Experience Spiritual Deepening
Unless otherwise noted, programs begin at 7 pm and end at noon.
Here is our June enewsletter. Sign up for future issues here.
World-Making with Our Bodies, Hearts and Radical Imaginations
June 20 – 24 (Wednesday-Sunday)
With Kate Karshna and Angela Coffee
How can we create space in our minds, lives, and bodies to open up to opulence, grace, and wisdom? How can we attune ourselves to desire in a way that sparks passion, clarity, and resilience? During this 5-day retreat, we will deeply rest, replenish, be curious, and play together around these questions. Incorporating the wisdom and practices of yoga, Ayurveda, and mindfulness, we will create a time of spacious and nourished inquiry to support the unique world-making we are each being called into. We will dance, make art, chant, and cultivate ceremonies that clarify and support the work of creation and manifestation. This retreat is open to anyone who wants to playfully move, celebrate, and create within a community of supportive and collaborative world-makers. Learn More
A Christine Center Special Women’s Event
Living Breath – Qi Gong and Meditation
July 6 – 8 (Friday-Sunday)
With Trish Johnson and Paul Stern
This meditation and qi gong retreat will use breath, through movement and stillness, as the thread to connect more deeply and intimately with ourselves and our daily lives. This connection to breath brings us to the present moment of our life and offers the opportunity to be here with ourselves, others and all of our experiences. It nurtures us to get out of our heads and into the life right in front of us as it unfolds. Learn More
Prayer by Heart and Hands: a retreat with rosaries and prayer beads
July 6 – 8 (Friday-Sunday)
With Gabriele Uhlein and Anastasia Dzenowgis
Tuition sliding scale: $150 – $250, plus meals and lodging, and $15 materials fee
Bring your favorite beads to pray! Bring your hands to string new ones! Since earliest times, people have used pebbles or strings of knots or beads on a cord to assist in prayer. Every major religious tradition uses some form of bead-fingering as a contemplative practice. This retreat is specially designed for contemplative prayer together, and the fun of creating beauty. We will be inspired by the rosary and beads from many faiths. Instruction and materials will be available to string a new personal set of beads. Bead by bead, we will tell stories, share our experience and most importantly, join our hearts and hands together in the practice of prayer and intercession.
Yoga Nidra 24
July 9 – 10 (Monday-Tuesday)
With Tracy Hart
Enjoy 24 hours of Restoration and Rejuvenation through the easiest yoga practice of all – simple, deep, natural rest! The Christine Center welcomes you to a monthly day designated for health, well-being, and ease. Each month, one of our featured instructors will offer a mid-week Yoga Nidra based program designed to help you experience quiet clarity and calm from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. Join us as we take a 24 hour “time out” from our busy lives to unwind one serene breath at a time. You may even choose to extend your stay and create your own customized personal retreat. Our woodland sanctuary awaits you! Learn More
Mindfulness & Self-Compassion
July 19 – 20 (Thursday-Friday)
With Barbara Wulf
Learn ways to offer the compassion we often have for others… to ourselves! Through mindfulness and Loving Kindness meditation, we begin to open our hearts and minds in a way that awakens a deeper connection to self. This retreat includes a variety of mindfulness practices including very gentle mindful movement.
There will be group dialogue and time to commune with nature in the peaceful setting of the Christine Center grounds. Learn More
Intuitive Painting: The Joy of Creativity in a Judgement-Free Zone!
July 19 – 22 (Thursday-Sunday)
With S. Gabriele Uhlein, OSF, PhD
No previous art skill is required! If you are an artist, here is a chance to dare yourself to stretch into fresh creative possibility! Just bring your willingness to deepen insight and to strengthen intuition in a fun and supportive community of happy painters! (Come with a friend!) Bring a sense of play, adventure and openness! Each day includes two creativity and intuition sessions with S. Gabe and an evening conversation circle. Dare to enter a marvelous “judgement-free zone” for freeing soul, breaking old patterns and discovering fresh creative possibilities. Just wait till you see the studio walls! Learn More
The Compassionate Heart
July 20 – 22 (Friday-Sunday)
With Johanna Seubert, FSPA and Henrita Frost, SSND
Discover the power of the human heart for compassion. Empowered by the practice of Loving Kindness Meditation allow yourself to engage in a journey with compassion. Sense it flowing from your experience of self-compassion and moving to embracing all beings and the environment with an all-inclusive loving kindness – omitting none, as we offer healing to the Global Community. Learn More
Sound and Silence
July 20 – 22 (Friday-Sunday)
With Cecilia Corcoran, FSPA, PhD (right) and Wendy Kohlhaas, ICS, CSAC, LPN
Tuition: $150, plus meals and lodging
Two practices based on praying from the heart frame this retreat. Sounds produced by gemstone crystal and Tibetan bowls help purify and raise the vibration of the body. The pure sound helps you release aches and tensions of a lifetime. Sacred singing, mantras, toning and giving voice can move us toward higher states of well-being. Learn and practice simple chants to pray when there are no words. Each tone makes its journey into deep places within the soul and aligns us with divine harmony.
