Seven-Day Retreat with Sandra Gonzalez and Wayne Coger (in-person and online)

The beautiful month of May brings Sandra and Wayne together again for a retreat in which both will give talks and meet with participants privately and in the afternoon dialogue groups.

Sandra Gonzalez has led retreats in both English and Spanish for several years. She began working with Toni in 1988. Previously, she studied at other meditation centers. Sandra was born and raised in Nicaragua. She leads or participates in retreats in Springwater and other locations each year. She writes:

Presence invites presence when there is no resistance, no ownership of ideas, experiences or things, no worrying, no hurrying, no judging, no defending–just the ease of life when we meet without wanting things to be otherwise. Certainly we all can participate; presence is free and available to all of us. There is a true beauty in this.

Wayne Coger has led retreats since 2001. For more than 30 years he worked with Toni Packer, and has been a staff member of the Center since 1983. Currently he is serving as Administrator. Previously, he studied at the Rochester Zen Center. He says:

Toni Packer asked me if I would share the work that we do with others. While I have never had any desire to become a ‘teacher,’ exploring the work of meditative inquiry has been my deepest joy and passion for many years. What excites me is this possibility to look at anything and everything freshly, without inhibitions or strictures. It is through this open inquiry that we begin to learn about ourselves. To learn how we are when we are not bound by our ideas and self-images.