Retreats
with Saqib & Charles.
Presence. Connection. Creativity.
Upcoming Retreats
Wu Wei Weekend: A Tao Retreat
Teachers: Charles Freligh and Saqib Rizvi
When: July 3-6, 2025
Where: Mount Olivet Retreat Center, just south of Minneapolis, Minnesota, on 150 acres of land along Chub Lake
What: A few days to relax the mind and body, access your intuition, and be in peaceful community in a beautiful location.
Capacity: 15 participants (11 spots remaining)
Cost: $1850 (all-inclusive); $3000 if booking as a couple with shared room
Brief description:
The retreat will take place starting the afternoon of Thursday, 7/3, and finishing late morning on Sunday, 7/6.
There are just 15 spots available. This number allows enough space for group members to connect with the retreat leaders and with each other.
To reserve your spot, there is a $300 deposit.
The total cost is $1850 (all-inclusive). The remainder will be due a month prior to the retreat.
The cost includes the retreat itself, a welcome bag, one hotel-style room, and high quality dining provided by the on-site chef. The center is surrounded by nature, has several walking paths, an indoor pool, outdoor fire pit, and more.
You can book one room as a couple at a $500 discount.
If you have questions, just email us.
For more details, keep reading below.
The meaning of wu wei:
The term wu wei refers to the ability to flow with life, not struggle against it. It is the central principle of Taoism. It is the art of non-forcing. It is a certain way of being. One that is relaxed, clear, focused, grounded, un-pressured, un-self-conscious, and guided by the natural energy of the present moment. This way of being will be the central focus of our retreat. Here’s a 10-minute video with a lovely description of wu wei by Alan Watts. During our weekend together, we will practice this way of being through a combination of the following:
Present Meditation: Guided group meditations led by Charles and Saqib, inspired by the Tao.
Present Speech: Present-based discussions led by Charles and Saqib, inspired by the Tao. We will encourage all speech during the retreat to come from the present (i.e., from the Tao).
Present Movement: There will be opportunities for mindful movement practices, including walks through the surrounding trails, as well as yoga and tai chi.
Present Creation: There will be opportunities for creativity both formally and informally. You are invited to create and express in any way you like (e.g., poetry, art, music, etc.)
Present Eating: Our meal times will be an opportunity to connect with each other, but also a chance to presently experience the miracle of food entering, nourishing, and becoming the body.
Present Silence: Throughout the weekend, you are invited to use silence as a teacher and friend.
The timing of things:
The first day, Thursday, 7/3, will be a half-day beginning in the afternoon, where you will sign in and receive a welcome bag (including a copy of the Tao Te Ching, a notebook and pen, a copy of the schedule, and likely some other goodies). Then you can settle into your room and get acclimated to the retreat space before our introductory group session followed by a group meal.
The next two days will be full days that will look like the sample schedule below.
And then we will have one more half-day on Sunday, 7/6, including breakfast and a final closing group session and integration experience.
Retreat schedule example:
7:30-8:00am: Optional Morning Meditation
8:00-8:45am: Breakfast
9:00-11:00: Group Session 1: The Tao
12:00pm: Lunch
1:00pm: Optional Movement Practice
3:00-5:00pm: Group Session 2: Wu Wei
6:00pm: Dinner and Celebration of the Day
*Any unscheduled time is still very much a part of the retreat, as we don’t want you to feel overwhelmed by scheduled activities. The main active ingredient may just be time and space away from the busyness of daily life to help you recenter and reset before reengaging into daily life with a renewed and refreshed sense of self. You may also wish to bring along a creative project you’ve been meaning to give more time and energy. This could be the perfect opportunity to offer your creativity some space to come through.
Mt. Olivet Retreat Center:
The retreat center itself is located along Chub Lake just 30 minutes from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. So it might make most sense to use a rideshare service (e.g., Uber, Lyft) to get to the center if you are flying in. We may also be able to organize a carpool if that’s of interest.
Here are a few features of the center:
Located on 150 acres along Chub Lake.
Hotel style rooms all including two full-size beds.
Several trails for taking walking in nature. Click here to view the trail map
Outdoor meditation labyrinth and garden
A large outdoor fire pit area (where we may hold some meetings depending on the weather).
Indoor heated pool, whirlpool, and sauna.
Fresh nutritious full meal service using ingredient from on-site garden and orchard and locally sourced foods. The chef sets a new menu each day so guests experience a variety of dishes during their stay. Click here for a sample menu
The kitchen can accommodate all dietary requests with advanced notice.
24/7 snack and beverage bar, including coffee, tea, lemonade, fruit, yogurt, trail mix, and other snack items.
High speed wifi available throughout the campus.
See photos of the center and campus grounds below
Words of encouragement:
So, if this feels like it’s for you, if the Tao is telling you this will be good for you, I encourage you to go ahead and reserve your spot here. I certainly don’t want you to feel rushed to do anything, but I also don’t know how long spots will be available (maybe they’ll be gone in a week, maybe they’ll be available for a few months🤷♂️).
If you need a little push to do something like this, here’s me gently offering one. I know I need a push sometimes.
I do believe an in-person retreat can impact your life in a way not many other things can. And specifically, I believe when you genuinely invite the Tao into your life, powerful things tend to happen, because you begin to flow with the force of the universe at your back, instead of at your front. The cost of this power is the letting go of feeling like you are in control of life.
Life is in control. But you can learn to flow with it.
Wu wei.
Photos of Mount Olivet Retreat Center:
