Event Type: Day Retreats

Date & Time: Sunday, December 4, 2022; 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code PW1D22.

Description:
“All things are subject to impermanence and decay. Walk the Path with care.”
— The Buddha

Appamāda is the final word of encouragement spoken by the Buddha before he died. All around us, we see and feel the truth of impermanence—in our own bodies, in systems and institutions crumbling all around us, and in threats to the health and well-being of our planet. During this day-long retreat, we will take up the Buddha’s final instruction and discover what it means to walk the Path with care. Together we will explore the three essential aspects of practice offered on the Path: wisdom (pañña), virtue (sīla), and meditation (samādhi.)

Our time together will include guided meditation, individual reflection, and interactive inquiry. You will leave refreshed and inspired, with insights to deepen your practice and support your wholehearted engagement with life.

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org.

Date & Time: Saturday, December 10, 2022; 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code KA1D22.

Description:
Knowing your boundaries, and communicating them clearly, is an act of fierce compassion. But in a culture that normalizes appeasement, overwork, and non-consent, it can feel vulnerable, even scary, to articulate boundaries, even to ourselves. This season, you can have a different experience. You can change—you are allowed to change—and your practice can support you.

Together we’ll explore how the Buddha’s teachings on spiritual friendship (kalyana mitta) and the heart qualities (brahmavihāra) can be your greatest allies in establishing healthy boundaries. You’ll build your capacity to know and name what you want, what you need, and what is no longer acceptable to you, so you can truly show up for the people you care about without losing yourself in the process.

Our time together will include guided meditations, Dharma talks, journaling reflections, and time for questions and insights. The day is appropriate for beginners and experienced meditators.

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org.

Date & Time: Sunday, December 11, 2022; 10:00am-5:00pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code KG2D22.
Continuing Education Credits: This program offers 6 CE credits for $60 for psychologists, and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, and nurses

Please Note: This retreat is offered online only. We invite you to try this creative form of practice as we take care of one another and respond skillfully to COVID-19.

Description:
Our Dharma practice and our recovery program each rest on the foundation of intention and commitment. One day at a time and one breath at a time, we keep coming back to the present moment, and to our wish to be free. This daylong retreat will focus on beginning the year with a clear vision of our path, whether we are just establishing our recovery, renewing our commitment, or maintaining our program and practice. Through mindfulness meditations, lectures, interactive exercises, and personal reflection, we will seek fresh inspiration for a year of growth and happiness.

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org.

Date & Time: Saturday, December 17, 2022; 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code ES2D22.

Program Description: Winter Solstice marks the moment where the sun is farthest from the earth. In many earth-based traditions, there is the practice of gathering the days before the solstice to call forth the light. This practice of calling forth builds relationship with the sun, humbly requesting its return to warm the soil, our bodies, and nourish all the seeds planted in fall and early winter.

As we approach the longest night of the year we join in meditation practice and ceremony to court the sun, calling forth the light of the sun within ourselves, each other and our global community. Please come with a candle and journal.

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org.

Date & Time: Saturday, December 31, 2022; 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $55-$275. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code VF1S22.

Description:
We’ve completed another circle around the sun. It is a moment to celebrate, enjoy each other’s company and honor the ways that time—and everything else—slips through our fingers. Please join us as we reflect on this past year, on the timelessness of the Dharma, and imagine a future that reflects our deepest aspirations. 

We’ll dwell in the safety and reassurance of 2,600 years of lineage as we collectively feel the longing to be free. We gather to release what no longer serves, bow to what is beautiful in each of us and consider our roles as midwives of goodness.

Expect bells, chanting, silence, community, and fantastic music. Bring your whole heart as our global saṅgha connects one more time in 2022. All are warmly welcome to this evening of Dharma reflection and ceremony.

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org.

Date & Time: Sunday, January 1, 2023; 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Please Note: This program will be offered as a hybrid: on-land (non-residential day program) and online (via Zoom).

On-land (in-person) Sliding Scale: $108-$1008. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code SB1D23.

Online Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code SB1Z23.

Description: 
Join us to celebrate the arrival of 2023 with the New Year Team—Sylvia Boorstein (a founding Spirit Rock teacher), Brahmani Liebman (Kripalu Yoga Teacher, Trainer & Mindful Movement Teacher), Barbara Bogatin (San Francisco Symphony cellist) and Barbara Borden (Drums, Percussion, The Keeper of the Beat)—as we individually and collectively respond to the fundamental question, “What, in challenging times, keeps the mind alert and buoyant, and the heart hopeful and generous?”

