Event Type: Non-Residential Programs

Dates: September 30, 2023 – May 4, 2024; specific dates below.
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sliding Scale: $2100 – $3500. Code LD3T23.

Application deadline (updated): September 27, 2023

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PROGRAM DATES: September 2023 – May 2024

All large group sessions:
Saturdays
9:30am – 4:00pm US Pacific Time

Program Opening: September 30 (Required) – 9:30am-11:30am PT
Session 1: October 14
Session 2: November 4
Session 3: December 2
Session 4: January 6
Session 5: February 3
Session 6: March 2
Session 7: April 6
Session 8: May 4

PROGRAM PREREQUISITES:

Preferred pre-requisites (strongly encouraged, not required):

• A minimum of 10 days of any combination of: silent residential meditation retreats, daylongs, or mindfulness workshops
• At least 2 years of meditation practice
• For white-identified applicants, priority will be given to those who have done or are signed up to take a white awareness, antiracist, and/or racial equity training
• Priority is offered to those practicing Vipassana (Insight Meditation)

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

This program is to be held entirely online and designed for meditators and Buddhist practitioners wishing to engage wholeheartedly in a deep exploration and practice of Dharma through the study and teaching of the Buddha’s “Noble Eightfold Path.” Using the classic Buddhist teachings of sīla, samādhi, and pañña (ethics, meditation, and wisdom), we will look at how we cultivate mindfulness, kindness, and balance given the inner stresses of modern life, and the outer challenges of social inequity and the pressure of climate change.

This will be a practical, experiential, and meditative program exploring the Buddha’s teachings on the eight limbs of the Dharma path: Wise Understanding, Wise Motivation, Wise Action, Wise Livelihood, Wise Communication, Wise Effort, Wise Mindfulness, and Wise Concentration. Through the support of these teachings we will inquire how to live and respond to life with awareness, wisdom, and compassion.

In this journey, we will create a vibrant learning community to study, meditate, and inquire into these key areas of Buddhist teaching and how to make these teachings practical and relevant in our current social milieu. Our meditation practice and what is happening around us politically, socially, and globally are not separate. As we explore the Eightfold Path teachings, we will apply what was taught 2600 years ago to what we live and experience in our contemporary lives.

PROGRAM INCLUDES:

• Monthly large group sessions (recorded)
• Monthly small group sessions
• Daily and monthly home practices and readings
• Monthly written reflections
• Monthly Q&A (recorded)

PARTICIPATION COMMITMENT:

• Must attend Program Opening on September 30, 2023 – required!
• Must attend at least 6 of 8 large group sessions live (and access recordings of any missed sessions)
• Meditation: 20-30 min/day recommended
• Reading, journaling, and written reflections: 4-8 hr/month
• One small group meeting with teachers (held during a large group session)
• Q&A Sessions: 1 hr/month (highly recommended but not required, and will be recorded)
• Wed, Nov 15 – 10:00am PT
• Wed, Jan 10 – 6:00pm PT
• Thurs, Feb 15 – 10:00am PT
• Wed, March 20 – 6:00pm PT

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APPLICATION TIMELINE AND PROCESS:

April 27 – September 27, 2023: Applications open and accepted on a rolling basis until program is full.
September 28: Final notifications sent out
Deposits due: Within 3 days of acceptance notification

All applications will go through a screening process by the teachers and will be formally accepted on a rolling basis throughout the application period until the program fills, or until September 27, 2023, whichever comes first. Applications received after the program is full or after September 27 (again, whichever comes first) will automatically be considered for the waitlist. You are encouraged to apply early.

All applicants will be notified of their status no later than September 27, 2023, via email.

TUITION

Sliding Scale: $2100 – $3500. Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports the teachers of this program as well as Spirit Rock, staff, and your fellow practitioners. Any amount offered above the Base rate of $2100 is a tax deductible donation to Spirit Rock, and your generosity will enable and support the participation of others.

Standard Sliding Scale:
Benefactor – $3500
Sustainer – $2650
Base – $2100

Scholarship Sliding Scale:
Scholarship rates are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are open to those needing financial support.
Scholarship Rate 1 – $1950
Scholarship Rate 2 – $1650
Scholarship Rate 3 – $790
Scholarship Rate 4 – $525 (Reserved for BIPOC)*
*Scholarship Rates 4 is limited and reserved for BIPOC folks only who may experiencing acute financial hardship. If closer to the program start there are unallocated scholarships for this rate, these may become available for non-BIPOC folks.

Participation in LDP requires a financial commitment. ALL participants have the option of paying in full, or a 30% deposit at the time of acceptance. Payment plans are available for all levels of the sliding scale.

If you choose to pay a deposit, you can set up three monthly installments for the remaining balance which will be due in October, November, and December 2023. Installments can only be set up on credit cards. Please contact us if you have any questions.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Participating in LDP will require your commitment of both time and financial resources. If you need to withdraw from the program, the following fee structure will apply. Cancellation fee is deducted from the program fees paid; fee is a percentage of the total amount agreed to pay. These fees apply to all participants.

$50 non-refundable, flat fee for all applicants August 1 – September 15
10% fee: September 16 – September 29
25% fee: September 30 – October 14
50% fee: October 15 – November 4
No refunds = On or after November 5

Go Here to Learn More: Living Dharma Program Details

Dates: January – May, 2024; specific dates listed below.
Meeting Times: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $2,525 – $5,000. Scholarship rates available. Code BP4T24.
Continuing Education Credits: This program offers 18 CE credits for $180 for applicable psychologists and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors. View CEC details below.*

Visit BPT Program page here.

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Registration will open approximately 9:00 a.m. US Pacific Time on Friday, September 15, 2023.

GENERAL PREREQUISITE: Completion of at least one silent multi-day residential or multi-day online Insight Meditation retreat recommended by the start of the program (e.g. Spirit Rock, IMS, IRC, etc.)

PROFESSIONAL PREREQUISITE: This course is designed for those working in caregiving and mental health professions. This includes psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, and mindfulness teachers.

DESCRIPTION
Deepen your understanding of meditation and nourish your work with clients in this five-month training designed for clinicians, counselors, mindfulness teachers, and others providing mental health support. In this training, you’ll join a community of peers for an in-depth exploration of mindfulness, Dharma, and science that will support both your personal practice and your work with others.

Through periods of meditation, Dharma talks, discussion, small group explorations and clinical case studies, you will develop greater confidence in applying mindfulness-based interventions with clients, deepen your understanding of the intersections of Buddhism and psychology, and further cultivate your own meditation practice and tools for self-care.

This training includes an experiential investigation of our own life and practice as well as our roles as clinicians. It is ideal for people who want to explore their own minds and hearts as a springboard into best serving their clients, rather than those who are primarily seeking coaching on the implementation of mindfulness-based treatment manuals.

As counselors we know that only when one has truly made oneself a patient can one become a healer. Through our practice, we become the patient and come to understand, affirm, and ultimately, transform ourselves. It is this transformation that ripples outwards to our clients and community. This training brings both sides of ourselves—the patient and the healer—together as we practice and learn together.

The training will provide an immersion in Buddhist psychology and the meditation practices that illuminate our minds, foster goodness, and transform habits that compound suffering. We’ll dive into the scientific research on mindfulness and its increasing prominence in psychotherapeutic interventions, and explore data regarding the efficacy of mindfulness and the mechanisms through which mindfulness confers its benefits. The training will examine the convergences and tensions between clinical research and Buddhist psychology and describe ways to integrate mindfulness into treatment. We’ll consider possible contraindications of mindfulness and how to tailor the intervention to individuals. Please join us.

