The Shape of Awake®: Weekend Option
with Hope Martin
September 25 - 27, 2026
Hope has agreed to offer weekend-only attendance to those who are unable to take the full 5-day program. During the weekend you will be introduced to the fundamental principles of the Alexander Technique and come away with a solid understanding of the basics.
“To take this posture itself is the purpose of our practice. When you have this posture, you have the right state of mind, so there is no need to try to attain some special state.” – Suzuki Roshi
Being upright is not just an arbitrary shape, it’s a perfect expression of meditation itself. Whether you are new to meditation or have been sitting for years, this experiential weekend offers a rare opportunity to learn about your body, let go of excessive tension, improve your posture and deepen your meditation practice.
Learn to be more upright, supported, and relaxed in your meditation sessions and in your life.
Throughout the weekend, Hope Martin, a master teacher of the Alexander Technique, will guide you through the foundational principles that will be explored in more depth during the full 5-day Shape of Awake® retreat.
Learn to recognize and let go of unconscious habitual patterns that interfere with your body’s innate sense of ease and balance. Discover that an easeful, grounded upright is not something you have to achieve since it has always lived in you — it is something you can uncover.
Hope’s skilled hands-on adjustments and instruction will teach you how to access effortless, balanced posture – both light and grounded. This helps to reduce the strain and discomfort that is often experienced during meditation practice.
What to Expect
- Learn basic experiential anatomy as it applies to sitting and everyday movement
- Understand the structural relationships that support comfortable, upright meditation posture
- Identify habitual patterns that create tension, discomfort, and interference
- Sit more comfortably — on a cushion or in a chair and move with more ease
- Learn Constructive Rest for settling the nervous system
- Leave with practical tools you can use immediately in your meditation practice and daily life
This weekend is the foundation of the full five-day Shape of Awake® retreat — and a complete program in itself. You will leave with a solid grounding in the principles and practices that support easeful, upright sitting and moving.
That said, the full retreat is where the real deepening happens. Over five days, you will have the time and space to integrate these principles more fully into your meditation practice and daily activities, explore Focusing as a tool for accessing the wisdom held in the body’s holding patterns, and experience the cumulative effect of daily guided meditation, hands-on instruction, and community. If you have the opportunity to stay for the full program, we warmly encourage you to do so. Participants consistently describe it as transformative.
Who Should Attend
Open to new and experienced meditators. No prior knowledge of the Alexander Technique is required.
Schedule Overview
Friday, Sept 25 (Arrival Day)
- Check-in is open from 3–5 pm. Please plan to arrive before 5 pm if possible, to settle in before dinner.
- Dinner is served at 6:30 pm. Orientation follows it.
Saturday, Sept 26 (Day 1)
- The day runs approximately 9 am to 9 pm. The evening session is optional if you need to rest.
- Meals are typically served on the following schedule: breakfast at 8:00 am, lunch at 12:30 pm, and dinner at 6:30 pm.
- The day includes guided meditation sessions, Alexander group classes with Hope Martin, highly skilled hands-on adjustments to find more ease and improve your posture, and regular breaks for meals, time outside and rest.
Sunday, Sept 27 (Day 2 and Departure)
- Sunday will follow the same general schedule as Saturday until departure, with a 7 am optional meditation and a contemplative walk before breakfast.
- Departure is planned for approximately 4:00 pm.
Weekend Only Retreat Cost
CAD $330 – 590, depending on lodging choice.
Pay in full or place a 30% deposit to hold your spot.
Generosity Policy
We want everyone to be able to attend retreats at Dorje Denma Ling.
Read About Our Generosity Policy
NEW! REPEATER discount, 30 & UNDER discount and MONASTIC discount are available during registration.
Other Useful Links
Registration and Cancellation Policy
What to Bring & Transportation
Testimonials
Shape of Awake transformed my relationship with my meditation practice and with my world. I feel more open, vulnerable, and available, while also feeling freer and more grounded. Hope’s clarity, directness, heartfulness, and deep experience were a powerful combination and a sorely needed antidote to the rampant disembodiment in our culture. — Miles Buklet
What I learned in the retreat was immediately useful and very interesting. Hope helped our group experience the truth of “embodied wisdom.” She was warm, compassionate, grounded, professional, and deeply informed. Her approach to the body perfectly parallels the compassionate self-observation we are engaged in as meditators. — Celena Matsen
Hope’s gentle encouragement to work with my physical and emotional discomfort helped me develop greater awareness of my recurrent holding patterns, greater trust in my body’s wisdom, and greater capacity to relax. As someone who had always armoured up to meet adversity, I have learned that I can drop the armour and engage difficult situations with greater gentleness and patience. — Mark D.
I find Hope to be a very skilled teacher with a strong intuitive sense of how to work with each individual. Her Alexander work is deep and subtle, and has been extremely helpful in deeply understanding some of the principles of meditation posture that had eluded me for many years. — Michael Chender
About the Leader
Hope Martin
Hope Martin has taught the Alexander Technique for 40 years, trained Alexander teachers for over two decades at the American Center for the Alexander Technique, and operates Hope Martin Studio in New York City. She is also a Meditation Instructor and a Focusing trainer. Hope had a 20 year teaching partnership with David Rome where […]
Learn more about Hope MartinCategories : On-Land Programs & Events, Public Program