Together we’ll explore the practices that sustained us through the last year and the lessons we learned that we hope to carry forward with us. We’ll share stories, Dharma, meditation instructions and practice periods, guided mindful movement, and music. Please join us to, as the Buddha said, “Move into the future with confidence.”

On-Land space is limited due to COVID protocols in place. If you can only join us remotely online, please register for the Online version and you can participate by Zoom or watch the program later. All pre-registered participants (on-land or online) will receive a link to the recording of the program.

Date & Time: Saturday, January 7, 2022; 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code DB1D23.

Description:

We will use our day together to explore mindfulness of the body, including the full awareness of breathing. In the process, we will cultivate openness of heart with the intention and aspiration to know the direct experience of breath, body, and heart as a path that opens to wisdom and compassion.

Our time together will include guided meditation periods, Dharma reflections, question and response periods, and gentle Yoga. The day is appropriate for beginners as well as experienced meditators.

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org.

Date & Time: Sunday, January 8, 2022; 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $0-$108. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code PS1G23.

Description:

What is “enough”? And how can “enough” be a liberating principle for our finances and our life? With mindfulness, compassion, and supportive community, discover a new and productive approach to money.

Regardless of how much money you have or the financial challenges you’re facing, it’s possible to shift from fear, confusion, and avoidance, to clarity and action. Since we often bring the least amount of mindfulness to our finances, it’s an area where we have the greatest opportunity for transformation.

Through guided meditations and interactive exercises, you will loosen your conditioned beliefs and gain new perspectives on money, uncovering financial wisdom and cultivating a resilient, confident, and empowered attitude toward your finances.

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org.

Date & Time: Saturday, January 14, 2022; 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $25-$108. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code KH1H23.

Description:

The Buddha, a prince who abandoned his comforts to find freedom, taught a path to liberation based on rejecting the three poisons of hatred, greed and delusion. In the Dhammapada we read: “Hatred can never put an end to hatred; love alone can.”

Close to 2,500 years later, a Bodhisattva emerged in the American South. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who left his own comfortable middle-class life to fight for freedom, taught a path to Beloved Community by rejecting the triple evils of racism, materialism, and militarism. In his book Strength to Love, he wrote, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Join us to celebrate King Day by learning about his philosophy, its relationship with Buddhist Dharma, and how they can move us toward a liberated world.

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org.

Date & Time: Saturday, January 21, 2023; 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code TR1D23.

Description:
In concentration and serenity meditation (samatha), we return awareness to one object of meditation to the exclusion of everything else, unifying the mind stream. This reveals with heightened clarity the habitual patterns that cause us to suffer, called “purification of mind.” A laser-like awareness can develop, leading to profound peace, stillness, and joy, as well as the meditative absorptions known as jhāna. We will explore the practice path, the relationship of samatha and vipassanā, and working with striving and hindrances.

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org.

Dates and Times: February – December, 2023.
Opening Retreat: February 3 (Required); 9:30am – 12:30pm* US Pacific Time
Monthly Large Group Sessions: 9:30am – 11:30pm US Pacific Time; February 17, March 17, April 14, May 12, June 9, July 14, August 11, September 8, October 6, November 3
Closing Retreat: (Required) December 1; 9:30am – 12:30pm* US Pacific Time
*Please note that the Opening and Closing retreats are 1-hour longer.
Sliding Scale: $500-$1500. Code LB1C23.

DESCRIPTION:
We’ve all experienced the Buddha’s first noble truth in these past few years: there is suffering. To engage skillfully with this truth, we can draw on an accessible framework for cultivating the qualities of the heart that lead to liberation.

The 10 Perfections or Attainments of the Heart, known as the pāramīs, are a map for recovery and the creation of a culture of belonging and wisdom. They are qualities for navigating life, not just guidelines for meditation, and are said to be what the Buddha was cultivating in earlier lifetimes as he slowly developed into one who could awaken fully and show others the way to freedom.

In this program, we’ll be practicing and exploring the pāramīs both on and off the cushion, with a focus on how we embody and live these teachings within a community of belonging, and sustained dedication to collective liberation.

