2026 March Insight Meditation 1-Month Retreat - Application (310R26)

The application period opens at 9:00am (Pacific Time) on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. Those who apply May 13 – June 24, 2025 (by 11:59pm Pacific Time) will be included in the first round of notifications.

Admission for this retreat is by application and a lottery-style selection in order to maintain a diverse community of practitioners – see “Application Process” for more information. PLEASE READ all details below before applying.

RETREAT TO BE HELD ON THE LAND!

PREREQUISITE:
Prerequisites for One-Month Retreat (26-night retreat): BEFORE applying you must have already completed at least 14 nights of silent residential retreat time. This retreat time must include a minimum of two (2) silent residential retreats with each of these six (6) nights or longer.

Other Important Notes About Prerequisites: These retreats must have been led by Spirit Rock, IMS, or IRC teachers, or other recognized Insight Meditation teachers. Previous retreats must be silent residential retreats and have a similar format to this retreat, with instructions, practices, and talks focused on Insight Meditation. Online retreats do not qualify for these retreat prerequisites. When applying, you will need to provide the teachers’ names, dates, location, length (# of nights), and style of the retreats.

RETREAT DESCRIPTION:
An extended retreat period offers the rare opportunity for sustained, dedicated practice. This retreat emphasizes quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing profound clarity and depth of Insight practice. Instructions will follow the traditional four foundations of mindfulness, influenced by the teachings of Mahasi Sayadaw and other Theravada (Insight Meditation) traditions, and will be supported by a variety of skillful means. The teachings will encompass training in the heart qualities of lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, with a daily schedule structured around periods of silent meditation, guided instructions, Dharma talks, practice meetings with teachers, and optional mindful movement. This retreat is also suitable for practitioners who wish to exclusively develop concentration (samādhi) through mindfulness of breathing or lovingkindness (metta) practice, with individual guidance by the teachers.

These extended retreats (as with all retreats at Spirit Rock) are NOT open for self-retreats.

March Teaching Team:
Tara Mulay, Tempel Smith, Tuere Sala, Anushka Fernandopulle, Kristina Baré, Greg Scharf, Brett Bethke (assistant), Rasika Link (movement)

MARCH ONE-MONTH SLIDING SCALE:
Please consider selecting the highest possible level you can reasonably afford: your generosity supports your community of practitioners who need to pay less as well as staff and Spirit Rock.

Supporter Rate (guaranteed single room) – $10,790 (covers cost of retreat, plus a deeply generous dana offering to Spirit Rock)
Benefactor Rate – $7,800 (covers cost of retreat, with a meaningful dana contribution to Spirit Rock)
Sustainer Rate – $5,720 (covers cost of retreat)
Basic Rate – $4,290 (partially subsidized rate)
Scholarship Rate (YA, BIPOC, M/K) – $1,950 (significantly subsidized rate)
PLUS a donation to the teacher(s).

CANCELLATION POLICY – February One-Month Retreat:

• $125 fee* = on or before December 8, 2025 (12 weeks prior)
• $250 fee* = December 9, 2025 – January 5, 2026 (8-12 weeks prior)
• $500 fee* = January 6 – 19, 2026 (6-8 weeks prior)
• $750 fee* = January 20 – February 2, 2026 (4-6 weeks prior)
• No refunds = February 3, 2026 or after (less than one month prior – applies to ALL participants)

*Fees reduced 50% for scholarship participants, excluding last tier.

One-month Switching Fees:
If you need to cancel and would like to switch to the other one-month retreat, the following fee will apply in lieu of the above cancellation fee**:

$100 fee = non-scholarship participants
$50 fee = scholarship participants

**Pending available space in the other one-month retreat. If you cancel after switching, the regular cancellation fee will apply.

APPLICATION PROCESS:
The application period opens at 9:00am (Pacific Time) on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. Those who apply May 13 – June 24, 2025 (by 11:59pm Pacific Time) will be included in the first round of notifications.

Participants will be selected from the pool of applicants with priority given to BIPOC folks, young adults, and those who identify as LGBTQIA+ (whether scholarships are requested or not).

First round notifications will be sent via email July 3 – 10, 2025. Please refrain from calling or emailing before this notification period. We will need this time to process all applications, coordinate with teachers, and allocate scholarship funding. If you are selected, you will receive an email with a special link to register and pay your retreat fees online. If you end up on the wait list, you will be notified of your relative position on the wait list.

For All Applicants: To be included in the first round of notifications, your application must be complete, including prerequisites already met, and submitted by the deadline. No exceptions.

If you submit an application after June 24, 2025:
We will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis after the initial deadline of June 24 until the start of the retreat. Applications received after this date will be put on a wait list if the retreat is full.

Scholarships:
Scholarship funding is offered to those needing financial assistance to attend. We receive many more requests for scholarships than we have funding for so we cannot guarantee scholarships will be available to all in need.

For monthlong retreats only: Spirit Rock extends the upper age limit of the Young Adult (YA) scholarship rate to individuals 18-32 years of age. A limited number of these YA rates will be available.

If you need scholarship funds to attend, once the application is available, please complete the Scholarship Section. Funding may likely not be available later.

EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2024 – Covid-19 Safety Protocols for residential retreats have been updated.