Karma Triyana Dharmachakra is a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in Woodstock NY and the Seat of his Holiness the Karmapa, the head of the Kagyu lineage. It is a center for Buddhist studies, a resource of teachings, teachers, retreats, and opportunities to reflect and meditate. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche is the late ( recently passed  Oct 2019 at age 96)  Abbot of the Monastery and has been my teacher since 1981 (and teacher to thousands of other devoted students world wide)  I have been a volunteer there for at least 25 years.

In 2011 I became focused on doing retreats. I did my first Winter Retreat under the auspicious of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche (a 3 month retreat Jan, Feb and March) in 2011. My retreats were less formal then one done in a monastery because I am doing it in my own home and I still have to cook my meals and go out shopping.  Fortunately my home was in a location conducive for a retreat because it is in a very rural area. Even though less formal there are very strict rules in regards your commitment to your prescribed practices and the amount of time one must practice each day. I continued to do the three month Winter Retreat until 2015 ( definitely a game changer ) which at that point my life was going into a transition and the stability needed for this kind of activity was not available at this juncture in my life. But after my life levels out opportunities could open again.