PROGRAM INCLUDES:
• Format: Online
• Teachings: Monthly (12) large group sessions (recorded)
• Community support: Monthly (12), self-organized “Practice Pods” (home groups); Required, each group will determine a time that works for all members.
• Q&A sessions (monthly, optional, recorded); Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30pm US Pacific Time
• Home practices: Guided meditations, readings, reflections (estimated 5-7 hours/month + monthly practice pods + daily meditation)
• Access: Video and audio recordings

PROGRAM OUTLINE:
Opening Retreat (Feb 3 – Required): Beginning the Journey to the Heart

Laying the Foundation: Dāna, Sīla & Nekkhamma
• Session 1 (Feb 17): Dāna
• Session 2 (Mar 17): Sīla
• Session 3 (Apr 14): Nekkhamma

Finding Our Flow: Pañña, Viriya & Khanti
• Session 4 (May 12): Pañña
• Session 5 (June 9): Viriya
• Session 6 (July 14): Khanti

Staying with It: Sacca & Adiṭṭhāna
• Session 7 (Aug 11): Sacca
• Session 8 (Sep 8): Adiṭṭhāna

Remembering the Heart: Metta & Upekkha
• Session 9 (Oct 6): Metta
• Session 10 (Nov 3): Upekkhā

Closing Retreat (Dec 1): What We’ve Learned on this Journey

PARTICIPATION COMMITMENT:
• Attend at least ONE program orientation session (required – no RSVP, just show up!)
• Attend the Opening retreat – February 3. This is required to establish the container and respect the shared commitment of our Paramis sangha.
• Participate wholeheartedly; engaging with the Practice Pods, home practices, and all large group sessions.

IMPORTANT NOTE! If you are unable to honor all of these Participation Commitments at this time, please wait and join us for a future iteration.

ORIENTATION DATES:
Tuesday, January 24; 5:30 – 6:30pm US Pacific Time
Friday, January 27; 12:00 – 1:00pm US Pacific Time

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Sliding Scale: $500 – $1500

Benefactor – $1500
Sustainer – $1250
Base Rate – $1008
Reduced Rate – $750
Scholarship Rates (M/K & BIPOC) – $500

We ask that you consider paying at the highest rate you can afford. These fees support the teacher of this program and Spirit Rock, enabling us to support those who need to pay less.

Register early! Scholarship and Reduced Rates are limited, and are for those truly experiencing financial hardship. If the lowest scholarship rate is not accessible for you, please email: registration@spiritrock.org. These requests will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis and are also limited.

CANCELLATION POLICY:*
• $100 cancellation fee – On or before January 20, by 5:00pm US Pacific Time
• No refunds: Option of Open credit or tax deductible donation to Spirit Rock – January 21 until February 19
• No refunds or Open credits – February 20 and beyond
*Fees reduced for scholarship participants

Date & Time: Saturday, February 11, 2023; 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $55-$275. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code JK1D23.

Description:
In this traditional Insight Meditation (vipassanā) daylong retreat, the emphasis will be on quieting the mind and opening the heart. By cultivating a calm mind and a kind heart toward ourselves and others, we learn how to live with loving awareness, and develop a more easeful relationship with life, regardless of our circumstances.

Instructions will be given for both sitting and walking meditation. Lively discourse on the Dharma will be provided throughout the day, with time for questions and discussion. This daylong retreat is suitable for both new and experienced meditators who are looking to refresh and deepen their practice.

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org.

Date & Time: Sunday, February 12, 2023; 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code DC1D23.

Description:
This Valentine’s Day program is an opportunity for couples to awaken the heart of joy and love together. To be intimate we must learn to be fully present. Through partner meditations, verbal and nonverbal communication exercises, and group sharing, couples will practice the art of intimacy and learn skills to deepen their shared journey.

Please note: This program is not appropriate to attend by oneself, as the majority of the day will be spent in partner practice.

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org.

Date & Time: Saturday, February 25, 2023; 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $45-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code CL1D23.

Description:
Having the time, money, and circumstances that allow for going on a meditation retreat is not a privilege that everyone shares, let alone the ability to live as a monastic. Many of us have commitments to care for children, elders or others, or to our work in the world. Is awakening only for people living a monastic or semi-monastic life, or can we find just as much depth through the life of a householder? Together, we will explore the possibilities for profound insight to be found in taking out the trash, writing emails, and sleepless nights of childcare. Through talks, guided meditations, and relational practices, this retreat will highlight and celebrate the multitude of ways we can awaken in daily life.

