The Dharma of Spring Awakening

LAMA ROD OWENS

Starting at

$330 (Tuition) + $616 (Lodging + Meals) plus tax

LAMA ROD OWENS

Mar 13–15, 2026

at the Art of Living Retreat Center

The Dharma of Spring Awakening

Awaken to vitality, liberation, and authenticity.

Starting at $330 (Tuition) + $616 (Lodging + Meals) plus tax

A Structured
3-Day/2-Night Retreat

• Energy Work
• Meditation & Mindfulness
• Self-Discovery
• Spiritual

• Personal Development
• Self-Care

Are You Ready to Awaken?

After months of winter’s introspection, spring invites us to emerge with renewed vitality, shedding old patterns and embracing the wisdom gained in the stillness. The Dharma of Spring Awakening with Lama Rod Owens offers a powerful, transformative experience to guide you through this shift. Through embodied practices, meditation, and engaging discussions, you’ll connect deeply with your authentic self, cultivate compassion, and emerge with a newfound sense of aliveness. Let go of what no longer serves you and step into a season of liberation, vitality, and inner freedom. This retreat will help you move through the challenges of past seasons and embrace the beauty of your personal renewal.

Reserve Your Spot Now

SAVE! Add a day or two and save 20% off our R&R rates. Select your added day(s) on the Registration page.

Retreat Benefits

Renewed Vitality

Awaken to the aliveness spring symbolizes, embracing the present moment and your authentic self.

Inner Peace

Cultivate tranquility and self-awareness through embodied practices, experiencing true peace and harmony.

Personal Freedom

Move through emotional blockages and unprocessed pain into liberation.

Self-Compassion

Engage in love and compassion practices that nurture your heart and mind.

Community Connection

Foster meaningful connections with like-minded individuals, sharing and growing together in community.

Spiritual Tools

Engage with ancestral rituals and earth-based practices that deepen your connection to your lineage and the earth.

SAVE! Add a day or two and save 20% off our R&R rates. Select your added day(s) on the Registration page.

Are you ready to awaken to the vitality of spring and liberate your true self?

WHAT TO EXPECT

Awaken to Spaciousness and Aliveness

Throughout this retreat, you’ll be immersed in practices that foster deep inner growth and transformation. Lama Rod will lead you through a blend of healing rituals, reflective group conversations, and personal explorations that bring clarity and release. You’ll engage in mindful movement, grounding nature walks, and heart-opening exercises that help you reconnect with your body and spirit. By the end of the weekend, you’ll walk away with new insights, renewed energy, and practical tools to continue embracing your authentic path with confidence and ease.

1. Meditation & Mindfulness Exercises

Experience guided meditations and mindfulness practices to calm the mind and center the body.

2. Group Dialogues & Discussions

Participate in transformative conversations that invite deep self-inquiry and collective healing.

3. Guided Dharma Teachings

Explore spiritual practices designed to bring deep healing and personal freedom.

4. Earth Based Rituals

Engage in grounding rituals that bring you closer to the earth and the cycles of nature.

5. Ancestral Wisdom & Practices

Honor your lineage and connect with ancestral wisdom through divine guidance and reflection.

Reserve Your Spot Now

SAVE! Add a day or two and save 20% off our R&R rates. Select your added day(s) on the Registration page.

Transforming Lives

Thank you Stefanos for the amazing event. I released a big shame that I was carrying around with me for over 35 years and now I feel empowered.

This retreat holds a safe space for you to actually experience all of your emotions, move through them with compassion, and finally set them free! If you’ve “tried it all” and you have yet to see real and tangible results in your life, Christine’s Healing Your Inner Child will undoubtedly deliver the transformation you’re yearning for!

What a rollercoster of emotional release! Pain, tears, and grief, then light, magic, and remembering who I am and meant to be. Thank you Stefanos for bringing me back home.

I was so disconnected from my inner child, but with Christine and Stef’s guidance and exercises I feel completely on fire and full of so much love for myself; it is radiating into all areas and relationships in my life. I was most amazed with my inner child’s response to the non-dominant hand exercises! I am forever grateful.