PROGRAM DATES
Program training period is January – May, 2024. Specific training dates below.
All meeting times are: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

• Jan 6-7 (2 days)
• Feb 10
• March 9
• April 13
• May 4-5 (2 days)

PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES
Your participation in this training is important. The cohesion of the group is an important aspect of this training, so participation serves both your own development as well as the group. We ask that you commit to the dates and to participate wholeheartedly.

In addition to course meetings, participants will have opportunities to participate in smaller consult groups with the teacher throughout the program term.

For participants wishing to receive CE credits: In order to receive Continuing Education Credits, participants must attend all sessions live, on time, and in full. Your attendance is tracked carefully to grant your CE credits. Board regulations prohibit partial credit for partial attendance, therefore, incomplete attendance nullifies CE credit eligibility. No exceptions. More information on Continuing Education (CE) credits below.

For participants not wishing to receive CE credits: Attendance at both two-day retreats (January and May) is mandatory. We expect that all participants will also attend each monthly daylong, however, we understand that sometimes there are unavoidable emergencies.

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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Scholarships are limited and are reserved for those truly experiencing financial hardship. Scholarship sliding scale: $750-$2025. Financial assistance for training programs is limited to once per year, per person.

CANCELLATION FEES:
$75 non-refundable, flat fee for all applicants on or before Dec 1, 2023 (deducted from deposit)
15% fee* = Dec 2, 2023 – Jan 5, 2024
30% fee* = Jan 6 – 20, 2024
No refunds = On or after Jan 21, 2024
*Fee deducted from refund; fee is a percentage of the total amount agreed to pay.

QUESTIONS? Please email us.

Dates: January – December, 2024.
Monthly large group sessions – Saturdays: January 27 (required!), February 24, March 23, April 20, May 18, June 22, July 20, August 24, September 14, October 19, November 16, December 14, + “Graduation” on January 25, 2025
Orientation Dates: Thurs Jan 11, 5:30-6:30pm PT or Fri Jan 12, 11am-12pm PT
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $1008-$1500. Scholarship rates available. Code YL5T24.

Registration will open approximately 1:00 p.m. US Pacific Time on Friday, September 15, 2023.

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Teaching Team: Vinny Ferraro (Lead), Pam Dunn, and Frank Ostaseski

CANCELLATION POLICY
• $100 cancellation fee* – On or before Jan 24, by 5:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
• No refunds: Choice of Open credit or tax deductible donation – Jan 25 through Feb 26 (after the second class)
• No refunds and no open credits –  Feb 27 and beyond
*Fees reduced by half for scholarship participants until Jan 24. No refunds for all participants after this date.

QUESTIONS? Please email us.

Date & Time: Friday, September 22, 2023; 10:00am – 11:30am US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: Donation-Based (Dāna). Please support our Spirit Rock teachers, staff, and scholarships by giving as generously as you can. Code MB1G23.

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A Benefit for Spirit Rock Meditation Center

Description:
AI already generates impressive dharma advice; new releases will become dramatically better. ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence-based technologies have unlocked automated generation of high-quality text, images, audio, and video, as well as easy access to powerful machine-based intelligence.

All this will have a substantial effect on human well-being, on our ability to make sense of the world, on jobs, and the functioning of our institutions. How can we skillfully navigate this explosion of possibilities and risks from a Buddhist perspective? How might these technologies affect Buddhist teachers and practitioners? And where can Buddhist wisdom be particularly helpful in the coming era?

In this program, Spirit Rock board members Randima Fernando (Co-Founder at Center of Humane Technology) and Matthew Brensilver (Buddhist teacher) will share their perspectives, including:

• A recap of the latest AI developments
• Trends and risks
• Ways we can mitigate the biggest AI risks
• How Buddhist principles can help

Date & Time: Sunday, September 24, 2023; 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $95-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code TU2D23.

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Description:
The Nine Bodies teaching presents a unified map of the various capacities of consciousness, which are often only partially recognized (or completely unrecognized) even among long-term practitioners. The Nine Bodies Insight practice explores the nature of consciousness itself and utilizes this map to balance, refine, and empower one’s Insight Meditation practice.

The day will include brief orienting talks, detailed guided meditations, walking/moving meditation, and time for sharing and response. The primary method of teaching will be through guided meditations including the Arriving Sequence, the Physical Body, the Vital Body, the Emotional Body, and the Etheric Body. There will be an emphasis on grounding, relaxation, and receiving the felt-sense in the present moment as we explore these natural capacities of consciousness.

This retreat is appropriate for people at all levels of meditation experience. No background with the Nine Bodies Insight practice method is required.

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: 3 Thursdays: September 28, October 5, October 12, 2023
Times: 4:30-6:00pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $150-$600. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code SB2C23.

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Description:
Join Sylvia Boorstein and Heidi Bourne for an inspiring three-part series exploring the Dharma, meditation itself, and the ever-changing ambitions and intentions that bring us back to the practice again and again. Together, we will delve into these important questions:

• What brought you to practice?
• What did you hope to accomplish?
• Did you have an intention?
• Do you still have an intention?
• Who are the teachers you admire?
• What have you learned?
• What are the teachings that most inspire and support your practice?
• What are you curious about now?
• Why do you keep coming back?

In each session, Sylvia and Heidi will reflect on how practice supports their lives, while also offering a guided meditation practice and inviting you into lively discussions about your own experience.

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, September 30, 2023; 10:30am – 3:00pm.
Sliding Scale: $90-$295 (per family). Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers and Spirit Rock. Code FA2D23.

RETREAT TO BE HELD ON THE LAND ONLY! Community Meditation Center – Great Hall

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Description:
Family Days are a wonderful opportunity to spend the day connecting with your children, yourself, and a community of supportive peers. Come play, share, learn, and open your heart!

Family Practice Period:
We start our morning with a program for everyone, weaving the theme of the day into songs, skits, and family activities. We have plenty for your children, with mindfulness activities geared toward youth ages 4 – 10 as well as a new program for older youth, ages 11 – 14. 

Youth Program:
During the second half of the day, youth ages 4 – 14 will attend age-appropriate groups with our experienced Spirit Rock mindfulness leaders. They will play, make art, sing songs, and practice mindfulness together.

Parents’ Program:
Parents of children ages 4 and older will have an opportunity to meditate, hear a talk related to parenting as practice, and connect with each other through group discussions.
Pre-registration is required so we can plan ahead, especially for the kids’ activities.  This is a popular event that usually sells out, so register early!

Volunteers are needed to assist with the event and attend free of charge. Children are welcome to volunteer alongside an adult. Contact our Volunteer Coordinator for more information at: volunteering@spiritrock.org.

IMPORTANT – Details on our current COVID Safety Protocols for In-person Retreats.

Dates: January – December, 2024.
Monthly large group sessions – Saturdays: January 27 (required!), February 24, March 23, April 20, May 18, June 22, July 20, August 24, September 14, October 19, November 16, December 14, + “Graduation” on January 25, 2025
Orientation Dates: Thurs Jan 11, 5:30-6:30pm PT or Fri Jan 12, 11am-12pm PT
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $1008-$1500. Scholarship rates available. Code YL5T24.

Registration will open approximately 1:00 p.m. US Pacific Time on Friday, September 15, 2023.