All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org.

Dates and Times: February – December, 2023.
Opening Retreat: February 3 (Required); 9:30am – 12:30pm* US Pacific Time
Monthly Large Group Sessions: 9:30am – 11:30pm US Pacific Time; February 17, March 17, April 14, May 12, June 9, July 14, August 11, September 8, October 6, November 3
Closing Retreat: (Required) December 1; 9:30am – 12:30pm* US Pacific Time
*Please note that the Opening and Closing retreats are 1-hour longer.
Sliding Scale: $500-$1500. Code LB1C23.

DESCRIPTION:
We’ve all experienced the Buddha’s first noble truth in these past few years: there is suffering. To engage skillfully with this truth, we can draw on an accessible framework for cultivating the qualities of the heart that lead to liberation.

The 10 Perfections or Attainments of the Heart, known as the pāramīs, are a map for recovery and the creation of a culture of belonging and wisdom. They are qualities for navigating life, not just guidelines for meditation, and are said to be what the Buddha was cultivating in earlier lifetimes as he slowly developed into one who could awaken fully and show others the way to freedom.

In this program, we’ll be practicing and exploring the pāramīs both on and off the cushion, with a focus on how we embody and live these teachings within a community of belonging, and sustained dedication to collective liberation.

PROGRAM INCLUDES:
• Format: Online
• Teachings: Monthly (12) large group sessions (recorded)
• Community support: Monthly (12), self-organized “Practice Pods” (home groups); Required, each group will determine a time that works for all members.
• Q&A sessions (monthly, optional, recorded); Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30pm US Pacific Time
• Home practices: Guided meditations, readings, reflections (estimated 5-7 hours/month + monthly practice pods + daily meditation)
• Access: Video and audio recordings

PROGRAM OUTLINE:
Opening Retreat (Feb 3 – Required): Beginning the Journey to the Heart

Laying the Foundation: Dāna, Sīla & Nekkhamma
• Session 1 (Feb 17): Dāna
• Session 2 (Mar 17): Sīla
• Session 3 (Apr 14): Nekkhamma

Finding Our Flow: Pañña, Viriya & Khanti
• Session 4 (May 12): Pañña
• Session 5 (June 9): Viriya
• Session 6 (July 14): Khanti

Staying with It: Sacca & Adiṭṭhāna
• Session 7 (Aug 11): Sacca
• Session 8 (Sep 8): Adiṭṭhāna

Remembering the Heart: Metta & Upekkha
• Session 9 (Oct 6): Metta
• Session 10 (Nov 3): Upekkhā

Closing Retreat (Dec 1): What We’ve Learned on this Journey

PARTICIPATION COMMITMENT:
• Attend at least ONE program orientation session (required – no RSVP, just show up!)
• Attend the Opening retreat – February 3. This is required to establish the container and respect the shared commitment of our Paramis sangha.
• Participate wholeheartedly; engaging with the Practice Pods, home practices, and all large group sessions.

IMPORTANT NOTE! If you are unable to honor all of these Participation Commitments at this time, please wait and join us for a future iteration.

ORIENTATION DATES:
Tuesday, January 24; 5:30 – 6:30pm US Pacific Time
Friday, January 27; 12:00 – 1:00pm US Pacific Time

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Sliding Scale: $500 – $1500

Benefactor – $1500
Sustainer – $1250
Base Rate – $1008
Reduced Rate – $750
Scholarship Rates (M/K & BIPOC) – $500

We ask that you consider paying at the highest rate you can afford. These fees support the teacher of this program and Spirit Rock, enabling us to support those who need to pay less.

Register early! Scholarship and Reduced Rates are limited, and are for those truly experiencing financial hardship. If the lowest scholarship rate is not accessible for you, please email: registration@spiritrock.org. These requests will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis and are also limited.

CANCELLATION POLICY:*
• $100 cancellation fee – On or before January 20, by 5:00pm US Pacific Time
• No refunds: Option of Open credit or tax deductible donation to Spirit Rock – January 21 until February 19
• No refunds or Open credits – February 20 and beyond
*Fees reduced for scholarship participants