It is in keeping with our mission to help others cultivate and experience the fruits of contemplative practice in a variety of ways. Expanding access to retreat through short-term retreat is a natural extension of that commitment.
Help us finish this project through a donation to our Mind Lab Fund.
There is a moment when a building becomes something much greater than the sum of its materials. For nearly two years, that process has been slowly unfolding at our hermitage, where the CCR team has been incrementally bringing new potential to a small cabin previously unoccupied due to disrepair: Tidro Cave. What was once a deteriorating structure will soon open a new chapter in how we offer retreat here at the Center for Contemplative Research. We are delighted to share an update on its progress and the people who are bringing it to life.
The inspiration behind Tidro Cave is simple but consequential. For many, the prospect of undertaking long-term retreat remains distant or can be difficult to imagine. Such a commitment can feel daunting when weighed against the responsibilities of an engaged life, including family, work, and service, let alone a daily meditation practice.
Cultivating a deepening practice takes time, and requires the momentum of inspiration—which can be stoked through shorter retreats, especially in spiritual community. The opportunity to practice in a dedicated retreat environment with conducive conditions and support is rare. But that opportunity to step away from familiar routines and discover the transformative possibilities of contemplative practice should not feel so far out of reach. The CCR is delighted to soon be able to offer Tidro Cave for short-term retreat to provide just such an opportunity to our community.
Once completed—hopefully by the end of 2026—the cabin will become available for shorter retreats, allowing people to stay in the remarkable environment of Miyo Samten Ling Hermitage in Crestone, CO and engage in dedicated practice without a longer-term commitment. This taste of deep retreat in the profound stillness, silence, natural beauty of our hermitage—imbued with the history of decades of contemplative life—is sure to plant profound seeds for your individual practice. And it is in keeping with our mission to help others cultivate and experience the fruits of contemplative practice in a variety of ways. Expanding access to retreat is a natural extension of that commitment.
Bringing this vision to life has been a labor of dedication for builder Laura Bartels, CCR Property Manager Aaron Taylor, and other contributors whose professional expertise and spiritual commitments have found a remarkable convergence in this project.
Laura brings more than two decades of experience in sustainable construction, specializing in high-performance natural building technologies. Her path into the field began in childhood, working alongside her father as their family renovated a hand-built stone house in New England. Years later, an interest in environmental education and a desire to build a home in harmony with its surroundings led her to explore straw-bale construction. What followed was an unexpected career spanning design, construction (hands-on “tool-belt time,” as she calls it), consulting for residential, commercial, and industrial projects nationally and teaching at universities. Her work even took her to Washington, D.C., where she presented a Congressional briefing on straw-bale construction and subsequently contributed to sustainable housing initiatives on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.
Yet when Laura speaks about Tidro Cave, it’s more personal. Walking the hermitage grounds with Aaron in 2024, and learning of the CCR’s ambitions to offer short-term retreat by bringing new life to a long-abandoned structure, she recognized the opportunity to put decades of experience toward something she considered deeply meaningful: the possibility of even just one more person having the precious opportunity to undertake retreat there. As she reflects on her involvement, Laura describes it as an unexpected weaving of professional experience, service to her teacher, and devotion to the Dharma.
For Aaron, the project has also become an expression of that shared commitment. In fact, some of the initial design ideas arose while he was on retreat at the hermitage. As he jokingly observes, this might serve as a cautionary tale about remembering to focus on meditation during retreat!
Their collaboration has been characterized by the kind of patience and humility that the project itself hopes to cultivate. Laura describes working alongside Aaron as “dipping into a peaceful calm pool,” and she appreciates his kindness, consistency, and the ease with which they approach even the most challenging design questions. It is a fitting reflection of the spirit behind the work.
Despite its modest footprint of fewer than 300 square feet, Tidro Cave has presented some interesting design challenges. The original layout made the cabin feel even smaller than it was, so the team has been reimagining the interior to maximize space while creating an environment that is comfortable, functional, and conducive to retreat.
Sustainability has guided the team’s decisions throughout. Rather than demolishing and rebuilding, the renovation preserves the original structural elements, while carefully salvaging the beautiful Douglas fir flooring and pine boards from the walls and ceiling for reuse. Richie Marino, a local builder who has worked extensively on the Tidro Cave project, repurposed the reclaimed rough-cut lumber into trim for windows and baseboards, and notes the rarity of such Douglas fir wood these days. He also appreciates the generosity of local contractors in providing affordable rates for the CCR—a testament to the unique local community here and its support for the robust spiritual life Crestone hosts. The finished cabin will also incorporate thoughtful insulation, passive solar design, and an airtight building envelope to improve energy efficiency and ensure lasting comfort.
Work on Tidro Cave has also required navigating an increasingly difficult economic environment. Inflation and international tariffs have complicated materials procurement and introduced additional cost pressures. Nevertheless, Laura, Aaron, and the rest of the team have continued to approach these challenges with resourcefulness and a shared commitment to building something that will serve retreatants for decades.
We are now working toward an anticipated opening in January 2027 as the project approaches its next phase. With drywall installation scheduled to begin, the team is preparing to complete the remaining exterior work before colder weather sets in and then turn their attention indoors. Painting, cabinetry, flooring, trim and baseboards, along with the final electrical and plumbing work, will bring the cabin closer to welcoming its first retreatants.
Aaron looks forward to the day when retreatants emerge from Tidro Cave with a deeper appreciation of the genuine happiness and well-being that Dharma practice can cultivate. His most profound hope is that they discover something that extends well beyond their time at the hermitage such that everyday life need not stand in the way of a spiritual journey. Instead, it can become the very path. A building can provide shelter, but it is the possibilities within it that give it meaning. We look forward to the many journeys that will begin at Tidro Cave, and we are grateful to everyone that is helping make them possible.
To help us complete the project, we welcome donations to our Mind Lab Fund, which supports renovation and building projects at the CCR. Your contribution will enable us meet the remaining construction costs and bring this important space into service. We hope you will consider supporting this undertaking! Every contribution brings us closer to opening the doors of Tidro Cave and extending the precious opportunity for retreat to those who might otherwise never have taken that first step.
