Dates: Sunday, August 18, 3:00pm – Tuesday, August 27, 11:30am; 9 nights
Sliding Scale: $2300-$1100 PLUS a donation to the teacher(s) and retreat staff. Code 278R19.

Pre-requisite: Completion of at least two 7-night or three 5-night silent Insight meditation retreats.

This retreat is full. Please submit a wait list application if you are interested.

If you are interested and need financial assistance, we may have a work exchange available.

Retreat Description:
Concentration (samadhi), the collection and unification of the mind, was emphasized by the Buddha as one of the aspects of the Eightfold Path. It can bring joy to your practice and lead to the skillful use of pleasure in the meditative process. Whatever your level of practice, you can improve your Insight Meditation (Vipassana) by strengthening your concentration skills. Your ability to concentrate will develop in response to the attention you give it.

This retreat offers a series of techniques for staying on the meditation object for extended periods of time. We will explore the factors of concentration that lead to the deep absorption states known as jhana. Teachers will also give instruction for utilizing concentration during insight practice.

Financial assistance is available for all Spirit Rock residential retreats. Our scholarship rate is $40/night and available for all those with financial hardship with special funds allocated to People of Color (POC), folks with serious medical conditions, and young adults (age 18-26). Scholarship funding is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. Scholarships are budgeted per retreat and because they are in high demand, can run out quickly. We encourage you to register for a retreat as close as possible to the registration opening date (lotteries are an exception).

Date: August 25, 2019; 10:00am – 4:30pm.
Sliding Scale: $40 – 108. Code CC2D19.

Open to self-identified people of color.

Description:
Grief can visit our hearts in many forms and for many reasons.  Losses of death, identity, relationships, aging, and other unnamed disappearances can beckon grief to shroud the heart.  Through the practice of community gathering, inner reflection, and alignment with Earth based practices, we will create a sacred space to touch into the places where grief resides.  We will tenderly arouse the heart to reclaim joy, and to open to the hidden gifts of sorrow and loss.

This day will unfold with an opening ritual, Dharma practice, guided meditations for healing, time with Nature, and Noble Silence.

Amana Brembry Johnson is currently in the Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program. She teaches Insight meditation and mentors those wishing to establish, deepen, and integrate Dharma into their daily life.  Amana teaches contemplative movement that embodies the wisdom of Dharma with yoga, Qigong, and other somatic practices.  As a visual artist, she creates imagery that exposes emotional and spiritual barriers of the heart as gateways into kindness, compassion, and self-love.

Carol Cano, M.A. began her practice over 30 years ago at Wat Kow Tahm in Thailand and has actively engaged in building communities and teaching Dharma internationally.  She has completed a myriad of training programs at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and is currently participating in the Spirit Rock Teacher Training program. She co-founded Philippine Insight Meditation Community in the Philippines. Carol is a core teacher and a former board member at the East Bay Meditation Center.