This session touched upon my focus to let go of what is no longer serving me, release stuck energy, and create space to receive and embody the new and elevated version of me. I am most grateful.

This workshop is life-changing because it has helped me realize the importance of accepting and loving all parts of myself. My inner children are so wise! What a beautiful experience it has been and I thank everyone that attended the workshop for creating a safe and super loving space. I would recommend this workshop time and time again.

Presenter

Lama Rod Owens

Lama Rod Owens is a prominent Black Buddhist teacher and thought leader, known for his unique approach to blending personal identity with spiritual practice. Holding a Master of Divinity in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School, he is the author of The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors and Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger, and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation. His teachings focus on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care. …

Lama Rod OwensRead More »

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

The Dharma of Spring Awakening

This experiential retreat offers a well-balanced schedule that combines structured educational sessions with flexible time blocks – ensuring you have ample opportunity to engage in learning while also allowing personal time to explore the retreat center, participate in activities, and enjoy moments of reflection and relaxation.
(Program schedule subject to change.)

Check-in Begins
4:00 pm

Dinner
6:00–7:00 pm

Property Orientation
7:00–7:20 pm

Session 1
7:30–9:00 pm

Breakfast
7:30–9:30 am

Session 2
9:30 am–12:30 pm

Lunch
12:30–1:30 pm

Session 3
2:00–4:00 pm

Dinner
6:00–7:00 pm

Breakfast
7:30–9:30 am

Session 4
9:00–11:30 am

Room Checkout
11:00 am
Luggage may be held at Reception.

Lunch
12:00–1:30 pm

Breakfast 7:30–9:30 am • Lunch: 12:00–1:30 pm • Dinner: 6:00–7:30 pm

Optional activities include
Yoga • Meditation • Kirtan • Bonfire • Labyrinth • Nature Trails

SAVE! Add a day or two and save 20% off our R&R rates. Select your added day(s) on the Registration page.

UPGRADE OPTIONS

Extend your Stay and Don't Miss a Thing

Add a day to enjoy R&R activities!

Free activities include
Interactive Nature Hikes
Cooking Demos
Meditation & Movement Classes
Wellness Workshops

Paid activities include
Pottery Classes
Ayurvedic Wellness & Healing Arts Treatments

Nourish Your Body

Take your rejuvenation to another level with a soothing Ayurvedic treatment.

Call to check availability during Shankara business hours:

Wednesday 11:00 am–8:00 pm
Thursday–Saturday 9:00 am–6:00 pm
Sunday 8:00 am–2:00 pm

SAVE! Add a day or two and save 20% off our R&R rates. Select your added day(s) on the Registration page.

THE ART OF LIVING RETREAT CENTER

Scenic. Serene. Inspiring.

The perfect place to begin your journey to holistic wellness.

Since 2012, the Art of Living Retreat Center has offered wellness retreats featuring meditation, yoga, and Ayurveda. The Center is high in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Boone, North Carolina, surrounded by 380 acres of pristine forest. Beauty, nature, and time-honored architecture create the perfect setting that is authentic, not extravagant.

“You drive up this mountain and it’s instant, total bliss. It’s beautiful. Everything about it is magical.”

—Chelsea H.

1000+ enthusiastic Google reviews

PRICING & ROOMS

All-Inclusive Accommodations

Prices include daily vegetarian meals from dinner on the night of check-in through lunch on the day of checkout. (Rates below are per person.)

Private Hotel Room

$407 per person/per night + tax

Shared Hotel Room (for 2)

$316 per person/per night + tax

Private Retreat Room

$308 per person/per night + tax

Shared Retreat Room (for 2)

Shared Retreat Room (for 3)

Private Hotel Room

$407 per person/per night + tax

Shared Hotel Room (for 2)

$316 per person/per night + tax

Private Retreat Room

$308 per person/per night + tax

Shared Retreat Room (for 2)

Shared Retreat Room (for 3)

TRAVEL INFO

We are remote—yet easy to get to.

The Art of Living Retreat Center offers the right balance between serenity and easy access.

