Embracing Life
Meditation & Yoga Retreat
Mindfulness Practice,
Meditation, Gentle Yoga
Spiritual Inquiry, Art Expression
- Take time away from the demands of everyday life.
- Release old patterns that no longer serve you.
- Connect to inner guidance.
- Listen deeply and reflect.
- Spend time with like-minded people.
- Come closer to who you really are.
- Awaken to your True Self.
We host two retreats a year at
St. Crispin's Retreat Center.
Convenient to Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
Our next retreats will be:
November 7 - 10, 2024
March 27 - 30, 2025
This retreat offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in joyful and intentional practices for healing and well-being. It is an ideal environment to help you find clarity and come closer to your innermost self, while releasing old patterns that no longer serve you. This retreat is a great opportunity for you to give yourself some time and space, enjoy being with like-minded people, and focus on spirit and inner guidance.
Our days will be structured around a balanced schedule of meditation, chanting, gentle yoga, group discussions, mindfulness teachings, and art expression. Nourishing meals are provided, along with light snacks, tea, and coffee. The setting is welcoming, comfortable, and idyllic, with time after lunch to hike around lakes, enjoy the oak covered hills and rest.
We will also maintain silence outside of guided group discussions to facilitate deep transformation, with optional social time after lunch. Attendees quickly adjust to silence and appreciate the break from everyday small talk.
Our retreat leaders, Rick and Mary, lead gently with warmth, joy, intelligence, respect, and deep experiential knowledge. The environment is safe and non-judgmental, with a non-dogmatic approach that integrates Christian, Buddhist, Yoga Spiritual Practices, Western Brain Science, and Supportive Community.
We have combined meditation, yoga and contemplative practices to create a powerful spiritual and psychological container for connecting into the inner wellspring of true happiness and peace.
No prior experience of meditation, yoga, or art is required. The retreats are non-denominational and open to all from any faith or no faith.
March 27 - 30, 2025
Fee includes lodging, meals, and tuition.
Early Registration (Before Aug 24)
Per Person Double Occupancy: $535
Per Person Private Room: $689
Late Registration (After Aug 24)
Per Person Double Occupancy: $569
Per Person Private Room: $729
Registration Closes October 23, 2024
Preparing for Retreat
Retreat is a sacred time of rest, reflection, listening and learning. To ensure rest, optimal learning and comfort we follow a simple schedule of meditation, yoga, group meetings and rest. Each retreat is built around a theme, such as profound self-acceptance, living in the present moment and cultivating happiness.
During the twice daily group meetings we explore aspects of the retreat theme. All of the themes point toward the sacred nature of life. During retreat we also teach skills for emotional resilience, neuroscience as it pertains to healing and transformation and practices that encourage inner guidance.
Nothing is needed to prepare, your desire to be in retreat and willingness to participate in ways that feel right for you is all that is needed. At the very least, time away from your routine allows you to rest and rejuvenate. There is also the possibility that time in retreat is profoundly healing and revealing.
Mindfulness Practice
We meditate, consciously breathe, move our bodies with gentle yoga and practice mindful walking and eating. Mindfulness practice teaches us to witness our thoughts (rather than be ensnared by them), become increasingly aware of inner stillness (rather than it being drowned out by thoughts), and increases our awareness of present moment experience (rather than being distracted by thoughts) by focusing on breathing in and out, walking, eating, and doing simple yoga movements.
Self Inquiry
Here we look into the personality, the person we generally consider ourselves to be. We examine both the patterns that decrease our ability to tune into the inner essence (True Self) and the stories that comprise our self-identity (False Self), who we usually think that we are. Examining stories of identity frees us from the grips of early conditioning that mold our experience of ourselves and the world around us. The practice of inquiry is done through teachings, journaling and group discussions during the meetings.
Silence
This retreat will be held in social silence, with the exception of visiting time after lunch each day. We are holding the intention to create sacred space as a group.
The retreat seeks to be a place of refuge, reflection, and peace. We ask that participants be respectful of the contemplative atmosphere and be mindful of cell phone use and the potential for disturbing others.
Accommodations
St. Crispin's Retreat Center is located on 400 acres in the rolling, oak-covered hills of Seminole County within easy driving distance of Oklahoma City and Tulsa. There are quiet hiking trails and two lakes that convey a felt sense of peacefulness, stillness and serenity.
The retreat center lodge overlooks a tranquil lake surrounded by native oak-covered hills. The facility is a modern conference center with hotel style rooms. Each room has two twin beds and a private bathroom.
What To Bring
- An afghan, shawl or light blanket to wrap up in during periods of prayer, meditation or contemplation.
- Walking shoes, so that you can enjoy the beautiful property.
- A notebook and ink pen for journal writing.
- A meditation cushion or bench if you have one.
- For the gentle yoga, bring your yoga mat, yoga props, block and strapāif you have them. There will be a few extra yoga mats and props available.
