"I have been offering spring and autumn "T'ai Chi, Qi Gong and Zen" retreats at Yokoji Zen Mountain Center since 1987. The beauty of the mountains and meadows, the orderly unfolding of the day marked by bells and wood block offers a certainty of peace to all who come to YZMC. In this restful and unhurried atmosphere participants easily drop off the tensions of their busy lives. The buildings and grounds, like welcoming souls, offer rustic beauty for housing, bathing, food and quiet contemplation. Staying at YZMC is an inner as well as outer journey for those who travel up to this center at 5500 foot in the San Jacinto Mountains. It is for these reasons that YZMC has been my choice for offering over 42 retreats for during the last 21 years."

"The Zen Mountain Center is a favorite for my yoga students. The guestmaster, cook and the entire staff at ZMC has ALWAYS been ready to serve, friendly and truly dedicated to making our weekend joyful and fulfilling in every way. And the food (!) --lovely vegetarian delightful meals for all to enjoy. We've been attending this beautiful natural environment with it's simple clean accommodations for 8-9 years and plan on continuing! Thank you for all you do!"

"I have been bringing Yoga groups to the Zen Mountain Center since 2006. The Zendo provides a lovely Yoga space to practice and feel connected to the natural surroundings. My favorite part about coming to the center is living "off the grid" for the weekend with no emails, cell phones, or TV that often distract us from experiencing our natural state of peace. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. I really appreciate the kitchen's dedication to using fresh, organic food. I look forward to this retreat every year!"

"I want to thank you for being so gracious and accommodating us so beautifully. We felt very well taken care of by all the staff at the Zen Center. The food was simple and delicious, nurturing us on many levels as we went deep into our inner process. The Zendo is a beautiful space with all its windows opening up to the natural surroundings, adding an exquisite ambiance to the room. The energies of the land are so powerful and supportive and no matter what direction you look your eyes are greeted with a majestic serenity. The whole environment was very conducive for the Manna Journey and we look forward to coming again. "

""Awesome!" "Life-changing!" "Refreshing!" "Inspiring!" These are just some of the words my students use in describing their weekend experience at the Yokoji-Zen Mountain Center, in conjunction with my college-level course LEADING AS A WAY OF SERVING. For over 10 years now, I have led over 500 students on a weekend retreat to YZMC, typically in groups of 30 or so at a time. The experience invariably stands out as one of the highlights of their undergraduate careers, which is saying a lot since these are students from nearly every major field at Chapman: Business, film and t.v., communications, sociology, theater, music, political science, history, philosophy etc.). The facilities are comfortable and gorgeous; the vegetarian food delectable; and the instruction superb. I have found the YZMC staff to be tremendously accomodating of our special needs and requirements. This is a wonderful community which clearly "walks it talk," reflecting its values of deep respect for people and profound respect for the environment. The experience not only awakens students' consciousness and awareness to themselves, but to others and the world around them ... and invites them to reflect on their place in that world. THANK YOU, YZMC, for "being the change you seek," as Gandhi would put it. You have enriched not only the lives of my students since I brought the first group up there in 1988, but my own life as well. From the Abbot to the office staff to the cook to the zazen and yoga instructors, I cherish all of you as colleagues in advancing the education of Chapman University students, and look forward to doing so for many, many years to come."

"I chose Yokoji-Zen Mountain center to conduct my first residential Mindfulness Mediation and Yoga retreat, because I have attended many retreats there myself and know what a wonderful place it is. Leading a retreat is a lot of work; the staff at YZMC supported me and took care of every detail in making us comfortable and helping things run smoothly. We were well fed, supplied, and all our needs were met so that I could completely focus on the retreat. The group absolutely loved the Center ­ the breath taking environment, the food, and the elegant, beautiful buildings. In addition to providing a safe and peaceful place for retreats, YZMC sets an outstanding example of "living green", by using recycled products, organic foods, and solar powered electricity. These practices lend themselves perfectly to a Mindfulness Retreat, teaching people to be more aware of how we can live in a less harmful way with our environment. We're already booked to come back! "