work already under their belt.

Click here to jump down to the Just Practice package details

What if I’m new to meditating?

We love that you’re discovering the benefits of meditation. Our solo retreats won’t serve you well unless you’re comfortable meditating for at least 20 minutes regularly, with minimal support. Yet, we’re not aiming to exclude anyone who is indeed ready for a retreat. So, if you’ve been sitting regularly for at least six months, as an example, our Practice and Integrate retreat would most likely be good for you.

If you’ve never meditated before or are just beginning, however, you may not be ready for a cabin retreat with us. We suggest instead connecting with local groups near you, as a first step and then consider a weekend retreat with us. Here are some local groups connected to us. We’re developing more ways to support people earlier in their spiritual practice, including online guided meditations and online courses. If you’re looking for a more immersive experience that would include some meditation instruction, check out our Karma Yoga Program.

A few things about meditation retreats at Clear Sky

The well-being of our personal retreatants is something that really matters to us. We know this is something we’re very good at – providing the container for your practice to flourish.

You’ll receive a warm welcome and full orientation when you arrive; we’ll get to know your individual needs, such as how you take your coffee or tea in the morning. During your stay, you’ll enjoy three delicious local or organic meals a day, served to you in a separate eating area.

Explore our 300 acres with trails and outdoor meditation platforms, and our retreat cabins with balconies and valley views:

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Video: What’s it like at Clear Sky?

Filmed in August 2017, this video shows some of the serenity and
beauty you’ll encounter in a meditation retreat at Clear Sky:

Rates and FAQ

Starting at CAD$140 per night inc tax

Click to expand FAQ 

FAQ

Are your personal retreats suitable for beginners?

Not currently. We specialize in providing retreat space for people who have, or are trying to re-establish a regular meditation practice. As a guideline, we ask that you are used to sitting for 30 minutes or longer for several periods a day - and this is a guideline, not meant to eliminate someone who is ready for a retreats. Also, please read the section on the main page entitled "What if I'm new to meditating"

Where is Clear Sky located?

We're in the East Kootenays B.C., Canada, an hour from the US border and four hours from Calgary by car. The nearest town is Cranbrook, and we are 40 minutes from the Canadian Rockies International Airport. Click here to see a map of our location.

What does the "mentoring" for Practice and Integrate look like?

Mentoring is when an experienced meditator meets with you on a set schedule each day, and may include:
- guidance on techniques and tools
- information on wisdom traditions and teachings
- direction to books from the Clear Sky library
- questions and answers

The mentor
- provides a supportive container to you in your practice, as someone with years of experience who has been there too
- is a practicing awakening being (a practicing meditator)
- is trainer and teacher of buddhadharma, wisdom traditions, Clear Sky's five principles, conscious living, shadow work, and Karma Yoga

The mentoring is given freely by a Clear Sky resident or senior student, and follows the practice of dana which may be paid on registration or when onsite.

What are some common Karma Yoga tasks that I'll be asked to do during my retreat?

"Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water."

- Zen proverb

There's really nowhere to get to. In formal meditation, we're paying close attention to what's going on, right now - we're not trying to get somewhere. We're not trying to teach a goal.

Doing Karma Yoga is a great way to learn this lesson, in action, with simple mindfulness to what we're doing and nothing more.

Your mindful Karma Yoga may include

• General maintenance on the property (for example, chopping firewood or shoveling snow in the fall and winter)
• Gardening, weeding, and harvesting in our garden or food forest (spring & summer)
• Cleaning of cabins and common areas
• Administrative tasks (for example, filing, or laminating documents)

Do you have more information about getting to and staying at Clear Sky?

Yes, see this page.