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Teaching Team: Vinny Ferraro (Lead), Pam Dunn, and Frank Ostaseski

CANCELLATION POLICY
• $100 cancellation fee* – On or before Jan 24, by 5:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
• No refunds: Choice of Open credit or tax deductible donation – Jan 25 through Feb 26 (after the second class)
• No refunds and no open credits –  Feb 27 and beyond
*Fees reduced by half for scholarship participants until Jan 24. No refunds for all participants after this date.

QUESTIONS? Please email us.

Dates: January – May, 2024; specific dates listed below.
Meeting Times: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $2,525 – $5,000. Scholarship rates available. Code BP4T24.
Continuing Education Credits: This program offers 18 CE credits for $180 for applicable psychologists and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors. View CEC details below.*

Visit BPT Program page here.

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Registration will open approximately 9:00 a.m. US Pacific Time on Friday, September 15, 2023.

GENERAL PREREQUISITE: Completion of at least one silent multi-day residential or multi-day online Insight Meditation retreat recommended by the start of the program (e.g. Spirit Rock, IMS, IRC, etc.)

PROFESSIONAL PREREQUISITE: This course is designed for those working in caregiving and mental health professions. This includes psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, and mindfulness teachers.

DESCRIPTION
Deepen your understanding of meditation and nourish your work with clients in this five-month training designed for clinicians, counselors, mindfulness teachers, and others providing mental health support. In this training, you’ll join a community of peers for an in-depth exploration of mindfulness, Dharma, and science that will support both your personal practice and your work with others.

Through periods of meditation, Dharma talks, discussion, small group explorations and clinical case studies, you will develop greater confidence in applying mindfulness-based interventions with clients, deepen your understanding of the intersections of Buddhism and psychology, and further cultivate your own meditation practice and tools for self-care.

This training includes an experiential investigation of our own life and practice as well as our roles as clinicians. It is ideal for people who want to explore their own minds and hearts as a springboard into best serving their clients, rather than those who are primarily seeking coaching on the implementation of mindfulness-based treatment manuals.

As counselors we know that only when one has truly made oneself a patient can one become a healer. Through our practice, we become the patient and come to understand, affirm, and ultimately, transform ourselves. It is this transformation that ripples outwards to our clients and community. This training brings both sides of ourselves—the patient and the healer—together as we practice and learn together.

The training will provide an immersion in Buddhist psychology and the meditation practices that illuminate our minds, foster goodness, and transform habits that compound suffering. We’ll dive into the scientific research on mindfulness and its increasing prominence in psychotherapeutic interventions, and explore data regarding the efficacy of mindfulness and the mechanisms through which mindfulness confers its benefits. The training will examine the convergences and tensions between clinical research and Buddhist psychology and describe ways to integrate mindfulness into treatment. We’ll consider possible contraindications of mindfulness and how to tailor the intervention to individuals. Please join us.

PROGRAM DATES
Program training period is January – May, 2024. Specific training dates below.
All meeting times are: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

• Jan 6-7 (2 days)
• Feb 10
• March 9
• April 13
• May 4-5 (2 days)

PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES
Your participation in this training is important. The cohesion of the group is an important aspect of this training, so participation serves both your own development as well as the group. We ask that you commit to the dates and to participate wholeheartedly.

In addition to course meetings, participants will have opportunities to participate in smaller consult groups with the teacher throughout the program term.

For participants wishing to receive CE credits: In order to receive Continuing Education Credits, participants must attend all sessions live, on time, and in full. Your attendance is tracked carefully to grant your CE credits. Board regulations prohibit partial credit for partial attendance, therefore, incomplete attendance nullifies CE credit eligibility. No exceptions. More information on Continuing Education (CE) credits below.

For participants not wishing to receive CE credits: Attendance at both two-day retreats (January and May) is mandatory. We expect that all participants will also attend each monthly daylong, however, we understand that sometimes there are unavoidable emergencies.

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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Scholarships are limited and are reserved for those truly experiencing financial hardship. Scholarship sliding scale: $750-$2025. Financial assistance for training programs is limited to once per year, per person.

CANCELLATION FEES:
$75 non-refundable, flat fee for all applicants on or before Dec 1, 2023 (deducted from deposit)
15% fee* = Dec 2, 2023 – Jan 5, 2024
30% fee* = Jan 6 – 20, 2024
No refunds = On or after Jan 21, 2024
*Fee deducted from refund; fee is a percentage of the total amount agreed to pay.

QUESTIONS? Please email us.

Dates: 3 Thursdays: September 28, October 5, October 12, 2023
Times: 4:30-6:00pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $150-$600. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code SB2C23.

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Description:
Join Sylvia Boorstein and Heidi Bourne for an inspiring three-part series exploring the Dharma, meditation itself, and the ever-changing ambitions and intentions that bring us back to the practice again and again. Together, we will delve into these important questions:

• What brought you to practice?
• What did you hope to accomplish?
• Did you have an intention?
• Do you still have an intention?
• Who are the teachers you admire?
• What have you learned?
• What are the teachings that most inspire and support your practice?
• What are you curious about now?
• Why do you keep coming back?

In each session, Sylvia and Heidi will reflect on how practice supports their lives, while also offering a guided meditation practice and inviting you into lively discussions about your own experience.

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, October 1, 2023; 9:00am – 4:30pm US Pacific Time
Please Note: This program will be offered as a hybrid: on-land (non-residential) and online (via Zoom).

On-Land (in-person) Sliding Scale: $0-$160. Our sliding scale options include financial support for our teachers. Code AK1G23.

Online Sliding Scale: $0-$108. Our sliding scale options include financial support for our teachers. Code AK1Z23.

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Description:
Stressing out trying to settle the mind and “get concentrated?” Tired of trying to force your attention onto a narrow point of breathing and getting frustrated? You’re not alone. In this daylong retreat, we’ll explore strategies for setting up the mind/heart, engaging with some contemplations that allow for natural and easeful settling into samādhi, rather than trying to force attention onto a tight location.

This retreat will include guided meditation, dharma reflections, and time for Q&A.

On-Land space is limited due to COVID protocols in place, please register for the In-person event only if you can join us on the land. 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.

Class Dates: 5 Sundays: October 1 – 29, 2023; October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29.
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm US Pacific Time; class time is the same for all 5 Sundays.
Sliding Scale: $120-$180. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code: TE6C23.

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ALL TWEENS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL ARE WELCOME (11-14 year olds)

Description:
In this five-week series, learn meditation, speak your truth, relax deeply, and develop your mind—all while hanging out with other great people your age. We will take the time to reconnect with ourselves in order to experience more peace, wisdom, and compassion through the practices of mindfulness and Insight Meditation.

Classes will include movement, community-building games, meditation instruction, and council – a practice of witnessing and contributing to the group’s collective wisdom. This Fall series is offered to all tweens in Middle School.

Important Note: All participants must attend the first class meeting. Students are expected to attend at least 4 sessions. Video participation is expected to support the container, with the exception of technical or health reasons.

Registration limit: 25 students. Series fills quickly so register early! No late additions unless by teacher approval.

Class Dates: 6 Sundays; October 1 – November 1, 2023; October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; November 1.
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm US Pacific Time; class time is the same for all 6 Sundays.
Sliding Scale: $160-$240. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code: TE5C23.

