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Ecodharma Zazenkai with Karen Waconda-Lewis (Daylong Retreat)

Reciprocity with the Elements

Ecodharma Zazenkai (Daylong Retreat) with Karen Waconda-Lewis

Saturday, May 16th, 2026
In-person and online

At the core of our Ecodharma practice is healing our relationship with ourselves and Mother Earth, and remembering that we are One with the Earth and all its beings. Essential to this process is acknowledging the land, its history, and present, asking permission to be here, and delving into the reciprocity that always exists, right here.

In this Zazenkai (Day of Practice), Karen Waconda-Lewis will share her wisdom on permission and reciprocity, drawing from Buddhist teachings and her lineage of Native Medicine from Laguna Pueblo. She’ll guide us through a specific contemplative practice for building a relationship with each of the four elements: Air, Fire, Water, and Earth.

We’ll practice turning outward during our practice, learning to listen to the elements and to respond to their outpouring of support in each moment.

This daylong retreat is offered both online and in person. Weather permitting, we’ll practice most of the day outside, bringing the connection and experience of the elements right into the heart of our practice. If you’re joining us in person, please bring anything you find helpful for sitting outside. We’ll have tarps available to place cushions outdoors. If you’re joining us online, please find a place to sit outside wherever you’re calling in from (even just opening a window can be a big help!).

If you’re joining us in-person, please bring a packed lunch. Breakfast, tea, and coffee will be provided.

This Zazenkai is open to all and is part of our 2026 Ecodharma May.

Registration Fee

In-person: $60
Online: $30

Members receive 15% off. Partial scholarships are available. See the registration page for details.

Register for all three Ecodharma retreats in May and receive 25% off!

In addition to this weekend retreat, there is a weekend retreat with Nic Redfern and a 6-day sesshin with David Loy. You can register for all three as a commuter or camper for a discount on the full registration.

About The Teacher

Karen Waconda-Lewis is a tribal native of the Isleta and Laguna Pueblos. After her initiation into Native Medicine, she introduced traditional healing practices into an urban American Indian health clinic in Albuquerque, NM. She continues to expand this program into local hospitals, the Indian Health Service, the VA Hospital, and surrounding organizations. Karen integrates Western medicine with Native healing in preventive health, mental health, and overall well-being. She is the founder and director of the Center for Native American Integrative Healing, LLC, located in Albuquerque, where healers from various tribal nations practice their traditional medicine and extend their services to the community.

Karen is a Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader program graduate and has been practicing mindfulness from a young age, guided by her grandparents in her traditional tribal practices of caring for the land, gardening, cooking and animals. She regularly provides dharma teachings incorporating Native teachings in her community and nationally. She has intertwined Native teachings with Vipassana meditation, incorporating these practices into ceremonies, sweat lodges, and her community at Laguna Pueblo. At Laguna Pueblo, the ancestral teachings of mindfulness have complemented the Buddhist teachings at the Detention Center, providing insight and wellness to inmates and their families. Additionally, Karen co-founded the Annual Indigenous and Native Healers Silent Retreat and the Albuquerque People of Color and Allies Sangha. She has also been appointed volunteer faculty at the University of New Mexico’s School of Medicine, where she guides faculty and staff on tribal health issues and wellness support to medical students and residents.

In her personal life, Karen enjoys spending time with her family, including her daughter and two grandchildren. She manages the family ranch and loves spending time with ancestral lands and caring for its inhabitants.

Listen to Karen’s last Dharma talk at Mountain Cloud, “The Eightfold Path and Tribal Spirituality”:

Registration Fee

In-person: $60
Online: $30

Zazenkai/Daylong dates in 2026

  1. January 17
  2. February 21
  3. April 18
  4. May 16
  5. July 11
  6. August 8
  7. October 17

 

Date
May 16
Time
6:30 am - 4:00 pm
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