Ancestral Impressions: Exploring Your Ancestry through Creativity, Imagery, and Intuition
July 23 – 26 (Monday-Thursday)
With Audrey Chowdhury
Even if you know nothing about them, your ancestors are a tremendous resource for you, and they are just waiting for you to ask them for guidance and information about who and where you come from. Through my work as an art therapist and facilitator, I have been surprised and delighted to find that our ancestors love to speak to us through creative processes. In this workshop experience, we will play with ways to get in touch with those that came before us. We will be tapping into this great well of wisdom and experience through processes that use your creative imagination. We will travel to the ancestral realm using guided imagery, SoulCollage®, mandala creating, intuitive art processes and intuitive writing. You will learn about the four realms of ancestral memory and explore your heritage through these portals. We will take movement breaks to help integrate our experience and have time to take advantage of the beautiful natural surroundings at the Christine Center. Learn More
Heart-Light and Soul: A Weekend of Practice and Experience in Christian Meditation
July 27 – 29 (Friday-Sunday)
With Annie Lea and Gabriele Uhlein
Tuition sliding scale: $150 – $200, plus meals and lodging
Hosted by Annie Lea, join Gabriele Uhlein as we discover the depth and brilliance of the mind of Christ and the wide and welcoming heart of God. Savor sanctuary stillness, encounter Divine Love and experience the ways of prayer and meditation known to most Western saints and mystics. With ample instruction and conversation, this retreat is ideal for all levels of experience, and for those wanting to explore a Christian meditation tradition. Drawing on the Christ lineage of contemplation and union with God through direct, centuries-old spiritual practices, we’ll meditate together in simple awareness and deep listening. Individual spiritual guidance is also available for an additional donation. Commuters are welcome.
Upside Down: Exploring Perspective Through Writing and Yoga
July 29 – August 2 (Sunday-Thursday)
With Joanne Nelson and Sabre Page
Through yoga we open ourselves to possibility. Our bodies stretch and grow strong, our spirits are deepened, and our minds relax and renew. When the body, spirit, and mind are united, amazing things happen. Integrating writing experiences with a yoga practice enriches and enlivens the opportunities for creative growth.
Looking at everything in a new way—right side up, upside down, or sideways will be our theme. We will practice a variety of yoga poses and writing techniques designed to help us view ourselves and our writing from new perspectives. Combining these modalities allows the inner and outer world to be explored through a different lens as we experiment, play, deepen, and grow.