Fly into Charlotte, NC—Two hours away by drive.
Check-in at 4:00 pm first day—eat dinner shortly after that.
Leave after lunch the last day—schedule your flight anytime
after 5:00 pm.

Transportation Options Between Charlotte and the Center

Hickory Hop Shuttle Service
Book online

hickoryhop.com

High Country Limo
828.898.9595

highcountrylimo.com

High Country Black Car
828.387.1977

High Country Black Car

Oscar’s Car Service
704.965.5800

Edwardo’s Car Service
704.949.6775

Blue Bird Transportation
828.989.7286

Blue Bird of Boone

Abby Cab
828.475.2988

abbycab.com

Uber or Lyft
Book in app on arrival

Service

Phone

Website

Hickory Hop Shuttle Service

Book online

hickoryhop.com

High Country Limo

828.898.9595

highcountrylimo.com

Oscar’s Car Service

704.965.5800

—

Edwardo’s Car Service

704.949.6775

—

Blue Bird Transportation

828.989.7286

Blue Bird of Boone

Abby Cab

828.475.2988

abbycab.com

Uber or Lyft

Book in app on arrival

—

Are you ready for a transformational experience?

SAVE! Add a day or two and save 20% off our R&R rates. Select your added day(s) on the Registration page.

Great experience, great people, great food, great place to unplug from the hustle & bustle of everyday life and relax.

Stay a little longer—save 20% when you add a day or two of R&R during registration.

HAVE QUESTIONS?

We are here to help.

What is your cancellation policy?

For room reservations, Ayurveda Wellness Retreats, and Art of Living Retreat Center (AOLRC) signature retreats, we have the following cancellation policy:

Refunds are available (less a $50/per person processing fee) up to 15 days before your program or stay.
Nonrefundable credit toward a future AOLRC program or stay (less a $50/per person processing fee) is available if you give notice between 14 and one day(s) before your program or stay. Credit may be applied to any AOLRC program or stay for one year following date of issue.
No credit or refund is available if you cancel on the arrival day, if you do not show up, or if you leave an event early for any reason. No refund will be available if you attend a program and are dissatisfied with its presentation or content.

AOLRC reserves the right to cancel a program at any time. If AOLRC cancels a program, you will receive a full refund. Some programs may have special cancellation policies; see individual workshop descriptions. For all other retreats, please be sure to check the registration page specific to that retreat.

Are there any age restrictions?

Unless otherwise indicated, our programs are open to participants 18 years of age and older.

Is your property meat-, alcohol-, and smoke–free?

To encourage a healthy environment we ask that guests not consume alcohol or meat in our public spaces, however, guests may enjoy these items in their rooms.

Our property is always smoke-free.

Can I eat there given my food allergies

Yes, we ask that guests with food allergies simply inform us so we can communicate those needs to our chef. Typically, we label potential allergens such as gluten, dairy, and nuts.

Do you have air conditioning?

Thanks to the cool climate of the Blue Ridge Mountains, air conditioning is rarely needed. For the occasional warm day, there is a fan in each room to help keep you comfortable.

Is your property ADA-compliant?

We do have lodging and event venues that are ADA-compliant. Due to the topography of our mountain campus, some are easier to access than others, so please speak to Guest Services (800.392.6870) prior to registering to ensure we can best accommodate your needs. We also have shuttles that run frequently throughout the campus.

How safe is the property?

We are committed to the safety of our guests and staff. Our mountaintop location and the surrounding areas are spacious, remote, safe, and secure.

It is safe to leave your windows open—and necessary for proper airflow!
Nature surrounds our campus, and it’s common to see rabbits, deer, gophers, wild turkeys, and other small animals. Please give them space, and they’ll do the same for you. We’ve never had a safety incident with animals on campus.

You can help!

If you come across an animal on campus or a trail, give it space, and please do not attempt to pet or feed it.
There’s no need to bring valuables to the retreat center; leaving them at home is best.

Location

639 Whispering Hills Road
Boone, NC 28607
800.392.6870

Discover deep rest and rejuvenation on our tranquil mountaintop campus set amidst 380 acres of pristine forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Boone, North Carolina.