Cost: Sliding Scale $75 – 200. Code DU1D18.

In this day retreat, we will create space in the body with the self-care technique of therapy ball massage. The accessible sequences are designed to open our awareness to see that sensations, however intense they may be, are not as dense, opaque, or heavy as they may feel. Our guided meditations will explore how in much the same way our thoughts and identities are not as dense, opaque or heavy as they may seem. You will leave with lightness in body and heart-mind, your own set of therapy massage balls, and a routine you can do on your own to support your meditation practice.

Young Adults (18-26) and Seniors (65+ with limited income) are invited to attend this day for $45.

This retreat has filled. Please submit an application if you are interested in being on the wait list.
Please note: All scholarship funds have been allocated for this retreat.

Date: Monday, May 21, 3:00pm – Monday, May 28, 11:30am
Cost: Sliding Scale $1760 – $800, plus a donation to the teacher(s) and retreat staff. Code 358R18.

“It is that gladness connected with the wholesome that I call an equipment of mind….for developing a mind that is without hostility and without ill will.”
The Buddha

The Buddha was known as “The Happy One.” However, the teachings often seem to emphasize working with suffering. Joy and happiness can seem frivolous or unspiritual even though joy is one of the Seven Factors of Awakening. In this retreat we will practice with an emphasis on cultivating wholesome states to develop our natural capacity for well-being and happiness. Our own development of well-being and joy then becomes our gift to a troubled world.

The retreat includes silent sitting and walking periods with instructions and practice meetings with teachers, as well as some experiential exercises during the five days. This retreat is appropriate for both experienced as well as new/beginning students.

Practices will include:

• Inclining the mind toward wholesome states;
• The power of wholesome intention;
• Mindfulness as appreciation practice (wonder and gratitude);
• Embracing suffering as a path to joy;
• How letting go leads to true freedom;
• Integrity as a foundation for well-being;
• Metta (loving-kindness) for self and others;
• Mudita (sympathetic joy);
• Compassion–the expression of a wise heart;and
• The joy of simply being.

Teachings are appropriate for all, including health care professionals. Health care professionals will be able to incorporate the tools and practices offered in this program in preparation for, and when working with clients. Continuing Education (CE) credit available. See below for more information.

Learning objectives for participating health care professionals-
Based on the content of this workshop, you will be able to:

• Explain how mindfulness interrupts confused and negative thinking;
• Utilize the practice of inclining the mind towards the possibility of more joy, in ways that may improve patient care, or reduce burnout;
• Describe a gratitude practice that supports support well-being and may be used to reduce challenging experiences such as stress, anxiety, or depression;
• Incorporate the use of the acronym RAIN when working with clients;
• Describe how compassion affects the neuro-system.
• Explain to clients how attachment can lead to suffering;
• Utilize “letting go” practices with self and clients to reduce stress;
• Integrate the practices of forgiveness, acceptance, and self-compassion in ways that improve patient care;
• Employ techniques to support clients in counter-acting a tendency towards self-judgment and feelings of unworthiness.

This retreat has filled. Please submit an application if you are interested in being on the wait list.
Please Note: All scholarship funds have been allocated for this retreat.

Date: Tuesday, May 29, 3:00pm – Sunday, June 3, 11:30am
Cost: Sliding Scale $1255 – $570, plus a donation to the teacher(s) and retreat staff. Code 361R18.

Retreat Description:
The Mind and the Heart are not separate. We’ll take these days of silence to explore and put into practice various skillful means to access naturally relaxed, open hearts and clear quiet minds. It is from these lovely states that insights into how we’ve become unnecessarily distressed will naturally arise. These are the insights that heal us, uplift us and ultimately free us.

**Upper Walking Hall – This retreat is designed as a smaller and more intimate retreat and as such, it is held in the upper Walking Hall. This hall is located at the top of a flight of stairs adjacent to the main meditation hall. It is not accessible by wheelchair or scooter. If you have mobility limitations such that you cannot climb a flight of stairs, this retreat is not appropriate for you. Please call the Registration Department for more details BEFORE you register for this retreat if you have concerns related to accessibility to the upper Walking Hall.

This retreat has filled. Please submit an application if you are interested in being on the wait list.
Please Note: All scholarship funds have been allocated for this retreat.

Date: Tuesday, May 29, 3:00pm – Sunday, June 3, 11:30am
Cost: Sliding Scale $1255 – $570, plus a donation to the teacher(s) and retreat staff. Code 361R18.

Retreat Description:
The Mind and the Heart are not separate. We’ll take these days of silence to explore and put into practice various skillful means to access naturally relaxed, open hearts and clear quiet minds. It is from these lovely states that insights into how we’ve become unnecessarily distressed will naturally arise. These are the insights that heal us, uplift us and ultimately free us.

**Upper Walking Hall – This retreat is designed as a smaller and more intimate retreat and as such, it is held in the upper Walking Hall. This hall is located at the top of a flight of stairs adjacent to the main meditation hall. It is not accessible by wheelchair or scooter. If you have mobility limitations such that you cannot climb a flight of stairs, this retreat is not appropriate for you. Please call the Registration Department for more details BEFORE you register for this retreat if you have concerns related to accessibility to the upper Walking Hall.

This retreat has filled. Please submit an application if you are interested in being on the wait list.

If you are in need of financial assistance, we may have a work exchange available.

Scholarship funds are still available.

Date: Monday, June 11, 3:00pm – Sunday, June 17, 11:30am
Cost: Sliding Scale $1505 – $685, plus a donation to the teacher(s) and retreat staff. Code 365R18.

Retreat Description:
This retreat is an opportunity to practice a way of being that embraces the fullness and aliveness of the present moment. Supported by mindfulness and the depth of silence, inwardly and outwardly, we will explore together a spontaneous, wise and open-hearted relationship with the moment-to-moment changing flow of life’s experience. Awareness practice can also reveal layers of physical and emotional tension and pain. As we open to the truth of our experience, we can cultivate a capacity for meeting and transforming suffering into a sense of deep well-being.

By paying attention in this way, we come to understand how to free ourselves from deeply held patterns and awaken to our essential goodness as well as other beautiful qualities of our heart and mind.

We will enter into a traditional retreat form within the beauty of Spirit Rock, alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation with daily instructions, dharma talks and discussion in both large and small groups. There will also be an open period in the afternoon that will allow you to find your own rhythm in the practice.

This retreat is suitable for new and experienced students alike. All are welcome.

Spirit Rock extends a special invitation to young adults (age 18-26) who wish to attend this retreat at a rate of $35 per night, on a first come, first serve basis. A limited number of special rates are available, please apply early.

**UWH=upper Walking Hall = This retreat is designed as a smaller and more intimate retreat and as such, it is held in the upper Walking Hall. This hall is located at the top of a flight of stairs adjacent to the main meditation hall. It is not accessible by wheelchair or scooter. If you have mobility limitations such that you cannot climb a flight of stairs, this retreat is not appropriate for you. Please call the registration department for more details BEFORE you register for this retreat if you have concerns related to accessibility to the upper Walking Hall.