TWENTY-SIX MEDITATORS from Europe and North America gathered near Monchique at the Karuna Retreat Center, surrounded by fruit trees, wildflowers, and open skies.

Participants came to the recent monthlong Joy of Living retreat in southern Portugal with different motivations: to deepen practice, fulfill homework requirements, or experience the teachings in silence supported by the natural beauty of Portugal’s Algarve region. Others were drawn by the decades of teaching experience of Tergar instructors Edwin and Myoshin Kelley. For all, the retreat offered something rare — the chance to experience the full arc of Mingyur Rinpoche’s Joy of Living teachings in one continuous container for practice.

“The idea of a monthlong retreat,” said Matthew Zumwalt, founding director of Tergar Retreats, “is not new.” When Mingyur Rinpoche first taught at St. John’s University in Minnesota in 2010, it was also a monthlong format.”

“When we chose to launch Tergar Retreats, our first priority was building a three-year retreat center,” said Matt from an interview at his home in Podentes, Portugal. “But we always knew we wanted also to offer retreats that are shorter — one week, one month — and the first time we sat down to meet with Rinpoche, he said, ‘I would really like to try doing a monthlong Joy of Living 1, 2, 3, including the homework.’”

“It was very clearly something Rinpoche had been thinking about for a long time. We tried it last year, and it went really well. Everybody seemed to love it. So we did it again this year, and it seems to have gone very well again,” Matt said.

“An Adventure”

For Dr. Maeve Butler, a clinical psychologist in Scotland, the retreat was deeply transformative. “It’s an adventure getting to know your mind very deeply,” she said. “The length of time and the setting, especially the natural environment, enable deep practice.”

Maeve hoped the retreat would bring greater stability of mind and insight into what Mingyur Rinpoche describes as our true nature — and she was not disappointed.

“The name of the course is “Joy of Living,” and what I found was that life is essentially joyful… a quiet, subtle, ever-present, unceasing kind of joy. That’s our nature. That’s everyone’s true nature.”

The meditation methods, she said, work. “I’ve had exposure to different communities and different ways of practicing over the years, over time. And what I’ll say about Tergar teachings, they are very reliable and trustworthy.”

“I’ve Never Had 28 Days Off in My Life!”

For Zak Robinson, an American living in Portugal, the four weeks of retreat were an entirely new experience. “Having the space to sit and look at how my mind was working was incredible. I’ve never had 28 days off in my life! The idea that your phone’s off, you’re not talking to anybody, and really having that time and that space to drop everything and just be with my thoughts was both challenging and really insightful.”

“It really gave me the opportunity to start looking at myself and the way that I perceive the world, and having the ability to see it, so then I can change it, if I want to.”

Weeks of sitting and being surrounded by nature brought him back to his body. “I’ve never been embodied like this before.”

Still, silence was difficult for his extroverted nature. “After two weeks, I went through a period where I was asking myself: What am I doing here? Why did I choose to be on retreat for 28 days?” The struggle, he said, led to a profound opening and renewed commitment to sitting.

“Perfect Conditions”

For Philipp W. from Switzerland, the retreat “exceeded by far my expectations.”

The weeks of meditation were quite a journey, with ups and downs. “It felt like the downs were necessary because a lot of learning was possible because of the downs. But there were also a lot of ups.”

The peaceful setting of Karuna offered ideal conditions. “When there are fewer distractions, the mind can be more collected. And if the mind is more collected, one has a different hearing of the teachings.”

He appreciated the simplicity of life there — nature, animals, and the rhythm of practice. “It felt like there were teachings in the hall, but also outside of the hall.” The format itself worked beautifully. “It was a very nice kind of dance between hearing teachings and having this understanding level, and having hours and hours of practice, and then also the possibility to clarify questions.”

The retreat was designed in such a way that practice days followed the teaching days. The practice days allowed retreatants to practice the meditations and also accumulate the needed homework hours to complete the entire Joy of Living series.

“So Full and So Grateful”

For Lorraine Aguilar, a yoga instructor from New York state, the month passed quickly. “I can’t believe it’s been a month. It’s been so full and I’m just so grateful for everything.”

Her main intention had been to recommit and solidify her practice. “And that’s what I’m going home with.”

Daily walks became part of her meditation. “Even today, just noticing the shift in my mind — so much quieter, not all this commentary going on in the background.”

She reflected on the simple act of listening — to footsteps, leaves, and life itself. “That’s going to be my continued practice to take home, just to be present — be here now — in my activities.”

“What really helped was having the interviews with Edwin and Myoshin,” she said. “They were really supportive in giving me feedback. Knowing I was on the right track was so helpful.”

“An Absolute Joy”

For Alyson Williams-Cheung, a retired nurse from Hawaii, the retreat truly lived up to its name. “It was an absolute joy,” she said. “The setting is breathtaking — sunrises over the mountains, the meditation hall with panoramic views, nature walks everywhere. The food was wonderful, and the staff were so caring. Everything supported the retreat.”

She praised the guidance of Myoshin and Edwin. “Myoshin and Edwin are like yin and yang. We couldn’t have asked for better teachers.”

She left the retreat with confidence. “I just have a very clear sense that I know what I’m doing 

now!”

“Tools for Living”

Carole Berthelot from Guadeloupe found the teachings “very realistic and very practical.”
“I think even at school it should be taught, because I think it’s so useful! These are tools for living — a way of living on how to behave when you have to face challenging perspectives.”

Over the years, she had intuited many of the teachings’ wisdom from challenging life experiences. “You can hear teachings many times, but when you experience them directly and you realize, ‘This teaching is true,’ it gives them so much more value.”

For Christian Theriault, from British Columbia, Canada, the retreat was “really different” from previous experiences. “We explored emptiness and wisdom in ways I hadn’t before, even in other Joy of Living retreats,” he said. “And what really made a difference was the people. Everyone here gave up vacations, bought plane tickets, and came for this. Being surrounded by people whose priority is practice — it changes everything.”

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October 2025