Whether you are a seasoned yogi and writer, or just beginning to explore, you will grow from from this innovative workshop filled with techniques that can be applied to all levels of practice and all genres of writing. Time will be available for writing in silence as well as for optional sharing in a safe and supportive community. Learn More
Embracing the Brahmaviharas: Abodes of Love
August 5 – 10 (Sunday-Friday)
With The Mindfulness Community of Milwaukee
Please register with Milwaukee Mindfulness
The Mindfulness Community of Milwaukee is pleased to present its second annual weeklong retreat at the Christine Center. The mindfulness community of Milwaukee has been active for 20 years and has experienced practitioners who will lead the retreat. Five members are ordained in the Order of Interbeing, a special commitment to practice. In the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, there will be plenty of time for meditation, reflection, instruction, and Dharma sharing. The retreat will begin on Sunday evening, 7 PM and end at lunch on Friday. Learn More
Men’s Summer Retreat
August 13 – 17 (Monday-Friday)
With Endel Kallas
Tuition sliding scale: $100 – $150, plus meals and lodging
This past January some two dozen men gathered to deepen and explore a consciousness of their sacred task in this world.. Practicing head, heart, and body presence, they shared their personal stories to nourish a fresh sense of collective being as men. This fresh emergence of mythopoetic meaning and creative purpose continues to spring forth from a spiritual center at once both the inimitable core of selfhood and the unique offerings of the Christine Center. Please consider joining us to continue this flourishing by joining us in participation and co-creation at our Men’s Summer Retreat. Learn More
Holy Spirit, Mother Mary, the Saints and Me: Three Evenings of Exploration into Christian Meditation and Contemplative Prayer
August 14, 21 & 28 (Tuesday Evenings)
Annie Lea with Franciscan Sisters: Marge Zulaski and Gabriele Uhlein
Suggested donation: $10
Have you ever wondered if there is Christian contemplation for ordinary folks? Is there a foundation for mindfulness in Christianity? Did Jesus meditate? How can I? Hosted by Annie Lea, these three evenings are a lovely blend of practice and conversation ideal for all levels. Explore beginning meditation and gently deepen your prayer in a circle of shared contemplation in the natural sanctuary of the Christine Center. We will meditate, reflect and learn from each other!
Emotional Healing Using Buddhist Wisdom
August 17 – 19 (Friday-Sunday)
With Lama Yeshe
Our minds naturally turn toward healing and health just like our bodies do when sick or injured. This program will help us learn to encourage the natural healing process, develop healthier ways to look at ourselves and the world we live in. By connecting to our noble heart we encourage the healing process. A healthy mind experiences happiness, inner peace, love and contentment. It will include talks, discussion, sitting, walking and guided meditation and meditation instruction. Learn More
Yoga Nidra 24
August 21 – 22 (Tuesday-Wednesday)
With Ann Swanson E-RYT 200, RYT 500
Enjoy 24 hours of Restoration and Rejuvenation through the easiest yoga practice of all – simple, deep, natural rest! The Christine Center welcomes you to a monthly day designated for health, well-being, and ease. Each month, one of our featured instructors will offer a mid-week Yoga Nidra based program designed to help you experience quiet clarity and calm from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. Join us as we take a 24 hour “time out” from our busy lives to unwind one serene breath at a time. You may even choose to extend your stay and create your own customized personal retreat. Our woodland sanctuary awaits you! Learn More
The Art of Relaxation
August 24 – 26 (Friday-Sunday)
With Tracy Hart, CYT
Tuition sliding scale: $100 – $150, plus meals and lodging
Learn techniques to relax the mind, release the nervous system and develop an overall sense of peace and tranquility. Sessions will incorporate periods of yoga exercises, breath work, conscious relaxation, Yoga Nidra and seated meditation. It will also include a restorative yoga session with crystal singing bowls. There will be personal time to commune with nature or in the recuperative act of rest. Please bring a yoga mat and 2 firm blankets if possible. All levels welcome. Enjoy! Learn More
Speaking Peace: What You Say Next Can Change Your World
Enriching life through Compassionate Communication
August 24 – 26 (Friday-Sunday)
With Wade Britzius
In this workshop we will discover and practice the tools of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), developed by Marshall Rosenberg Ph.D. These simple but powerful concepts and practices are supporting people around the world, on many different paths, from all different cultures, to live out the life they are seeking. NVC points to the thinking, and especially the language that can shift our attention and our intention toward the universal as we move through the ups and downs of daily life. From this place, no matter what our path, we have increased capability to actualize our spiritual understanding. Learn More
Yoga Nidra 24
September 4 – 5 (Tuesday-Wednesday)
With Tracy Chipman, MA, CYT, AYS
Enjoy 24 hours of Restoration and Rejuvenation through the easiest yoga practice of all – simple, deep, natural rest! The Christine Center welcomes you to a monthly day designated for health, well-being, and ease.
Yoga Nidra, also known as ‘Yogic Sleep’ is an ancient practice that offers very deep rest. It is a systematic method, creating an experience of restful alertness allowing the physiology, the neurology and subconscious mind to sink into a deep wellspring of relaxation and rest. Please join Tracy in the sanctuary of the Christine Center for this delicious gift given to and received by your sweet self. Learn More
Autumn’s Wisdom: A Restorative Yoga Retreat with Rev. Shannon Michael Pater, PsyD. E-RYT 500
September 12 – 14 (Wednesday-Friday)
The Vernal Equinox is one of the two brief moments of balance between the day and the night; it serves as the portal to Autumn, a season of depth, release and restoration. Even the red, orange and yellow colors of the leaves reflect the grounding of the root and lower chakras. The wisdom of the trees can guide us in letting go and composting the soil of our soul.
