Art of Learning Centering

The mission of The Ojai Foundation is to strengthen individuals, families, schools and communities by teaching ways to listen and speak from the heart, to honor life's passages and to deepen our connection with nature—supporting the emergence of a compassionate, sustainable and peaceful world.

For nearly 30 years, The Ojai Foundation’s educational center has been a living laboratory of sustainable living, powered by the sun and featuring buildings of straw bale, earth block, recycled materials and other green techniques. Our beautiful, rustic “heartquarters” occupies 40 acres along a ridge of semi-wilderness at the foot of the Los Padres Mountains in Southern California, between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Meditation gardens, native habitats, Permaculture principles and the Beauty Way are demonstrated throughout the Land, along with rustic yurts and domes, and close kindredship with the natural world.

The way of council—the ancient, universal practice of sitting in a circle to share our stories—is central to the work of The Ojai Foundation. When we listen deeply and speak authentically we build understanding and a sense of our interdependence. Council is a powerful catalyst for meaningful change and healing in individuals, schools and communities. The Ojai Foundation supports council programs all over the world, including more than 40 public schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District alone. We provide council trainings to teachers, therapists, social workers, business people, couples and more. In Israel, we have trained more than 100 Arab and Jewish peace workers in this way of understanding and reconciliation.

We honor and celebrate all spiritual ways, drawing most strongly on the earth-honoring traditions of Buddhism and indigenous cultures.  Our common practices include daily morning meditation, council circles, mindful work, the Beauty Way and community potlucks as we serve the Foundation’s mission and steward the Land.

Our public and private PROGRAMS, both in Ojai and at other locations, offer individuals and groups of all ages an opportunity to explore community, live close to nature, find renewal and mark significant rites of passage through ceremony, quiet reflection and shared service. We administer worldwide programs, offer council trainings and council-based retreats, and sometimes rent our facility to other groups with similar missions.

We can customize your program to create enriching experiences with offerings such as: teachings in the way of council, rites-of-passage ceremonies, ropes course challenge, nature awareness, Medicine Wheel teachings, dream councils, sweat lodges, games, art making and solo time in nature. All are designed to foster healthy relationships, deepen appreciation of the natural world, inspire creativity and promote self-reflection and growth.

Our newest and largest meeting space, the Council House, is a spectacular example of earth-friendly design including a plant-covered “living roof” and a solar-heated floor of renewable mesquite wood. It is available for rent for concerts, yoga, conferences and other special events.

At its heart, The Ojai Foundation is a service organization. We couldn’t steward the Land without the help of our volunteers. To this end, we offer an opportunity to join our community and explore the role of service in one’s life through our PATH OF SERVICE PROGRAM. The emphasis is on teamwork, voluntary simplicity and hands-on service; the context is creating safe and nurturing support for The Ojai Foundation’s programs and guests. The goal is an experience of increased purpose and meaning in one’s life.  In addition, this program provides time for self-renewal and reflection.

Service may include individual and team work projects such as housekeeping, land and facilities maintenance, building projects, trail and garden maintenance, etc. In exchange for 20 hours of work per week, volunteers receive a tent site and are offered the use of facilities. A two-week work retreat is also offered twice a year. This retreat includes in-depth practices such as council and ceremony as well as natural building workshops and personal alone time.