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ALL TEENS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND ARE WELCOME

Description:
In this teen series, learn how to meditate, relax deeply, speak your truth, and develop your mind—all while hanging out with other great people your age. Through the practices of mindfulness and Insight Meditation, we take time to reconnect to ourselves in order to experience more peace, wisdom, and compassion. Classes will include movement, community-building games, meditation instruction, and council—a practice of witnessing the group’s collective wisdom.

Important Note: Class size is limited to 25 students. Attendance in at least 4 sessions required, including the second session. Video participation is expected as a support for the container, with exceptions for technical or health reasons.

Registration limit: 25 students. Series fills quickly so register early! No late additions unless by teacher approval.

Date & Time: Saturday, October 7, 2023; 9:30am – 4:30pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $95-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code AL1D23.

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Description:
Since the beginning of humanity, people have told and listened to stories to engage, heal, inspire, and co-create shared worlds.

In telling and listening, we discover what it’s like to be alive, love, grieve, overcome, laugh and glean insight about our world and ourselves.

While we are encouraged in Buddhist traditions to let go of the stories we tell
ourselves, Buddhism has used storytelling to impart the teachings of the Buddha
for thousands of years. In this daylong workshop, we’ll practice honoring our life experiences, bring mindfulness to listening and speaking, and understand one another more deeply. When storytelling is diverse, richness, complexity and intelligence emerge as we build our capacity to embrace multi-storied experiences. Developing such a capacity broadens our heart’s capacity to hold all things.

Participants will have the opportunity to share stories in small groups of 4-5 people. We will begin with brief warm-up practices in the morning and end the day sharing longer stories.

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, October 7, 2023; 10:00 am – 4:00 pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $95-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code xxxx23.
Continuing Education Credits: Pending

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Description:
Working with the breath is foundational to Buddhist meditation, and was the Buddha’s primary practice both before and after his awakening. How we breathe affects our physical and mental health, and is one of the only ways we can directly engage with the Autonomic Nervous System. The breath helps determine how we process stress, move through emotions, and balance energy in our body and mind.

Though we often hear the instruction to let the breath be natural, adjusting the breath in meditation and throughout daily life can give tremendous benefit. This daylong will focus on changing unhealthy patterns of breathing for better energy, rest, and focus. We will learn prāṇāyāma from Haṭha Yoga, explore the physiology of breath, and meditate using the Buddha’s instructions on ānāpānasati (mindfulness of breathing). You will be able to immediately change how you are breathing, with direct impact on your meditation and general well-being.

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, October 8, 2023; 10:00am – 1:00pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $50-$108. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code NF1H23.

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Description:
In this half-day retreat we’ll explore the art, practice, and cosmic significance of “just sitting,” or shikantaza, as described by Dōgen, the 13th Century Japanese founder of Soto Zen Buddhism, in his seminal essay “Continuous Practice.” During our time together we’ll explore this soaring and poetic text and contemplate through sitting and walking meditation and interactive discussion the ways insight and mindfulness can infuse all of our daily activities, including our relationships, transforming our lives into Dharma.

This half day of practice is appropriate for beginners in meditation and mindfulness as well as those with all levels of experience in Zen. Spirit Rock is delighted to welcome our friend, the former abbot of San Francisco Zen Center, and a renowned poet and Zen teacher to Spirit Rock online for this special morning of teaching and 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.

Dates: Friday, October 13, 2023
Daily Schedule: 9:30am – 4:00pm
Sliding Scale: $140-$310. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for the teacher. Code MC1D23.
Continuing Education Credits: This program offers 5.5 CE credits for $55 for psychologists, and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors.*

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Single-Day Non-residential Retreat to be held on the land!

Description:
This daylong retreat is grounded in ancient traditions that value the transformative power of nature. In the spirit of the Buddha and his followers meditating in the forest, this day of guided silent meditation will be spent entirely outside in beautiful meadows nestled up in the hills of Spirit Rock.

Together, we will explore various sitting and walking mindfulness meditations and practices that help deepen our receptivity to the wisdom of nature. Practicing outdoors helps awaken our sensitivity to the natural world, opens our appreciation of nature as the ultimate Dharma teacher, and encourages an embracing wakefulness to all moments in our life. We will explore different Dharma themes that are illuminated in nature that make a direct impact in our lives.

Discover how meditative time outdoors leads to beautiful states of joy, peace, wonder, and love as well as connection with oneself, each other, and the larger web of life.

On-Land space is limited and pre-registration is required.

IMPORTANT – Details on our current COVID Safety Protocols for In-person Retreats.

Dates: Saturday to Sunday, October 14-15, 2023
Times: 10:00am – 5:00pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $250-$600. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code DR2M23.
Continuing Education Credits: This program offers 12 CE credits for $120 for psychologists, and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors.*

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Description:
In our times, differences and conflicts seem increasingly pervasive in relationships, communities, workplaces, and social and political arenas. Given that these conflicts often lead to reactivity—which can then manifest in avoidance or acting out, frustration, anger, blaming, and/or withdrawal—how can we bring our practice to this area?

In our two days together, we will explore core principles and practices for working with difficult mental, emotional, and somatic states through engagement with meditation, empathy (which can co-exist with disagreement), and wise speech. We will be guided by a vision of non-dual “conflict transformation,” rooted in the Buddha’s Middle Way and the contemporary work of peacemakers.

Our hope is that we can better approach differences and conflicts as opportunities for learning, connection and reconciliation, steadiness, trust, and compassion. There will be silent practice, guided meditations, short talks, discussion, interactive exercises, and practicing with scenarios involving differences or conflicts.

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: Friday, October 20, 2023; 10:00am – 3:00pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: Donation-Based (Dāna) $0-$108. Please support our Spirit Rock teachers, staff, and scholarships by giving as generously as you can. Code DW1G23.

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Open to: Active and retired first responders (law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics) of all backgrounds and experience.

Description:
First responders often face suffering and trauma on a regular basis, which can lead to overwhelming emotions, post-traumatic stress, decreased work performance, and a range of physical health problems. Meditation and mindfulness training can offer resources for developing the capacity to remain calm and focused even in chaotic situations. These practices can also promote a greater sense of grounding, well-being, and connectedness to the public they serve.

In this daylong retreat specifically designed and co-taught with first responders, participants will be introduced to core mindfulness and meditation practices through various guided exercises including walking and sitting meditation. Participants will also discuss the practical application of mindfulness in the first responder career field, develop self-care practices, and receive guidance for starting and maintaining a daily meditation 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.

Dates: Saturday to Sunday, October 21-22, 2023
Times: 9:00am-5:30pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $395-$795. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code ES1M23.

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.

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Description:
Change is normal and necessary but often we are unprepared to manage it skillfully. Research shows that meeting change with mindfulness and having specific tools to navigate uncertainty allows us to experience well-being even when life is challenging.

Change naturally brings up concerns, fears, and questions that can lead to confusion, lack of motivation, or poor decisions. To help you effectively respond to these challenges, during this workshop you will have the opportunity to:

• Use our “Journey through Change Map” to orient yourself in your change.
• Recognize mind habits that undermine you and learn practices to disengage from them.
• Identify your values and intentions so you have a basis for making wise decisions.
• Create a plan for navigating your change.

Expect a weekend full of dynamic inquiry and the opportunity to learn essential life skills for meeting your changes and transitions with authenticity, confidence, and clarity.

Your commitment to attend all sessions is important and required. If you are unable to attend any part of these sessions, we ask you to consider joining at another time when you can be fully present.

