Befriending Mortality: Mindfulness of Death (Maraṇasati) Practices to Cultivate Insight, Presence, Compassion, and Meaning (376R26) - On Land

Please only register for one of the two formats: On Land or Online.

Registration opens at 9:00am (Pacific Time) on October 7, 2025, and this residential format closes at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) on October 25, 2026. A waiting list will be created if the retreat fills early.

This program offers 15 CEs at $150. For more Continuing Education (CE) details, see below.

Interested in Commuting to the retreat? – learn more below.

In need of a scholarship? – see “Scholarship offerings” information below.

Description

We all “know” that we will die, yet we tend to ignore this fact and put our collective head in the sand. But rather than running away from our inevitable finitude, we can harness the power of this reflection to stay aligned with our deepest values and to live and love more fully. Through mindfulness of death (maraṇasati) practice, we become more fully and gratefully present for this miraculous, passing show called life.

Fully embracing our life’s impermanence can give rise to a deep letting go and freedom so that we can be fearlessly and peacefully prepared for our death as a potentially liberative moment. Considering the myriad spiritual benefits of maraṇasati, let us come together to explore this supreme practice, one on which the Buddha invited us to reflect daily for the sake of ourselves and others. Frank Ostaseski will be a special guest joining us in person on the evening of Thursday, October 29th.

This retreat includes one daily session of interactive practice which is essential for deepening practice; and it is a silent retreat except for teacher-led Q&A, small groups, or other practice meetings.

On-Land Teachers: Nikki Mirghafori, John Martin, Kodo Conlin, and Frank Ostaseski (special guest on Oct. 29th)
Online Teacher: Jeanne Corrigal

Interested in joining the online retreat instead? Learn more here

Financial Details

Sliding Scale fees are for 5 nights including food and lodging. Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports Spirit Rock’s efforts in offering lower sliding scale rates and supporting the large number of scholarship requests.

Registration fees DO NOT include teacher dana. At the end of the retreat, there will be an invitation to offer dana to the teachers and to Spirit Rock.

Supporter Rate w/guaranteed single room – $3050
Benefactor Rate – $2450
Sustainer Rate – $1850
Basic Rate – $1225
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, Mudita/Karuna, or Young Adult [ages 18-26 yrs]) – $475

Important Note for CE participants: Continuing education credit (CE) fees are NOT included in the registration fees. If you are interested in receiving CEs, you must pay for CEs at the time of your registration and prior to the start of the retreat (no retroactive CECs will be given). Please review the detailed CE information below.

Scholarship offerings: Scholarships are limited to those with significant financial need. If you need a scholarship to attend, do not continue registering now as this will disqualify you from a scholarship opportunity in this retreat. We encourage you to complete the Scholarship Interest Form – Click Here. Scholarship allocation dates are included in the form.

Pay in full or Payment plan: You can either pay in full or pay a deposit when you register. Payment plans are available to everyone! If you choose the deposit option, the remaining balance will be automatically charged to your payment card in equal installments on a monthly basis. Full payment is due two weeks prior to the retreat start.

Cancellation Policy (Residential Retreats):*
Standard Cancellation Fees:

• $50: On or before 12 weeks (Aug 3)
• $100: 8-12 weeks before (Aug 4 – Aug 31)
• $175: 4-8 weeks before (Sep 1 – Sep 28)
• $300: 2-4 weeks before (Sep 29 – Oct 12)
• No refunds as of 2 weeks before (Oct 13)

Scholarship and Commuter Rate Cancellation Fees:

• Full refund: On or before 12 weeks (Aug 3)
• $75: 8-12 weeks before (Aug 4 – Aug 31)
• $100: 4-8 weeks before (Sep 1 – Sep 28)
• $200: 2-4 weeks before (Sep 29 – Oct 12)
• No refunds as of 2 weeks before (Oct 13)

*Fees reduced for serious illness or death in family

Retreat Commuter Option

The retreat commuter option will only become available once the retreat is FULL with a waitlist. However, if your personal circumstances preclude you from attending a residential retreat (e.g. staying overnight), please reach out to us as we may be able to offer you a commuter spot sooner and we would be happy to have a conversation with you.

Prerequisite to Attend as a Commuter:
You must have attended at least one weeklong silent residential retreat (5-7 nights) in Insight (vipassanā) meditation PRIOR to attending this retreat.

What is a Retreat Commuter?
A retreat commuter is a practitioner who attends a full residential retreat, including all meals, but they are not provided with overnight accommodations. Instead practitioners stay in their own home or find local accommodations. A communal resting area is provided during the day while on campus for the retreat. The retreat commuter is expected to attend the entire retreat just like residential retreatants. Special reduced rates are listed below for retreat commuters.

