Treat yourself to a meditation retreat!

Online or In-Person

Join a growing community of people, reconnect, learn and find space.

Chris Luard has been practicing meditation for 39 years and teaching meditation worldwide since 2009. As well as teaching from his home, Chris teaches a series of online retreat programs, delivered over a selection of time zones, so all may benefit.

His classes are offered live, not pre-recorded. There is a maximum of 20 people, and include meditations, discussions and one on one sessions.

Chris welcomes your questions - please contact email him or visit his about page to learn a little more.

Current Online Retreat Offerings

Welcome to Awakened Living! This is our year long immersive online meditation program. Over the duration of this course we will take a comprehensive and non-sectarian exploration into the earliest teachings of the Buddha.

This will include the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, (including the Seven Factors of Awakening and the Five Hindrances) the Four Noble Truths, and the Eightfold Path, Lovingkindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity.

The Awakened Living Course will be offered in four semesters, with a break of at least 10 days in between each semester.

Semester 1: 12 Weeks. Jan 8th-Mar 29th: Exploring Skillful View, Intention, and Speech. Mindfulness of Body, Feeling Tones, Mind/Heart

Semester 2: 12 Weeks. April 23rd-July 12th: Exploring Skillful Action, Livelihood, and Effort. Mindfulness of Hindrances, Awakening Factors, Body

Semester 3: 8 Weeks. July 30th-Sept 20th: Mindfulness and Widening the Window of Tolerance. Resilience Training.

Semester 4: 12 Weeks. Oct 1st-Dec 20th: Exploring Concentration, Hindrances, Awakening Factions, Lovingkindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity.

Although we will be drawing primarily on the teachings of The Buddha, there is no religion being taught here and people from any and all (or no) religions and beliefs are welcome.

As the course unfolds we will look at numerous mindfulness based practices, systematically cultivating a continuity of mindful awareness. The benefit of a continuity of mindful may allow us to engage in our life experiences with deep sense of wisdom, kindness, curiosity, and care.

The Awakened Living Year Long Immersive will be offered in two sections:
Section A: 7 am-8:30 am on Wednesdays and Saturdays Thai Time. (*7pm-8:30pm on Tuesdays and Fridays, East Coast Time)

Section B: 8 pm-9:30 pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays Thai Time, (*8 am-9:30 am on Wednesdays and Saturdays, East Coast Time)

*** PLEASE Check your time zone here: https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/

Each group session will include guided meditations, Q n A, one to one private session with Chris, interactive discussions with the retreat participants, and the option to join a small study group which will meet at a time to be determined by the group itself.
If you would like to participate, but find these times limiting, please feel free to message Chris here: chrisluard@yahoo.com

Although Chris will be facilitating all of the sessions live, (nothing is pre-recorded) The sessions are offered over the Zoom platform and will be recorded and made available to participants so one can attend as much or a little as the live program as suits the participant.

The program fees for the entire year are as follows:
Scholarship Fee: $520.00

Basic Fee: $780.00

Sustainer Fee $1,600

Benefactor Fee $3,100

There are scholarships, payment plans, and financial assistance available, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Spaces are limited.

Signing up for this special offering in advance is recommended. To do so, message Chris directly here on FB, chrisluard@yahoo.com or through

January 5th-March 23rd, 2025

Have you ever gotten into a discussion and found yourself too overwhelmed to make a clear point? Do you dred politically charged conversations with family, friends, or strangers? Do you find yourself at a loss for how to get your point across without offending a particular person. Would you like to be able to navigate challenging conversations with kindness and compassion, curiosity and non-judgement?

Over the twelve weeks of this online mindfulness immersion, we will take a comprehensive exploration into incorporating mindfulness, kindness, and compassion into our styles of communication, while at the same time, not losing our ability to be concise, direct, and matter of fact in our interactions. The benefits of this is a more authentic, clear, and compassionate form of communication.

Our journey begins with a three week exploration of mindfulness, kindness, and compassion. In the following three weeks we take a very deep dive into embodied speech. (Feeling our speech) Following this we will venture forth into navigating challenging conversations, and we round the course out with speaking authentically.

None of the sessions are pre-recorded. The entire course is offered live and with plenty of space for interaction with Chris and with your fellow participants.

We will be drawing primarily on the teachings of The Buddha, Nonviolent Communication, and Somatic Psychology

There will be a good amount of meditations and informal practices offered in the course, so that we have the opportunity to bring these practices into our lives.

The retreat is offered in two sections to cater to different time zones and needs, and meeting once a week,
Section A meets on Sunday Evenings from 8:00 pm-9:30 pm. Thai Time. (*8:00 am to 9:30 am Sunday Mornings EST)
Section B meets on Monday Mornings from 7:00 am-8:30 am Thai Time. ( 7:00 pm-8:30 pm Sunday Evenings)

*** Check your time zone here: https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/

The course runs from January 5th to March 23rd, 2025.

Each group session will include guided meditations, Q n A, A one to one private session with Chris, interactive discussions with the retreat participants, and the option to join a small study group which will meet at a time to be determined by the group itself.
If you would like to participate, but find these times limiting, please feel free to message Chris here on Facebook or through the website: www.suchsweetthunder.org

The sessions are offered over the Zoom platform and will be recorded and made available to participants so one can attend as much or a little as the live program as suits the participant.
The fee for the complete twelve week offering is as follows:
Benefactor: $800.00 USD.
Sustainer: $400.00 USD.
Basic: $199.00 USD.
Scholarship $130.00 USD.