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: 4 Thursdays; Oct 26 – Nov 16, 2023 (Class dates are: Oct 26, Nov 2, Nov 9, and Nov 16)
Times: 6:00pm – 7:30pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $150-$600. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code CW1C23.
Continuing Education Credits: This program offers 6 CE credits for $60 for psychologists, and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors.*

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Description:
Our brain is an amazing organ that is focused on keeping us safe, avoiding pain, and maximizing pleasure. So how is it that so many of us end up with chronic physical pain? It turns out that in trying to avoid pain, the brain unintentionally reinforces it. 

Throughout this class series, you’ll learn more about how this happens and how you can use the tools of mindfulness and self-compassion to help your brain and nervous system to counterbalance their autopilot modes around pain. Together, we will explore and discuss the latest science in pain research, combining this knowledge with ancient wisdom and compassion teachings. This series is suitable for people living with chronic pain as well as health care providers working with people suffering from chronic pain.

Join us in this class series for a deeper exploration of these practices!

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: Sunday, October 29, 2023
Daily Schedule: 11:00am – 4:00pm
Sliding Scale: $65-$160. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for the teacher. Code VC1D23.

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Non-Residential Daylong Retreat to be held on the land!

Description:
Come together at Spirit Rock for an on-land daylong version of the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Saṅgha. Our weekly BIPOC Voices gathering of self-identified BIPOC practitioners provides a safe place to meditate and explore the Dharma. As a beloved community, this saṅgha supports exploration of the Dharma in light of our experiences. Together we cultivate an environment that welcomes diverse voices and builds community.

We will practice in silence, with walking, sitting, and lying down practice. At the end of the day, we will make room for community connection and reflection.

Special Opportunity! We invite you to extend this 11am – 4pm daylong by enjoying BIPOC Voices in the Great Hall from 9:00-10:30am PRIOR to regular programming. BIPOC Voices will be held as a hybrid on this particular Sunday. The daylong segment will only be held on the land and is not a hybrid. Separate registrations will be required for each program segment.

Come for one, or the other, or both! Please consider carpooling to this program.

On-Land space is limited and pre-registration is required.

IMPORTANT – Details on our current COVID Safety Protocols for In-person Retreats.

Dates: January – May, 2024; specific dates listed below.
Meeting Times: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $2,525 – $5,000. Scholarship rates available. Code BP4T24.
Continuing Education Credits: This program offers 18 CE credits for $180 for applicable psychologists and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors. View CEC details below.*

Visit BPT Program page here.

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Registration will open approximately 9:00 a.m. US Pacific Time on Friday, September 15, 2023.

GENERAL PREREQUISITE: Completion of at least one silent multi-day residential or multi-day online Insight Meditation retreat recommended by the start of the program (e.g. Spirit Rock, IMS, IRC, etc.)

PROFESSIONAL PREREQUISITE: This course is designed for those working in caregiving and mental health professions. This includes psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, and mindfulness teachers.

DESCRIPTION
Deepen your understanding of meditation and nourish your work with clients in this five-month training designed for clinicians, counselors, mindfulness teachers, and others providing mental health support. In this training, you’ll join a community of peers for an in-depth exploration of mindfulness, Dharma, and science that will support both your personal practice and your work with others.

Through periods of meditation, Dharma talks, discussion, small group explorations and clinical case studies, you will develop greater confidence in applying mindfulness-based interventions with clients, deepen your understanding of the intersections of Buddhism and psychology, and further cultivate your own meditation practice and tools for self-care.

This training includes an experiential investigation of our own life and practice as well as our roles as clinicians. It is ideal for people who want to explore their own minds and hearts as a springboard into best serving their clients, rather than those who are primarily seeking coaching on the implementation of mindfulness-based treatment manuals.

As counselors we know that only when one has truly made oneself a patient can one become a healer. Through our practice, we become the patient and come to understand, affirm, and ultimately, transform ourselves. It is this transformation that ripples outwards to our clients and community. This training brings both sides of ourselves—the patient and the healer—together as we practice and learn together.

The training will provide an immersion in Buddhist psychology and the meditation practices that illuminate our minds, foster goodness, and transform habits that compound suffering. We’ll dive into the scientific research on mindfulness and its increasing prominence in psychotherapeutic interventions, and explore data regarding the efficacy of mindfulness and the mechanisms through which mindfulness confers its benefits. The training will examine the convergences and tensions between clinical research and Buddhist psychology and describe ways to integrate mindfulness into treatment. We’ll consider possible contraindications of mindfulness and how to tailor the intervention to individuals. Please join us.

PROGRAM DATES
Program training period is January – May, 2024. Specific training dates below.
All meeting times are: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

• Jan 6-7 (2 days)
• Feb 10
• March 9
• April 13
• May 4-5 (2 days)

PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES
Your participation in this training is important. The cohesion of the group is an important aspect of this training, so participation serves both your own development as well as the group. We ask that you commit to the dates and to participate wholeheartedly.

In addition to course meetings, participants will have opportunities to participate in smaller consult groups with the teacher throughout the program term.

For participants wishing to receive CE credits: In order to receive Continuing Education Credits, participants must attend all sessions live, on time, and in full. Your attendance is tracked carefully to grant your CE credits. Board regulations prohibit partial credit for partial attendance, therefore, incomplete attendance nullifies CE credit eligibility. No exceptions. More information on Continuing Education (CE) credits below.

For participants not wishing to receive CE credits: Attendance at both two-day retreats (January and May) is mandatory. We expect that all participants will also attend each monthly daylong, however, we understand that sometimes there are unavoidable emergencies.

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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Scholarships are limited and are reserved for those truly experiencing financial hardship. Scholarship sliding scale: $750-$2025. Financial assistance for training programs is limited to once per year, per person.

CANCELLATION FEES:
$75 non-refundable, flat fee for all applicants on or before Dec 1, 2023 (deducted from deposit)
15% fee* = Dec 2, 2023 – Jan 5, 2024
30% fee* = Jan 6 – 20, 2024
No refunds = On or after Jan 21, 2024
*Fee deducted from refund; fee is a percentage of the total amount agreed to pay.

QUESTIONS? Please email us.

Dates: January – December, 2024.
Monthly large group sessions – Saturdays: January 27 (required!), February 24, March 23, April 20, May 18, June 22, July 20, August 24, September 14, October 19, November 16, December 14, + “Graduation” on January 25, 2025
Orientation Dates: Thurs Jan 11, 5:30-6:30pm PT or Fri Jan 12, 11am-12pm PT
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $1008-$1500. Scholarship rates available. Code YL5T24.

Registration will open approximately 1:00 p.m. US Pacific Time on Friday, September 15, 2023.

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Teaching Team: Vinny Ferraro (Lead), Pam Dunn, and Frank Ostaseski

CANCELLATION POLICY
• $100 cancellation fee* – On or before Jan 24, by 5:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
• No refunds: Choice of Open credit or tax deductible donation – Jan 25 through Feb 26 (after the second class)
• No refunds and no open credits –  Feb 27 and beyond
*Fees reduced by half for scholarship participants until Jan 24. No refunds for all participants after this date.

QUESTIONS? Please email us.

Class Dates: 6 Sundays; October 1 – November 1, 2023; October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; November 1.
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm US Pacific Time; class time is the same for all 6 Sundays.
Sliding Scale: $160-$240. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code: TE5C23.