If you have questions about being a retreat commuter, please email Registration@spiritrock.org

Commuter Sliding Scale:
Sustainer-Commuter – $925
Basic-Commuter – $625

Current Covid-19 Safety Protocols for residential retreats

Continuing Education (CE) credit available:
This introductory-level program offers 15 Continuing Education (CE) credits/contact hours for $150.

This program is applicable for licensed and license-eligible mental health and healthcare professionals, including psychologists, therapists, social workers, counselors, and nurses seeking education in evidence-informed approaches to mortality awareness, mindfulness of death practices, and their clinical applications in supporting clients and patients facing grief, loss, end-of-life concerns, and existential distress. Please review our Continuing Education information page for provider details, and to determine if your association or board will accept credits offered by Spirit Rock.

This program presents contemplative approaches to mortality reflection and mindfulness of death practices (maraṇasati) grounded in empirical research, and their applications in psychotherapy, as well as their relevance for healthcare professionals and caregivers who support patients at the end of life and for those caring for the families of patients facing death. Drawing on research in mindfulness-based interventions, existential psychology, and Terror Management Theory, participants will examine how mortality awareness can reduce avoidance, regulate emotions, and enhance meaning-making in clinical practice. Practical methods—including structured reflections, guided meditations, and interventions—will be introduced for both clinician self-care and client treatment. These practices provide clinicians with research-informed tools to address grief, trauma, anxiety, end-of-life concerns, and existential distress, while also supporting clinician resilience and values-based care.

Learning Objectives for participating health care professionals-
At the end of the program, you will be better able to:

• Describe psychological and clinical benefits of structured mortality and death reflections, drawing on empirical research in existential psychology, Terror Management Theory, and mindfulness-based interventions.
• Identify forms of avoidant and defensive behavior related to mortality salience — in both clients and clinicians — as described in Terror Management Theory, and examine the clinical implications of unexamined mortality avoidance in therapeutic relationships.
• Describe a mindfulness-based mortality reflection practice designed to meet fear with awareness, and evaluate its appropriateness as an evidence-informed intervention for clients experiencing anxiety, grief, or existential distress.
• Describe how teachings on attachment, clinging, and letting go inform psychological processes related to grief, fear, and acceptance, and examine ways to explore these themes with clients.
• Analyze the potential benefits and limitations of structured imagery practices related to bodily impermanence (e.g., postmortem decay contemplations), including contraindications and clinical cautions required before introducing such practices.
• Discuss strategies for working with the “not knowing” inherent in mortality, using mindfulness- and acceptance-informed approaches to strengthen psychological flexibility and resilience in clients.
• Apply mortality-awareness practices, including breath- and body-based mindfulness with explicit reflection on impermanence, in therapeutic or caregiving contexts to support emotional regulation, presence, and appreciation of life.
• Utilize embodied-awareness practices that help clients recognize present-moment aliveness as a means of fostering psychological stability, meaning, and appreciation for being alive.
• Incorporate embodied, mindfulness- and acceptance-based practices that acknowledge both the inevitability and the uncertainty of death to help clients cultivate present-moment awareness, tolerance of ambiguity, and reduce death-related fear.
• Integrate structured values clarification and reflective exercises as therapeutic tools for exploring values, impermanence, and life direction.

Continuing Education Schedule: (Full attendance is required. Times are listed in Pacific time.)

• October 26
  • No CE
• October 27, 28, 29, 30
  • 8:30am – 9:30am: Morning Instructions/Q&A
  • 3:30pm – 5:15pm: Contemplative Inquiry with Guided Practice
  • 7:30pm – 8:30pm: Discourse/Dharma Talk
• October 31
  • No CE

Attendance policy for CE participants:

• To ensure your attendance is recorded:
• Check in for CE instructions in the Council House at the beginning of the retreat, during the regular check-in period.
• Sign in at the CE table, in the retreat hall foyer, within 5 minutes of the start of each required session. A list of required sessions will be posted with the retreat schedule and available at retreat check-in in the Council House.
• Complete attendance is required. Incomplete attendance nullifies CE eligibility; board regulations prohibit partial credit for partial attendance.
• Certificates are issued only to those who meet the attendance requirements—without exception—to maintain compliance with our provider licenses and ensure the continuation of future CE programs.
• After the program, participants who meet the attendance requirements will be emailed a form to submit their professional information. There is a 1 week deadline to complete and submit this form in order to receive the Certificate of Attendance.
• In accordance with board regulations, partial credit is not permitted. Incomplete attendance voids CE eligibility. Participants must attend the program live, in full; late arrival, early departure, or gaps in attendance are not allowed. Certificates of completion are issued only to participants who meet the full attendance requirements, without exception, to maintain compliance with provider regulations and to ensure continued authorization to offer CE programs. See CE info page for full attendance requirements.

***Please note:

• Please visit our Continuing Education information page for complete provider details and additional CE information, including attendance requirements and our cancellation and grievance policies.
• Continuing Education is sponsored by Mindful CECs.
• