Listening to Our Ancestors

What if the wisdom you've been seeking lives not in the future, but in the lineage beneath your feet? Listening to Our Ancestors is a transformative five-day meditation retreat that invites you to attune to the guidance flowing through your ancestral lines and the natural world itself. Held at the renowned Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, this immersion weaves together qigong, Buddhist and Daoist contemplative practices, and somatic awareness to help you access ancestral knowledge as a living resource for healing and resilience.

Over this week-long journey, you'll learn to listen—not just with your mind, but with your whole being. Through gentle movement, breath work, and meditation, you'll discover how ancestral wisdom lives within your body and can be activated as a source of inner strength. Whether you're navigating life transitions, seeking deeper belonging, or called to honor your lineage, this retreat creates a sacred container for that work. You'll leave with concrete practices to continue the conversation with your ancestors long after the week ends.

This is not an intellectual study, but an embodied exploration. The retreat recognizes nature itself as part of our lineage—ancient, intelligent, and continuously offering guidance. By the week's end, participants develop a transformed relationship to self, community, and the living world, cultivating practices that foster genuine resilience and a felt sense of belonging within the greater continuum of life.

What to Expect

This five-day immersion balances structured teaching with time for integration and personal practice. Daily sessions include guided qigong and movement practices designed to open the body as a listening instrument, meditation instruction that draws on Buddhist and Daoist wisdom traditions, and facilitated contemplative exercises that help you attune to ancestral presence. The retreat creates space for both solitude and community, allowing you to process your experience while connecting with fellow seekers on similar paths.

The atmosphere is grounded, intentional, and unhurried—designed to support deep inner work. You'll develop practical tools for listening to subtle guidance, learn how to work with breath and body awareness to access ancestral knowing, and participate in practices that strengthen your sense of belonging to something larger than yourself. The retreat concludes with practices and resources you can integrate into daily life, ensuring this work continues to unfold long after you return home.

Venue & Logistics

Listening to Our Ancestors takes place at Omega Institute, a retreat center nestled in the Hudson Valley in Rhinebeck, NY. The retreat runs for five days beginning Sunday, October 11, 2026. Omega's campus offers comfortable accommodations, nourishing vegetarian meals, and serene natural surroundings that support deep practice. Wear comfortable clothing suitable for gentle movement and meditation. For accessibility needs or specific questions about the space, contact Omega Institute directly.