Rolling Meadows Retreat
Yoga, Meditation & Breathwork retreats
Our Story
Rolling Meadows Retreat
& the Heart of Its Teaching
Rolling Meadows Retreat was born from the shared vision of Patricia Brown and Surya‑Chandra Das - a place where silence, yoga, meditation and nature come together to reveal our natural state of Being.
Today, Surya continues to offer retreats rooted in the same spirit of Love, Presence and deep inner listening.
Patricia & Surya
Patricia Brown left her body on June 23, 2024, three days before her 73rd birthday, shortly after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Although my wife and teaching partner for 35 years is no longer in physical form, her profound love and presence continue to guide and inspire us in many ways.
Patricia began practicing yoga in 1980 and was one of the first teachers in Maine. For over forty years she taught classes and retreats, dedicating her life to deepening spiritual understanding and living in Love.
Together we taught teacher trainings, traveled the world leading retreats, and co‑created Rolling Meadows Retreat Center in mid‑coast Maine, where we offered silent retreats for 23 years.
One expression of Patricia’s love is her book, Sustenance. She called it a cookbook, but it is much more than that - a collection of nourishing recipes infused with her insightful poetry and wisdom. It remains a living expression of her teaching and her love.
Love says I am everything Wisdom says 'I am nothing.'
Between these two, my life flows.
-Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Surya’s Teaching
Path & Practice
Surya‑Chandra Das began studying hatha yoga and meditation in 1988 and has been teaching classes and retreats since 1990. His teaching brings together decades of practice, study and direct inquiry into the nature of awareness. His asana and pranayama teaching has been shaped by studies with T.K.V. Desikachar in Madras, India, as well as Victor van Kooten, Angela Farmer, Richard Miller, and teachers in the Iyengar and yin traditions. Work in Authentic Movement, Breathwork and Continuum Movement has deepened his interest in exploring the formless that is contained within the form of yoga postures.
The Intent of Inquiry
Surya’s intention is to gently guide us back to the present moment — to the always‑available spacious presence of our true nature. He invites us to listen to the deep intelligence of our bodies, to trust a wisdom beyond conditioned thought, and to honor our own knowing rather than an outer authority.
Turning Toward Peace
Yoga asana, breathwork, meditation, pranayama, yoga nidra, restorative postures, self‑inquiry and silence are all offered in support of this turning toward — and resting in — the peace and wisdom of our natural state. A silent retreat offers a uniquely supportive and restful environment for learning to be present for ourselves as we are, and for life as it is. In this spirit, true yoga, in its essence, is the practice of Love and Compassion.