Since the final bell rang out
on our New Years retreat January 1, Southern Dharma staff have been slowly winterizing and shutting down the retreat center for the season. The pantry is being emptied, the floors scrubbed, the proverbial shutters drawn on the space until April when we can welcome you all back again.
New Years of 2025 was rung in just the same way, with yogis and teachers alternately singing, chanting, and sitting in the meditation hall until midnight called them down to the dining hall for a sweet treat from the kitchen. But for staff and board, that fall and winter of 2024 did not feel neatly closed. Many in the region reflected that, after Hurricane Helene blew trees bare in September, time only felt like it was passing again when the leaves returned in spring.
That winter, following the disastrous hurricane and great administrative changes at Southern Dharma, it was clear that the challenges of 2024 were not yet finished. And that 2025 would call on the collective strength, effort, and authenticity of all its staff, board, and the innumerable others who support the center.
Now, a week into 2026, the Southern Dharma ecosystem is resilient and well-rooted for the years to come. And though, yes, the 2026 retreat schedule is now open for registration, and, yes, that is a very exciting, big deal—we want to take space here and now to practice gratitude. We want to say thank you to the many hands who made last year what it was, with all its perfect imperfections, and many practice opportunities that led to profound growth for the organization.
First, our teachers: Their guidance and practice are what bring people to Hap Mountain year after year. Every retreat, someone, often many someones, walk away with their life forever changed. Our teachers are our foundation and our blessing, and we want to offer them a deep bow of gratitude for their service in the world.
To our Board of Directors, whose care for Southern Dharma led them into service, thank you. When board members arrive for their meetings, there are smiles and the fluttering sound of a far-off flute by the stream. The expertise, knowledge, and kindness that each member holds is a gift to be in community with.
Thank you to our Retreat Managers who contributed to the Southern Dharma ecosystem in the midst of their “normal” lives, both near and far. With your presence, each retreat felt deftly held.
Gratitude to our dozens of Retreat Volunteers who, over the course of the year, have stoked countless fires, made a monstrous quantity of oatmeal, quietly helped our kitchen staff prepare daily meals, and generally made each retreat run seamlessly. You're the best.
Thank you also to Kris Moon and Keaton Hill who worked with focused intention and grace in supporting staff and connecting Southern Dharma further with the Western North Carolina community. Deep, deep bows to both of you and the work you continue to do in service to the community.
Before Cory's arrival as our Executive Director, staff and board were guided by our wonderful Interim Executive Director Rachel Zink, whose empathy, organization, and skillful communication helped us understand how we can move forward as an organization and nonprofit, grounded in the wisdom of where we are now.
We are grateful for so much that our Executive Director Cory brings to the SDRC team, but especially her ability to take the work she does seriously without being serious about it! She lead with playfulness, steadfast clarity, encouragement, and optimism, and models both self-care and temperance to those she leads.
Keith Felicity, who has acted as our Interim Retreat Center Director and Programs Manager, has created a supportive and compassionate framework for Southern Dharma during times of great transition. As they move toward their Clinical Pastoral Education internship following their Master of Divinity degree, we will miss their dedication, authenticity, silliness, and compassionate presence in the retreat season to come.
The radiance, laughter, and smiles that Facilities Lead Lizeth brings to the center can hardly be missed in whatever space she moves through. We get to see her act with generosity, curiosity, and bravery every week and are consistently moved by her joyful, loving, and hospitable spirit. The work she's done in the last three years with Southern Dharma shines with care and focus.
Anyone who has come on retreat this year has tasted the skill, creativity, and heart of Josh, our Kitchen Manager. In addition to nourishing our bodies with his delicious food, Josh has nourished the people he works closely with through both silliness and care, his skills in communication and willingness to turn towards difficulty. Josh was supported in the kitchen in the latter half of the retreat season by Jo Watson, Ashly Lovell, and Leslie Hammond-Jones. We want to thank this team for all of the care you gave to the food, the land, the yogis and the staff!
Huxley is our facilities support who shows up, not only as a handyman-wizard, but also as a living invitation to slow down and reflect. Each dialogue with Huxley is an opportunity for engaged, intentional communication with collaboration and care. His knowledge and interest in the natural world, curiosity about those around him, and generous playfulness makes him a cherished member of our community.
And of course we could not function without Amber, our beloved bookkeeper, whose honesty, attention to detail, and heart-centered nature is seen in all the work she does.
Most of all, thank you to our yogis. Thank you for your practice, your willingness, and your commitment. Without your dedication to your spiritual path, Southern Dharma could never have grown to be what it is today, 47 years since its founding.
PS: Vanessa is great. Hands down. All of these words, except for this gratitude for her, have been crafted and organized and edited by her careful and capable hands. Vanessa has been our registrar and communicated with so many retreat participants. She has also cooked and managed retreats to boot. Vanessa has been helpful, kind, compassionate, and passionate in each of her roles in our community. You can even read a blog post she wrote about the history of Southern Dharma's land. She is a loving and creative spirit that touched many of us this year. (-Keith Felicity!)