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ALL TEENS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND BEYOND ARE WELCOME

Description:
In this teen series, learn how to meditate, relax deeply, speak your truth, and develop your mind—all while hanging out with other great people your age. Through the practices of mindfulness and Insight Meditation, we take time to reconnect to ourselves in order to experience more peace, wisdom, and compassion. Classes will include movement, community-building games, meditation instruction, and council—a practice of witnessing the group’s collective wisdom.

Important Note: Class size is limited to 25 students. Attendance in at least 4 sessions required, including the second session. Video participation is expected as a support for the container, with exceptions for technical or health reasons.

Registration limit: 25 students. Series fills quickly so register early! No late additions unless by teacher approval.

Dates: 4 Thursdays; Oct 26 – Nov 16, 2023 (Class dates are: Oct 26, Nov 2, Nov 9, and Nov 16)
Times: 6:00pm – 7:30pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $150-$600. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code CW1C23.
Continuing Education Credits: This program offers 6 CE credits for $60 for psychologists, and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors.*

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Description:
Our brain is an amazing organ that is focused on keeping us safe, avoiding pain, and maximizing pleasure. So how is it that so many of us end up with chronic physical pain? It turns out that in trying to avoid pain, the brain unintentionally reinforces it. 

Throughout this class series, you’ll learn more about how this happens and how you can use the tools of mindfulness and self-compassion to help your brain and nervous system to counterbalance their autopilot modes around pain. Together, we will explore and discuss the latest science in pain research, combining this knowledge with ancient wisdom and compassion teachings. This series is suitable for people living with chronic pain as well as health care providers working with people suffering from chronic pain.

Join us in this class series for a deeper exploration of these practices!

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, November 4, 2023; 10:00am – 4:00pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $125-$275. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code JK2B23.

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A Benefit for Spirit Rock Meditation Center

Description:
Practices of the heart offer beautiful ways to uplift us in these times. Join us in the sweetness of community to learn and remember how loving presence, compassion and joy can nourish our own lives and serve the wellbeing of those around us. Amidst uncertainty, we will explore and (re)discover how to steady and tend our hearts, be a force for courage and joy and honor the dignity of all. Our time together includes stories, guided and silent meditations, Dharma teachings, reflections, and Q&A. All practices levels are welcome!

Dates: Sunday, November 5, 2023
Daily Schedule: 10:00am – 3:00pm
Sliding Scale: $140-$310. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for the teacher. Code KM1D23.

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Daylong to be held on the land only!

Open to: Self-identified women

Description:
We’ll practice together and give homage to the lineage of awakened women going back to the time of the Buddha. This day will include times of stationary and moving meditation, sharing, and silence. There will be Dharma talks that weave together the stories of women through time on this spiritual path and the profound Dharma truths that they understood so well. The experience of this day will be specious, restorative, introspective, and connective. All those who identify as women are welcome on this day. We will be diverse in our womanhood and our practice experience levels.

On-Land space is limited and pre-registration is required.

IMPORTANT – Details on our current COVID Safety Protocols for In-person Retreats.

Teacher: Louije Kim
Sliding Scale: $0 – 108. Code 45ML23.

Join us for “Spirit Rock Live: Monday Nights with Jack Kornfield and Friends”!

For over 35 years now, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha, and practice insight meditation together as a community. The program includes a 30-40 min guided meditation, a short break, and a dharma talk. Learn more here.

This is a Livestream program with Closed Captions available. If you are unable to join us on this day and would like a recording to view later, please register before the end of the day on the night of the program (US Pacific Time). You will have ~90 days from the original program date to watch.

View a recording of Spirit Rock Live: Monday Nights with Jack Kornfield & Friends…

Date & Time: Saturday & Sunday, November 11-12, 2023; 10:00am – 4:00pm US Pacific Time
Please Note: This program will be offered as a hybrid: on-land (“commuter” retreat; non-residential) and online.

On-Land (in-person) Sliding Scale: $280-$620. Our sliding scale options include financial support for our teachers. Code TJ1M23.

Online Sliding Scale: $250-$600. Our sliding scale options include financial support for our teachers. Code TJ1Z23.

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Description:
Join us for a weekend retreat of exploration and integration as we weave together wisdom and practices from Meditation and Qigong. We will cultivate ways to stay more centered, kind, and clear through embodiment practices from these two traditions, as we develop and balance the “three centers” of hara, heart, and head.

Our time together will include guided and silent meditation practice, and standing and seated Qigong movement. We will offer in-depth instruction and dialogue in a supportive environment. All abilities and levels of meditation and Qigong experience are warmly welcome!

On-Land space is limited and pre-registration is required. Please register for the In-person event only if you can join us on the land. 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.

Date & Time: Friday, November 17, 2023; 10:00am – 4:00pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $95-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code JS1D23.
Continuing Education Credits: This program offers 5 CE credits for $50 for psychologists, and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors.*

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Description:
The heart/mind and body are always interacting. As facets of consciousness, they continually converse and respond to each other. Through meditation and investigation—sensing and understanding conditioned thought and emotions—we become aware of the patterns of distress that typically lead us to anxiety.

Fortunately, we can neutralize and decondition these harmful patterns through kindness and skillful means. Practices geared at rebalancing the nervous system, stimulating the vagus nerve (which regulates emotion and connection to self and others), and softening areas of the body that become contracted in the process of becoming anxious all lead towards heading off potential harm. Relaxing, resting, and opening the heart/mind and body are all integral aspects of the path towards becoming more at ease with what is—whatever it is and whenever it arises. This ease is in turn the heart of the path.

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, November 18, 2023; 10:00am – 2:30pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $60-$108. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code CC1D23.

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Open to: Self-identified BIPOC

Description:
This daylong retreat will provide a conceptual framework and practice guidelines for mindful “Indigenous inter-relationship” meditation—a way of coming into harmony with ourselves, each other, and the larger world.

We will focus on the cultivation of good relations. Balance that arises from Indigenous concepts of All My Relations will be woven with indigenous story and mindfulness practice.

This retreat will be instructional, experiential, and interactive. Together we will explore the techniques of mindfulness/insight meditation seated in indigenous stories as a foundation for 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, November 19, 2023; 10:30am – 1:30pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: Donation-Based (Dāna). Please support our Spirit Rock teachers, staff, and scholarships by giving as generously as you can. Code JD1G23.

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Open to: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Non-Binary, Two-Spirit, Queer, Intersex, and Same-Gender Loving communities+

Description:
Join in community to honor our grief and our joy. Engaging with what it means to be alive now, we acknowledge the enormity of the diverse impacts on the LGBTQIA+ communities. During our time together, we will turn towards our grief, learning ways to understand this powerful emotion. In addition, we will learn Buddhist practices that support opening to joy. Grounded in mindfulness and lovingkindness, we create a space to support healing from the challenges of daily life and to nurture a world that is grounded in inclusivity and freedom for all.

Our time together will include Dharma talks, meditations, guided movement, chants, and interactive sessions. All experience levels are warmly welcome. Movement will be offered in ways that are accessible for all types of bodies.

Date & Time: Friday, November 24, 2023; 10:00am – 1:00pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $50-$108. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code AS1H23.

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Description:
This special holiday retreat integrates the power of somatic practices with the clarity and wisdom of the Buddhist teaching on interconnectedness. Join together in practice to rest in the bounty of the season, and enrich your sense of connection and intimacy with self, world, and others.

The yoga practices will be straightforward, accessible, and focused on the cultivation of mindfulness. Yogic breathing practices will be introduced. The day will be a blend of meditation, teachings, breathing practices, mudrās, and yoga poses, accessible for both beginners and experienced practitioners. Come together in community to explore the wisdom of interbeing.

