Sliding Scale: $75 – 200. Code JN3D18.

Prerequisite: You must have sat at least a one-week residential retreat. It may have been in any Buddhist lineage, and does not necessarily need to have been at Spirit Rock.

The direct understanding of the universal characteristics of impermanence, dukkha, and not self have a liberating power. Inviting awareness of the immediacy of these characteristics serves to uproot the underlying forces of the defilements that cloud the natural clarity of the heart.

This day of dedicated practice will follow the simplicity of a residential retreat format with scheduled sitting and walking periods. Instructions will emphasize the cultivation of the continuity of loving awareness, while bringing attention to the Three Universal Characteristics. Insights into these have the potential to free the heart from all confusion and to open to an unshakable peace.

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

Dates: Tuesday, January 22, 3:00pm – Saturday, January 26, 11:30am; 4 nights
Sliding Scale: $1000 – $500, PLUS a donation to the teacher(s) and retreat staff. Code 231R19.

This retreat is close to filling. You may be placed on a wait list. Please download and submit an application if you are interested.

If you are interested and need financial assistance, we may have a work exchange available.
All other scholarships, including Young Adult rates, have been allocated for this retreat.

Retreat Description:
Taking refuge in silence, and within the container of the Spirit Rock land, we will practice mindfulness (present awareness) meditation and will cultivate the beautiful heart qualities of Metta (loving kindness) and Compassion. The teachings will also emphasize practical tools to carry the practice into daily life to support clarity, ease, and a sense of living in harmony with our heart’s deepest wishes. The retreat will include systematic instructions, guided meditations, sitting and walking periods, evening talks, and Qigong 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).

A unique scholarship opportunity! If you are an Educator, Health Care Professional, or Artist that has never attended a residential retreat, you may qualify for a Hemera Foundation Fellowship to assist in attending your first residential retreat. Hemera Foundation Fellowships: Click link for more information. ONE scholarship allowed per person, per calendar year.

Date: March 2, 2019; 10:00am – 4:30pm
Sliding Scale: $75 – 200. Code JN1D19.

For APP1 (Advanced Practitioners Program) graduates. 

Description:
The theme is Liberation, which was the theme for the final APP retreat last year. This quality of freedom, the very heart of the Buddha’s message, is expressed through a variety of teachings and practices which we will explore together during this day.
John Martin, who led the SF APP group, will lead the day of practice. Guy Armstrong will be present for a portion of the day to lead a sit and to offer a talk.

Date: April 27, 2019; 10:00am – 4:30pm
Sliding Scale: $40 – 100. Code JN2D19.

Open to those who self-identify as LGBTQI.

Description:
We will come together for this day of Insight Meditation practice in the safety of community, embracing all of ourselves as we cultivate the wholesome and loving qualities of our hearts and minds. There will be guided sits, instructions and periods for walking practice. In addition, there will be opportunities for sharing within the retreat container.

Dates: Wednesday, July 10, 3:00pm – Friday, July 19, 11:30am; 9 nights
Sliding Scale: TBD, PLUS a donation to the teacher(s) and retreat staff. Code 268R19.
Will open for registration on 2/12/2019.

Retreat Description:
Metta is the Pali term for friendship, goodwill or loving-kindness. In this retreat, we will develop metta as a meditation practice, which cultivates our natural capacity for an open and loving heart towards ourselves and all other beings. We will also develop the practices of compassion, joy, and equanimity. Metta practice leads to greater acceptance of ourselves and others, revealing our fundamental connectedness to all life.

The schedule will include regular periods of mindful movement, as we find this is a helpful complement to the loving-kindness meditation.

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).

Dates: Monday, December 2, 3:00pm – Sunday, December 8, 11:30am; 5 nights
Sliding Scale: TBD, PLUS a donation to the teacher(s) and retreat staff. Code 314R19.
Will open for registration on 7/31/2019.

This retreat is for self-identified members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex community.

Retreat Description:
All of us long for true refuge: a place of safety where we can feel well and at ease. We often seek this refuge outside of ourselves in relationships, geography or possessions. While all of these can provide something, it turns out the best place to find true refuge is in our own heart and mind. Join us to explore the Buddha’s path to well-being and happiness through meditation and Dharma.

We will be practicing insight meditation in silence together, engaging in mindfulness while sitting, walking, eating, working, and doing all activities. There will be guided instruction and Dharma talks. You will be asked to let go of relationships, communication, phone, technology, reading, writing, recreational drugs, and alcohol during our retreat. See what you can find when all these are set aside.

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).