The Eros Monastery at The Land
Eros is intimacy with life itself. We discover Eros through following our desire for connection with ourselves, others, and the world around us. The desire for intimate love includes all of life—even the profane and the ugly—and evokes the beauty within all things. It leaves nothing out. It allows the soul to recall knowledge of beauty and contributes to an understanding of essential truth.
The Eros Monastery is the home of the art and craft of Eros. It is a place of restoration, growth, and deep practice. Come study and experience life as a practitioner through a curated program that includes daily meditation, reading of the Eros Sutras, yoga, optional Orgasmic Meditation, and selfless service. The Eros Monastery restores us to our essential selves.
The Eros Monastery is located at The Land, a 162-acre property located amidst the redwoods. At The Land you experience forest, trails, a beautifully restored meditation barn, a two-acre garden, a hot yoga studio and farm-to-table meals. It is nestled in the center of Anderson Valley in Mendocino County, secluded in nature, bordered by the Navarro river, and a 32-minute drive to the Pacific Ocean.
“This force of Eros—life’s electricity flowing through us—powers the potential in all things. With the flow activated, what is unrealized in everyday life is revealed. We know the presence or absence of Eros by this quality of being lit from within. Not superhuman, but fully human.”
Monastery Activities...
Take part in a daily schedule of practice, study, and service that will set your mind at ease, nourish your body, and enliven your sense perceptions.
The philosophy of Eros, encoded in written sutras, articulates an erotic way of life across the spectrum of human experience. At their core, they remind us that love is the ultimate language and key to all things. Weekly Sutra Study is led by Kathleen Ivanoff in an open, fun group format.
For our daily meditation, Kathleen Ivanoff leads practitioners in White Tara Mantra practice including lecture, mantra practice with a visualization, and time for questions and reflection.
Kathleen Ivanoff is an accomplished writer, therapist, and educator, whose work is dedicated to exploring the complexities of the human experience. With a braid of education in Women’s Studies, Psychology, and Writing, Kathleen has worked as an Editor/Program Director/Instructor at Jewel Heart Tibetan Buddhist organization, taught Creative Writing at Eastern Michigan University, and maintained a thriving therapy practice.
Orgasmic Meditation (OM) is a structured attention training practice conducted between two people who are following a predefined set of detailed instructions. The practice involves one person gently stroking the clitoris of the other person for 15-minutes while both place their attention on the point of contact and notice what they feel. See the Institute of OM website for more information about the practice as well as the ground breaking scientific research exploring it’s benefits.
OM training will be available at the monastery and OM practice is entirely optional.
Seva is a Sanskrit term that refers to selfless service or work done without expecting anything in return. Seva is a core principle in many spiritual and religious traditions, including Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism.
Seva activities include kitchen tasks, cleaning up after meals, prepping meals, working in the 2-acre organic garden, and tending to the monastery and grounds. Seasonal seva activities include brush clearing for fire prevention, seeding, planting, and harvesting in the garden.
The Land is also home to Free Food Ukiah, serving both the Ukiah and San Francisco populations. Free Food is about emptying what is full, and filling what is empty. This program provides dignified, nutritious meals to those who otherwise could not afford them, and for those who have more than they need, Free Food provides the opportunity to express love and contribute.
Sample Schedule
6:00 - 6:50a — Orgasmic Meditation Group Practice (optional)
7:00 - 7:50a — Meditation
8:00 - 9:00a — Breakfast & seva
9:30 - 10:30a — Garden practice
10:30 - 12:00p — Meditation
12:00 - 1:00p — Lunch & seva
1:30 - 3:00p — Sutra Study
3:00 - 4:00p — Free Time
4:00 - 5:00p — Movement
5:00 - 6:00p — Orgasmic Meditation Group Practice (optional)
6:00 - 7:15p — Dinner & seva
“During my time working and studying on the land, I learned to come home. Not in the white picket fence way, but learning about my body’s own operating manual. I learned to care for my body’s physical and mental systems in the same way, regained trust with my intuition, and remembered life is not a passive experience.” —Joshua
“The Land reveals herself to you — little by little and all at once. She offers her many scapes as you walk across her rolling fields, watch her mist rise in the morning, follow her wooded paths, slip into her swimming hole, or breathe in her cool starlight. She’s the kind of lady you just want to get to know better and are grateful for all she offers.” —Patrish
“As the shuttle pulled up, I was delighted. The lodge, the food, the decor, the garden… not only was it all beautiful, it was so intentional. The attention to detail within every aspect of The Land is what had me be able to fully relax. I didn’t realize how much my mind and body needed the rejuvenation until I finally exhaled.”
—Vicky
