The Awake in the Wild Teacher Training is a ten-month training program to prepare you to skillfully guide mindful nature practices outdoors. Inspired by wisdom teachings from the Buddhist tradition, by Mark’s book, Awake in the Wild, and by the wilderness retreats led by Mark and Lori for more than two decades across the Americas, the Awake in the Wild Teacher Training will prepare you for the unique challenges of facilitating meditation programs in nature, while also drawing on nature as a support for presence, connection, and insight.

Like the Buddha, people for millennia have sought refuge, clarity, and wisdom in nature. On this silent, outdoor retreat set in the serenity of the hills and meadows at Spirit Rock, we explore potent awareness and sensory-based meditations that open us to insight, interconnection, and peace.

With receptive, embodied mindfulness, we’ll attune to nature’s quiet teachings on change, letting go, and the deep interdependence of all life. As we listen closely, nature reveals not only joy and wonder, but also our innate capacity for resilience and compassionate action.