What Not to Bring
Please leave books, computer, music, business, things to do, alcohol, recreational drugs, etc. at home so that you can truly rest and go inward. Please do not bring candles or incense to burn or scented products. If you travel with a cell phone, we encourage you to refrain from using it while at retreat.
Pets are not allowed at St. Crispin's Retreat Center.
Retreat Schedule
The retreat begins with registration on Thursday from 1:30 pm to 3 pm.
The schedule for the retreat program:
- Thursday, 3:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
- Friday & Saturday, 6:30 am to 8:30 pm.
- Sunday, 6:30 am to 1 pm.
To support the collective energy of mindfulness, a vital part of the retreat container, we ask that all attendees arrive on time and plan to stay through the end of the retreat.
The retreat ends at 1 pm on Sunday, and lunch is included on that day.
Dress
To make your retreat most enjoyable, please bring comfortable casual clothing to wear. Yoga clothes, shorts and tee shirts are fine. Plan to dress in layers and bring a sweater or sweatshirt so that your body temperature is just right for you. Be sure to bring clothes that are appropriate for walking or hiking so you can enjoy the trails and property.
Fragrance
For the sake of those who are highly sensitive to fragrance, please do not use any perfume or cologne, and please use only unscented, fragrance-free personal hygiene products. Note that many products labeled “natural” or “organic” do not contain fragrance.
Food
If you have special dietary needs, we encourage you to bring any supplemental items you may need. There is a refrigerator and a full kitchen available for guest use.
There are water, tea and coffee stations in the lounge; available 24 hours a day. Drinks may be brought to bedrooms, but cups and glasses should be returned to the service kitchen after use.
No food is permitted in the meeting rooms, and only drinks with lids are allowed.
Food Sensitivity
Many meals have dairy, wheat and/or gluten. The retreat center is set up to provide meals to groups, not to individuals. Menus are based on what is in season and in the market. Because of this, they are not able to accommodate individual needs. But, because there are many people with food restrictions, they try to offer a simple substitute for the meals.
If a retreatant has a severe allergy, please let our staff know before the retreat so the kitchen can make plans. Also, make sure to bring your EpiPen or an equivalent medicine. The kitchen asks us to let anyone with allergies know that they cannot guarantee that certain foods have not been contaminated before arriving on site.
Smoking
There are designated smoking areas outside the buildings. No smoking is permitted in the buildings or anywhere outside other than in the designated area.
Scholarship
At times, patrons provide full scholarships for our retreats. Additionally, we offer a limited number of partial scholarships for those who need financial assistance. Please contact us to apply for a retreat.
Cancellation Policy
Our contract with St. Crispin’s Retreat Center requires us to guarantee the number of lodging rooms we will use 30 days before the retreat begins. If you need to cancel within this 30-day window, please consider contacting us to donate your retreat reservation to someone else.
For individuals canceling their attendance for an upcoming retreat the cancellation fees are as follows:
Prior to 90 days before the retreat: $45 fee.
90-31 days prior to the retreat: $65 fee.
Less than 31 days prior to the retreat: no refund.
Retreat leaders
In the last 20 years we have facilitated two to four retreats a year. Our retreat teaching has evolved and deepened over the years and reflects intense study, practice and personal healing.
We utilize spiritual practices from the Wisdom Traditions. We draw from Buddhist, Christian, Sufi, Non-Dual and Yoga practices along with Energy Psychology, neuroscience and evolutionary psychology practices.
Mary’s yoga expertise has expanded to include yoga therapy and kundalini yoga and over four thousand hours of teaching. We have trained in energy psychology practices including Emotional Freedom Technique and authored four books on yoga and mindfulness practices for psychological healing.
“When you become really quiet, you encounter a profound stillness deep within that reveals the essence of who you truly are.”
Rick NurrieStearns, a long time mediation and mindfulness practitioner who is a student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. For over twenty years he was involved in publishing transformational books and magazines. He was the publisher of the magazines "Lotus: Journal for Personal Transformation" and "Personal Transformation," co-editor of the book "Soulful Living," co-author of "Yoga for Anxiety," "Yoga for Emotional Trauma" and "Yoga Mind, Peaceful Mind." Along with his wife Mary, he leads transformational retreats. He is nourished by silence, loves the wilderness and simple living.
“What has happened in your past is not who you are. The truth of who you are is discovered anew with every heartfelt breath.”
Mary NurrieStearns, has worked for over forty years as a psychotherapist and over thirty years as a yoga teacher/practitioner. She is author of numerous articles on psycho-spiritual growth, author of “Healing Depression, Anxiety and Unworthiness”, co-author of "Yoga for Anxiety," "Yoga for Emotional Trauma", "Yoga Mind, Peaceful Mind" and co-editor of "Soulful Living". Former editor of "Personal Transformation" magazine, she has produced transformational audios and video’s on the healing practices of compassion, yoga and meditation. She has presented seminars across the United States and co-leads, with her husband, transformational retreats. A long-time student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, she credits the meditative practices of yoga with profound healing.
A quiet person at heart, she lives in a wooded area near Tulsa with her husband and pets, amidst the animals of the forest.