The Sanskrit linguistic stem for “yoga” is “union,” as in the re-union of our sacred core to The Sacred Core. In classic Hatha yoga, the foundation is a grounding in the Yamas: non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, conservation of vital energy, and non-hoarding. The Yamas are invitations to touch our core instead of the nothingness after which we frequently grope and grasp. Autumn is a perfect time to regroup and reground as we move into the rich spiritual soil of darkness.
In this retreat, participants will have the opportunity to:
- Explore the gifts of Autumn and the grounding of the Yamas in facilitated conversations;
- Use the generous landscape, intuitive painting studio, labyrinth and spiritual practices of the Christine Center;
- Integrate insights, questions and awakenings through a daily trauma-informed restorative yoga practice;
- Set a sankalpa (sacred intention) for the upcoming season at the end of the retreat.
Cultivating Mindfulness One Breath at a Time
September 13 – 14 (Thursday-Friday)
With Barbara Wulf, B.S.
Mindfulness can shift our experience, expand our awareness, and open us up to new approaches to life. In this workshop, learn techniques for bringing awareness and balance into your life while cultivating a sense of overall calm. Sessions include Sitting Meditation, Loving Kindness Meditation, Gentle Mindful Movement, Walking Meditation (outside), and Mindful Rest Yoga, a form of deep, restful yogic sleep.
There will be group dialogue and time to commune with nature in the peaceful setting of the Christine Center grounds. Learn More
Change, Chaos and Contentment
September 17 – 19 (Monday-Wednesday)
With Lama Yeshe
The Buddha often talked about impermanence, that everything is constantly changing. We know the good times don’t last and our bodies don’t either. However the bad times also don’t last and because of impermanence we can grow and change. Appreciation and gratitude, love and compassion, and wisdom help us develop contentment in spite of the chaos. This program will explore the ideas and methods found in Buddhism that will lead to experiencing more satisfaction and contentment in life. It will include talks, discussion, sitting, walking and guided meditation plus meditation instruction. Hearing about contentment is good. Experiencing it through hearing, contemplation and meditation is better. There will be an opportunity to have an optional private audience with Lama Yeshe. Learn More
Save the Date! Register early – spaces fill quickly!
St Hildegard Lives! A Festival of 21st Century Greening Inspiration
September 21 – 23 (Friday-Sunday)
With S. Gabriele Uhlein, OSF, PhD and Hilde-friends
Tuition: $250, plus meals and lodging. Early bird rate $200 through August 30th.
Come! Taste spices, sample spelt, hear music, see beauty, know God, sing! We’ll do all these Hilde-things! Let St. Hildegard challenge your soul to find its greening expression and allow her profound insights to fortify your own soul-path. Discover fresh, exhilarating ways in which the vibrant light of the 12th century St. Hildegard can nourish and sustain a 21st century mystic clarity. With select guests, S. Gabriele will explore the creative zest that continues to animate teachers and healers, herbalists and spice-sellers, artists and writers. They share their stories and creations to inspire our own spiritual experience and personal Hildegard-greening!
Aging into Higher Consciousness
September 25 – 27 (Tuesday-Thursday)
With Delmarie Gibney, FSPA and Lucia Leck, M.Ed.
Join us in exploring aging as nature’s way of luring us deep into the discovery of who we are, bringing us to the pinnacle of our personal and spiritual development. Hosted close to the time of the spring and fall equinoxes, when life is either budding forth or being harvested, we focus on our own aging process. We look back at who we have been or forward to who we are becoming. Learn More
You Can Experience This Too
The staff has been incredibly kind. Everyone has gone out of their way to be of service. I could not ask for a more loving environment. David B.
The staff were so warm and welcoming. I felt completely comfortable right away. Judy M.
The energy at the Center is so calm, soothing, and peaceful. Everyone is so kind and helpful. I felt safe and cared for by ALL the staff. Laurie R.
The staff was so helpful and friendly. They took care of my special diet with excellence. Spruce K.