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: January – May, 2024; specific dates listed below.
Meeting Times: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $2,525 – $5,000. Scholarship rates available. Code BP4T24.
Continuing Education Credits: This program offers 18 CE credits for $180 for applicable psychologists and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors. View CEC details below.*

Visit BPT Program page here.

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Registration will open approximately 9:00 a.m. US Pacific Time on Friday, September 15, 2023.

GENERAL PREREQUISITE: Completion of at least one silent multi-day residential or multi-day online Insight Meditation retreat recommended by the start of the program (e.g. Spirit Rock, IMS, IRC, etc.)

PROFESSIONAL PREREQUISITE: This course is designed for those working in caregiving and mental health professions. This includes psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, and mindfulness teachers.

DESCRIPTION
Deepen your understanding of meditation and nourish your work with clients in this five-month training designed for clinicians, counselors, mindfulness teachers, and others providing mental health support. In this training, you’ll join a community of peers for an in-depth exploration of mindfulness, Dharma, and science that will support both your personal practice and your work with others.

Through periods of meditation, Dharma talks, discussion, small group explorations and clinical case studies, you will develop greater confidence in applying mindfulness-based interventions with clients, deepen your understanding of the intersections of Buddhism and psychology, and further cultivate your own meditation practice and tools for self-care.

This training includes an experiential investigation of our own life and practice as well as our roles as clinicians. It is ideal for people who want to explore their own minds and hearts as a springboard into best serving their clients, rather than those who are primarily seeking coaching on the implementation of mindfulness-based treatment manuals.

As counselors we know that only when one has truly made oneself a patient can one become a healer. Through our practice, we become the patient and come to understand, affirm, and ultimately, transform ourselves. It is this transformation that ripples outwards to our clients and community. This training brings both sides of ourselves—the patient and the healer—together as we practice and learn together.

The training will provide an immersion in Buddhist psychology and the meditation practices that illuminate our minds, foster goodness, and transform habits that compound suffering. We’ll dive into the scientific research on mindfulness and its increasing prominence in psychotherapeutic interventions, and explore data regarding the efficacy of mindfulness and the mechanisms through which mindfulness confers its benefits. The training will examine the convergences and tensions between clinical research and Buddhist psychology and describe ways to integrate mindfulness into treatment. We’ll consider possible contraindications of mindfulness and how to tailor the intervention to individuals. Please join us.

PROGRAM DATES
Program training period is January – May, 2024. Specific training dates below.
All meeting times are: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

• Jan 6-7 (2 days)
• Feb 10
• March 9
• April 13
• May 4-5 (2 days)

PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES
Your participation in this training is important. The cohesion of the group is an important aspect of this training, so participation serves both your own development as well as the group. We ask that you commit to the dates and to participate wholeheartedly.

In addition to course meetings, participants will have opportunities to participate in smaller consult groups with the teacher throughout the program term.

For participants wishing to receive CE credits: In order to receive Continuing Education Credits, participants must attend all sessions live, on time, and in full. Your attendance is tracked carefully to grant your CE credits. Board regulations prohibit partial credit for partial attendance, therefore, incomplete attendance nullifies CE credit eligibility. No exceptions. More information on Continuing Education (CE) credits below.

For participants not wishing to receive CE credits: Attendance at both two-day retreats (January and May) is mandatory. We expect that all participants will also attend each monthly daylong, however, we understand that sometimes there are unavoidable emergencies.

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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Scholarships are limited and are reserved for those truly experiencing financial hardship. Scholarship sliding scale: $750-$2025. Financial assistance for training programs is limited to once per year, per person.

CANCELLATION FEES:
$75 non-refundable, flat fee for all applicants on or before Dec 1, 2023 (deducted from deposit)
15% fee* = Dec 2, 2023 – Jan 5, 2024
30% fee* = Jan 6 – 20, 2024
No refunds = On or after Jan 21, 2024
*Fee deducted from refund; fee is a percentage of the total amount agreed to pay.

QUESTIONS? Please email us.

Dates: January – December, 2024.
Monthly large group sessions – Saturdays: January 27 (required!), February 24, March 23, April 20, May 18, June 22, July 20, August 24, September 14, October 19, November 16, December 14, + “Graduation” on January 25, 2025
Orientation Dates: Thurs Jan 11, 5:30-6:30pm PT or Fri Jan 12, 11am-12pm PT
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $1008-$1500. Scholarship rates available. Code YL5T24.

Registration will open approximately 1:00 p.m. US Pacific Time on Friday, September 15, 2023.

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Teaching Team: Vinny Ferraro (Lead), Pam Dunn, and Frank Ostaseski

CANCELLATION POLICY
• $100 cancellation fee* – On or before Jan 24, by 5:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
• No refunds: Choice of Open credit or tax deductible donation – Jan 25 through Feb 26 (after the second class)
• No refunds and no open credits –  Feb 27 and beyond
*Fees reduced by half for scholarship participants until Jan 24. No refunds for all participants after this date.

QUESTIONS? Please email us.

Date & Time: Friday, December 1, 2023; 10:00am – 4:00pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $95-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code GF1D23.

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Description:
To live our lives fully, with meaning and joy, we need a strong connection to a steady and open heart: the warrior heart that allows us to be brave, vulnerable and wise.

In these challenging times, this is not always easy. Our hearts can be broken, stressed, shut down; our hearts can become exhausted or weak. In this daylong, we will explore practices that allow us to tend and strengthen the heart. We will lean into the teachings of the brahma viharas, those divine abodes, that help open and balance the heart. We’ll investigate the forgiveness practices as a vehicle for liberating the heart. Our meditations will incorporate some somatic practices to best support the unfolding of our warrior heart.

This daylong will weave together time for teachings, meditation and somatic practices, group conversation and some walking/ movement practices.

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: Saturday to Sunday, December 2-3, 2023
Times: 10:00am – 3:00pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $250-$600. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code RM1M23.

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Description:
To deepen the capacity of mindfulness to support us, we need a way of dealing with all aspects of ourselves and our challenges—both shadow and light. In this retreat we will explore how to co-create an introductory community of reflection on the quality of what Rhonda Magee calls “Mindful-Soulfulness.” This quality hinges on the cultural phenomenon of “Soul”—as developed in the context of the American South in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement and beyond—with a particular focus on its relationship to a more robust mindfulness. Are you willing to play with poetry-work, singing, and dancing? Make plans to join us, and bring a friend.

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 9, 2023; 10:00am – 3:00pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $95-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code KW1D23.

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Description:
In a world grappling with multiple crises and an uncertain future, it can feel overwhelming to navigate such challenges with an open heart. However, it is precisely during such times that we must tap into our inner spaciousness and discover our purpose for these times. This daylong will invite participants into a felt sense of contemplative practice that leads to action and allows us to engage with the world wholeheartedly. We will draw inspiration from contemporary Buddhist and Christian saints and bodhisattvas such as Thich Nhat Hanh, bell hooks, Desmond Tutu, Dorothy Day, Howard Thurman, and Mahagosananda. Their wisdom offers valuable insights into cultivating fearlessness and compassion.

Through meditation, prayer, and intimate conversations, we will connect with the “mystic heart,” where the teachings of Buddha and Christ converge. In this sacred space, we will explore our unique callings and discern how to meet these times with compassion, resilience, and purpose.

