Shambhala Training

Shambhala Training offers a structured path of meditation practice, rooted in the ancient wisdom of the Shambhala tradition and created for the challenges of modern, everyday life.  It is suitable for both beginning and experienced meditators, and open to all.  

The Shambhala teachings are a fresh way of connecting with our innate, or basic, goodness. These teachings explore how we can be fearless and gentle—with both ourselves and others—and how we can connect to a sense of magic in the living environment. 

Through a comprehensive overview of mindfulness-awareness meditation and contemplative living practices, Shambhala Training presents the profound, simple, and incredibly relevant view that when we cultivate an awake and compassionate relationship with ourselves, we are also fostering a healthy transformation in society and our world altogether.


The Shambhala Training path of practice and study includes a series of five weekly weeknight courses, and five weekend retreat programs.  The courses and weekends are recommended to be taken in an integrated way, as listed below. 

Shambhala Training Level I: The Art of Being Human (Online)
Saturday, April 6 – Sunday, April 7 with Gayle Van Gils

Meditation in Everyday Life (In-Person)

Shambhala Training Level II: Birth of the Warrior (Online)

Contentment in Everyday Life (Online)

Shambhala Training Level III: Warrior in the World (Online)

Joy in Everyday Life

Shambhala Training Level IV: Awakened Heart (Online)
Saturday, March 16 – Sunday, March 17 with Shambhala Online

Fearlessness in Everyday Life (Online)

Shambhala Training Level V: Open Sky (Online)
Saturday, June 8 – Sunday, June 9 with Shambhala Online

Wisdom in Everyday Life (Online)

Dates subject to change.


About the Curriculum

Shambhala Training is made up of five weeknight courses and five weekend retreats. Taken together, these ten programs offer a comprehensive path of meditation training and skills building that results in a simple yet profound personal transformation.

In the foundational course, Meditation in Everyday Life, we learn to tame our often wild minds – acknowledging and letting go of unhealthy patterns of thought and behavior – and to become familiar with the simplicity of our body, breath and natural wakefulness. In each successive program, we expand our awareness outward, learning to relate more directly with others and eventually applying mindfulness and awareness throughout all aspects of our lives. Through this series of courses, the challenges of daily life can become opportunities for both awareness practice and social action.

At the heart of Shambhala Training are the five weekend retreats. When we create the time and space to dive fully into meditation practice, we are able to experience the openness and relaxation that are possible when we settle fully into the present moment. These weekend trainings are opportunities to engage meditation practice in a deep way – discovering what occurs through extended sessions of sitting meditation, walking meditation and mindful movement, guided by experienced teachers and qualified instructors. Each weekend offers a subtle but powerful variation on the basic technique, eventually empowering us with a full range of mindfulness-awareness practices that guide and inform our life journey.

Through the contemplative experience of Shambhala Training, we can awaken our inherent dignity, kindness and confidence and open fully to our life as it is, here and now.