There are scholarships and financial assistance available, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Spaces are limited. Signing up for this special offering in advance is recommended. To do so, message Chris directly here. or on FB, or chrisluard@yahoo.com.

October 1st to December 21st, 2024.

Over the twelve weeks of this online meditation immersion, we will take a comprehensive and non-sectarian exploration into the Four Immeasurables from the Buddhist tradition. Our journey begins with a three week exploration of Kindness. (Metta, Lovingkindness) In the following three weeks we take a very deep dive into Compassion. (Karuna) Our voyage will then take us to the lovely blue waters of Joy, (Mudita) and we round out our adventure with three weeks of Equanimity. (Upekka)

All sessions are offered live, not pre-recorded.

The retreat is offered in two sections to cater to different time zones and needs, and meeting twice a once a week:

Section A meets on Tuesday and Saturday Mornings from 9am-10:30am.

Section B meets on Tuesday and Saturday Evenings from 7:30pm-9:00pm

Check your time zone here: https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/

Each group session will include guided meditations, Q n A, A one to one private session with Chris, interactive discussions with the retreat participants, and the option to join a small study group which will meet at a time to be determined by the group itself.

If you would like to participate, but find these times limiting, please feel free to message Chris here on Facebook or through the website: www.suchsweetthunder.org

The sessions are offered over the Zoom platform and will be recorded and made available to participants so one can attend as much or a little as the live program as suits the participant.

The fee for the complete twelve week offering is as follows:

Benefactor: $800.00 USD.

Sustainer: $400.00 USD.

Basic: $199.00 USD.

Scholarship $130.00 USD.

Please select the tuition fee which feels the most comfortable for you.

There are scholarships and financial assistance available, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Spaces are limited.

Chris Luard has been practicing meditation for 38 years and has been successfully teaching meditation worldwide since 2009, giving talks, facilitating retreats, and have authored two books.

Chris has received formal training in Zen, Mahamudra and Dzogchen, from the Mahayana (Japanese, Korean, and Tibetan) traditions, Vipassana and early buddhist studies from the Theravada traditions, and Vedanta from the Hindu traditions. In addition to this Chris has received formal instruction from the more modern traditions and modalities such as Secular Buddhism, MBSR, Insight, Somatic Experiencing, Polyvagal Theory, Buddhist Psychology, Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness, Neuroplasticity, and Trauma Healing.

Signing up for this special offering in advance is recommended. To do so, message Chris directly here on FB, chrisluard@yahoo.com or through www.suchsweetthunder.org

May All Benefit.

All sessions are offered live, not pre-recorded.

The practice of mindfulness can be defined as “A heartfelt awareness of the present moment, free from judgement.” By bringing this type of non-judgemental, heartfelt awareness to the process of craving, we may become intimate with our triggers. It is these triggers which often lead us to seek out relief through addictive substances or behaviors. In establishing this type of accepting, non-judgemental relationship with our cravings, we eventually recognize in an embodied way, that the only way to truly free ourselves from cravings is to allow them the space to play out without feeding them. Compassion, Kindness, Gratitude, Generosity, Forgiveness, and Mindfulness Meditations all play a key role in this process.

“When we scratch the wound and give in to our addictions we do not allow the wound to heal. But when we instead experience the raw quality of the itch or pain of the wound and do not scratch it, we actually allow the wound to heal.”—Pema Chodron

Each group session will include guided meditations, Q n A, A one to one private session with Chris, interactive discussions with the retreat participants, and the option to join a small study group which will meet at a time to be determined by the group itself.

The retreat is offered in two sections to cater to different time zones and needs, and meeting twice a once a week:

Section A meets on Monday Mornings from 9am-10:30am. EST

Section B meets on Monday Evenings from 7:30pm-9:00pm. EST

Please keep in mind that there will be a time change in November.

Check your time zone here: https://www.worldtimebuddy.com/

The course runs from Sept 30th to Nov 10th, 2024.

If you would like to participate, but find these times limiting, please feel free to message Chris here on Facebook or through the website: www.suchsweetthunder.org

The sessions are offered over the Zoom platform and will be recorded and made available to participants so one can attend as much or a little as the live program as suits the participant.

The fee for the complete twelve week offering is as follows:

Benefactor: $600.00 USD.

Sustainer: $300.00 USD.

Basic: $130.00 USD.

Scholarship: $99.00 USD.

Please select the tuition fee which feels the most comfortable for you.

There are scholarships and financial assistance available, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Spaces are limited.

Chris Luard has been practicing meditation for 38 years and has been successfully teaching meditation worldwide since 2009, giving talks, facilitating retreats, and have authored two books.

Chris hs worked extensively in the field of addiction recovery in centers in The United States and in Thailand since 2017.

Chris has received formal training in Zen, Mahamudra and Dzogchen, from the Mahayana (Japanese, Korean, and Tibetan) traditions, Vipassana and early buddhist studies from the Theravada traditions, and Vedanta from the Hindu traditions. In addition to this Chris has received formal instruction from the more modern traditions and modalities such as Secular Buddhism, MBSR, Insight, Somatic Experiencing, Polyvagal Theory, Buddhist Psychology, Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness, Neuroplasticity, and Trauma Healing.

Signing up for this special offering in advance is recommended. To do so, message Chris directly here on FB, chrisluard@yahoo.com or through www.suchsweetthunder.org

May All Benefit.

All sessions are offered live, not pre-recorded.