Tending the Garden of Your Heart
September 5 ~ 7, 2025
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Meditation Retreat at Mount Madonna
Join us for a restorative weekend retreat, Tending the Garden of Your Heart. This retreat will be held at Mount Madonna Retreat Center in Watsonville, California, from September 5 - 7, 2025. Through meditation, reflection, and wisdom teachings, we'll explore the heart-based teachings of the four Divine Abodes (Brahmavihārās) - loving-kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), appreciative joy (mudita), and equanimity (upekkha).
Mount Madonna Retreat Center is nestled in 380 acres of redwood-covered hills with sweeping views of Monterey Bay. It offers a peaceful setting for deep inner work. The retreat will include guided and silent meditations, wisdom teachings, gentle yoga, a sound bathing session and time in nature including a guided forest bathing experience. The offerings are designed to support both personal reflection and connection to the teachings. You’ll have space to slow down, listen inwardly and learn to nurture and express the four Divine Abodes in your own life. See below for more details.
Retreat Details
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NOURISHMENT & NATURE You’ll be nourished by delicious vegetarian meals, fresh air, and the natural beauty of Mount Madonna. The forest trails and quiet spaces invite rest and renewal. Whether you are new to meditation or looking to deepen your practice, this retreat offers a supportive and welcoming space.
ACCOMMODATIONS Most rooms at Mount Madonna are double-occupancy with shared bathrooms, supporting a quiet and community-focused environment. A small number of private rooms with en-suite bathrooms are available; early registration is encouraged to reserve one. If you require ADA accommodations, please reach out in advance so we can support your needs. For all accommodation and reservation questions please contact the Mount Madonna Center Guest Services team directly via email at guestservices@mountmadonna.org or phone at +1-408-846-4090. Depending on room availability, you are invited to reserve additional nights before or after the retreat to extend your time at the Center, please coordinate directly with Guest Services.
SCHEDULE & TRAVEL Check-in for the retreat will begin at 2 PM on Friday, September 5th. For those traveling from the Bay Area, carpool coordination will be available to make transportation easier and more sustainable. The retreat will end on Sunday, September 7th at 3 PM. If traveling by air, we recommend booking departing flights no earlier than 6 PM for Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) or 7 PM for San Francisco International Airports (SFO).
RETREAT FEES The retreat fees range between $855 and $1,235 depending on accommodations selected. A $100 Early Bird discount is available for reservations made on or before July 4th, 2025, reducing the fees to $755 - $1,135. A limited number of additional $100 scholarships are also available. Please email hello@myndtree.org to request a scholarship, requests will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Fees are all-inclusive and cover accommodations, food, tuition, and activities for the two days. Optional experiences such as massage treatments or Ayurvedic consultations at the Kaya Kalpa Wellness Center are not included, please make reservations directly with them if desired.
Teaching & Guidance
The retreat will be led by Gayathri Narayanan, the founder of Myndtree and a certified mindfulness meditation teacher. Gayathri brings warmth and clarity to her teachings, and will offer daily dharma talks and guided practices rooted in the Buddhist tradition.
We warmly invite you to join us for this weekend of reflection, renewal, and heart-centered practice. If you have any questions not answered above, please email hello@myndtree.org. Tending the Garden of Your Heart is not just a retreat - it is an invitation to nurture your deepest intentions, connect with your innate wisdom, and walk the path of loving awareness.
Gayathri has the rare ability to make people feel comfortable, and comforted. Her cheerful, gentle, compassionate presence belies her immense knowledge and experience. It isn't surprising that everyone who meets her, even in her teacher avatar, wishes so much to befriend her for life! It is her intellect that sparkles through in the material put together for the thought generating process- it never feels heavy or oppressive and sets forth a process of contemplation that is healing.
Jaya C.
It was a wonderful retreat and for me (and dare I say, all the participants) a fantastic way to start the new year. With lots of smiling faces and grateful hearts. The thought, work and care you put in showed in your talks, meditations, the material you provided and the assignments you had us do. I came away feeling happy, content and renewed. It was a time to go inwards and go inwards I did, coming out richly rewarded. Thank you!
Meenakshi H.
The day long retreat in Los Altos Hills to set intentions was more valuable than I expected. The setting was beautiful and Gayathri did an excellent job of planning and presenting the various concepts and activities. I came away with valuable insights and a clear sense of my intentions for 2025. I would recommend such a retreat without reservation.
Anne G.
Gayathri's retreat was a wonderful way to start the New Year. It helped me reflect on the past year, and helped me to focus on my vision for the coming year. With her loving heart and wisdom, Gayathri led a beautiful retreat. It was a retreat that I continue to reflect back on and am so grateful to have had this wonderful opportunity to start the year mindfully and with intention.
Joann S.
Join our daily drop-in Community Meditation group to meditate live with a warm, friendly group of fellow practitioners. No experience needed, all are welcome.