For me, bowing is a very embodied experience of renunciation—coming to the earth, forehead down, touching—so the whole of my body and being is involved in this offering, in this letting go, receiving whatever the Dharma can teach me.
Yong Oh
Residential Retreat Teacher
Yong is a Dharma Council teacher at the Durango Dharma Center and a core teacher for Sacred Mountain Saṅgha, and is also a visiting teacher for other community centers across North America. He teaches retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Insight Meditation Society, Big Bear Retreat Center, and Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center. He is a graduate of the 4-year Insight Meditation Society Retreat Teacher Training program, Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s 2-year Community Dharma Leaders program, the 2-year Nature Dharma Teacher Training, and the Sacred Mountain Saṅgha 2-year Dharmapala training, taught by his primary teachers Kittisaro and Thanissara.
Yong is also a retired acupuncturist, and he deeply loves mountains and forests and bringing the practice of meditation into nature. Nature and Dharma are at the heart of his path. He also has a particular interest in devotional expression and supporting caregivers as well as communities of color in the Dharma. For his full schedule, visit yongoh.com.
Yong Oh's Upcoming Programs
Retreat | On-Land | Hybrid
April 1 - April 8, 2025 | Tuesday - Tuesday | 7 nights
Steadying the Heart: Refuge through the Four Sublime States
Registration Open. The Buddhist path cultivates four transformative qualities that can be developed into steadfast dwelling places for the heart: kindness, compassion, joy, and balance. Known as the brahmavihāras, these states can be powerful supports for deepening concentration and insight on the contemplative path and responding to suffering. Throughout this retreat, we will explore techniques to develop each of these states, and release the obstacles that hinder us from living a full life and responding meaningfully to the needs of our world.
Retreat | Online Non-Residential | Hybrid
April 1 - April 8, 2025 | Tuesday - Tuesday
Steadying the Heart: Refuge through the Four Sublime States
Registration Open. The Buddhist path cultivates four transformative qualities that can be developed into steadfast dwelling places for the heart: kindness, compassion, joy, and balance. Known as the brahmavihāras, these states can be powerful supports for deepening concentration and insight on the contemplative path and responding to suffering. Throughout this retreat, we will explore techniques to develop each of these states, and release the obstacles that hinder us from living a full life and responding meaningfully to the needs of our world.
Retreat | On-Land
June 27 - July 3, 2025 | Friday - Thursday | 6 nights
This is How Civilizations Heal: The Alchemy of the Three Poisons - A BIPOC Retreat
Open to all self-identified BIPOC.
Registration Open. The three poisons—greed, aversion, and delusion—are mind states that cloud the heart and mind. However, by clearly recognizing the three poisons, we can meet them with their antidotes of generosity, mettā, and wisdom. Generosity expands our ability to feel connected and reminds us that we belong to each other. Mettā opens the heart, protecting us from both inner and outer harm, while wisdom allows us to see things right sized as we move through the world.
Retreat | On-Land
August 22 - August 27, 2025 | Friday - Wednesday | 5 nights
Finding Refuge, Finding Home: A Retreat in Nature
Registration Opens - February 19. In the storms of our lives, we need refuge—a place of nourishment and support where we can replenish our tired bodies and troubled hearts. When the Buddha taught meditation, his first instruction was to go sit under a tree. We will practice together in the age-old tradition of being outside in the company of the natural world. Together, we will tap into the natural stillness and dynamism that surrounds us and teaches us balance.
Retreat | On-Land
November 14 - November 21, 2025 | Friday - Friday | 7 nights
Natural Radiance: Exploring the Freedom of Awareness
Registration Opens - February 19. Awareness is a beautiful, hidden jewel that is innate in everyone. Awareness illuminates experience, which supports clarity, understanding, and insight. It is a foundation for wisdom, compassion, and awakening. In this silent meditation retreat, we will explore this quality of awareness—what it is, and how to cultivate and abide in awakened presence.
Retreat | On-Land
November 22 - November 30, 2025 | Saturday - Sunday | 8 nights
Reclamation of the Sacred: Journey into Refuge, Presence, and Love
Registration Opens - February 19. In helping us to deepen our refuge and reconnect with what is most precious and sacred in this life, this retreat draws from teachings and practices that open us to the heart of compassion. Informed by a synthesis of Theravāda Buddhism as transmitted through the Thai Forest Tradition and the teachings of Ajahn Chah, and Mahāyāna practices and teachings around Quan Yin’s compassionate Bodhisattva Path, this retreat includes devotional practices, Dharma talks, meditation instructions, Yoga sessions, and meetings with teachers.
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Yong Oh through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.