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: Sunday, December 10, 2023
Daily Schedule: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Sliding Scale: $25-$108. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for the teacher. Code JA1E23.

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Evening Program to be held on the land! Space is limited and pre-registration is required.

Description:
The great love, joy and sacred light that this season celebrates are found within our own hearts. We will use the powerful and sublime blend of chanting and meditation to carry us from the frenzy of “holiday mind” to the ocean of the awakened heart. This uplifting evening will include chanting (call and response) and meditation. We will conclude with a beautiful candlelight ritual to honor the winter solstice.

We’ll feel the nourishment of interconnection as we practice and pray together for the healing of our world. We’ll also share the innate joy that is uncovered when we chant together (and dance if wanted).

We are very happy to offer this special 3-hour program in person for the first time since the pandemic started and hope you can join us!

IMPORTANT – Details on our current COVID Safety Protocols for In-person Retreats.

Date & Time: Saturday, December 16, 2023; 10:00am – 4:00pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $95-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code ES1D23.

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Description:
Winter Solstice invites reflecting on the past year and seeding vision for the year to come.

During this daylong retreat, we will spend the morning in meditation deepening our alignment with the earth energies as we approach the still point of Winter Solstice. In the afternoon, we will call forth the light in the form of vision.

This retreat will weave together dharma wisdom from the Nonviolent Global Liberation Community, which Erin has been studying intensively for the last five years.

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 30, 2023; 10:00 am – 5:00 pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $95-$200. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code KG2D23.
Continuing Education Credits: Pending

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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.

Dates: January – December, 2024.
Monthly large group sessions – Saturdays: January 27 (required!), February 24, March 23, April 20, May 18, June 22, July 20, August 24, September 14, October 19, November 16, December 14, + “Graduation” on January 25, 2025
Orientation Dates: Thurs Jan 11, 5:30-6:30pm PT or Fri Jan 12, 11am-12pm PT
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $1008-$1500. Scholarship rates available. Code YL5T24.

Registration will open approximately 1:00 p.m. US Pacific Time on Friday, September 15, 2023.

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Teaching Team: Vinny Ferraro (Lead), Pam Dunn, and Frank Ostaseski

CANCELLATION POLICY
• $100 cancellation fee* – On or before Jan 24, by 5:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
• No refunds: Choice of Open credit or tax deductible donation – Jan 25 through Feb 26 (after the second class)
• No refunds and no open credits –  Feb 27 and beyond
*Fees reduced by half for scholarship participants until Jan 24. No refunds for all participants after this date.

QUESTIONS? Please email us.

Dates: January – May, 2024; specific dates listed below.
Meeting Times: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $2,525 – $5,000. Scholarship rates available. Code BP4T24.
Continuing Education Credits: This program offers 18 CE credits for $180 for applicable psychologists and California licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors. View CEC details below.*

Visit BPT Program page here.

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Registration will open approximately 9:00 a.m. US Pacific Time on Friday, September 15, 2023.

GENERAL PREREQUISITE: Completion of at least one silent multi-day residential or multi-day online Insight Meditation retreat recommended by the start of the program (e.g. Spirit Rock, IMS, IRC, etc.)

PROFESSIONAL PREREQUISITE: This course is designed for those working in caregiving and mental health professions. This includes psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, and mindfulness teachers.

DESCRIPTION
Deepen your understanding of meditation and nourish your work with clients in this five-month training designed for clinicians, counselors, mindfulness teachers, and others providing mental health support. In this training, you’ll join a community of peers for an in-depth exploration of mindfulness, Dharma, and science that will support both your personal practice and your work with others.

Through periods of meditation, Dharma talks, discussion, small group explorations and clinical case studies, you will develop greater confidence in applying mindfulness-based interventions with clients, deepen your understanding of the intersections of Buddhism and psychology, and further cultivate your own meditation practice and tools for self-care.

This training includes an experiential investigation of our own life and practice as well as our roles as clinicians. It is ideal for people who want to explore their own minds and hearts as a springboard into best serving their clients, rather than those who are primarily seeking coaching on the implementation of mindfulness-based treatment manuals.

As counselors we know that only when one has truly made oneself a patient can one become a healer. Through our practice, we become the patient and come to understand, affirm, and ultimately, transform ourselves. It is this transformation that ripples outwards to our clients and community. This training brings both sides of ourselves—the patient and the healer—together as we practice and learn together.

The training will provide an immersion in Buddhist psychology and the meditation practices that illuminate our minds, foster goodness, and transform habits that compound suffering. We’ll dive into the scientific research on mindfulness and its increasing prominence in psychotherapeutic interventions, and explore data regarding the efficacy of mindfulness and the mechanisms through which mindfulness confers its benefits. The training will examine the convergences and tensions between clinical research and Buddhist psychology and describe ways to integrate mindfulness into treatment. We’ll consider possible contraindications of mindfulness and how to tailor the intervention to individuals. Please join us.

PROGRAM DATES
Program training period is January – May, 2024. Specific training dates below.
All meeting times are: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

• Jan 6-7 (2 days)
• Feb 10
• March 9
• April 13
• May 4-5 (2 days)

PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES
Your participation in this training is important. The cohesion of the group is an important aspect of this training, so participation serves both your own development as well as the group. We ask that you commit to the dates and to participate wholeheartedly.

In addition to course meetings, participants will have opportunities to participate in smaller consult groups with the teacher throughout the program term.

For participants wishing to receive CE credits: In order to receive Continuing Education Credits, participants must attend all sessions live, on time, and in full. Your attendance is tracked carefully to grant your CE credits. Board regulations prohibit partial credit for partial attendance, therefore, incomplete attendance nullifies CE credit eligibility. No exceptions. More information on Continuing Education (CE) credits below.

For participants not wishing to receive CE credits: Attendance at both two-day retreats (January and May) is mandatory. We expect that all participants will also attend each monthly daylong, however, we understand that sometimes there are unavoidable emergencies.

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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Scholarships are limited and are reserved for those truly experiencing financial hardship. Scholarship sliding scale: $750-$2025. Financial assistance for training programs is limited to once per year, per person.

CANCELLATION FEES:
$75 non-refundable, flat fee for all applicants on or before Dec 1, 2023 (deducted from deposit)
15% fee* = Dec 2, 2023 – Jan 5, 2024
30% fee* = Jan 6 – 20, 2024
No refunds = On or after Jan 21, 2024
*Fee deducted from refund; fee is a percentage of the total amount agreed to pay.

QUESTIONS? Please email us.

Date & Time: Sunday, January 7, 2024; 10:00am – 4:00pm US Pacific Time
Sliding Scale: $30-$108. Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Code PS1G24.

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Description:
Using neuroscience and Buddhist psychology, this program will help you uncover the hindrances and pathways to your own financial well-being. Since we often bring less mindfulness to financial matters than we do to other areas of our life, it is an arena in which we can find tremendous opportunities for transformation. Through interactive exercises and the power of a supportive community, we’ll explore topics such as resilience, sympathetic joy, generosity, and cultivating a mindset of “enough.”

Regardless of your financial advantages or challenges, it’s possible to shift from fear, confusion, and avoidance, to clarity, confidence, and engagement. Together, we will loosen our inherited beliefs, gain new perspectives, and experience the paradox of how letting go offers a path toward abundance. This daylong retreat invites you to explore your authentic relationship to money, independent of cultural and familial conditioning, and to use the day to make real-life decisions within a spacious, non-judgmental container.

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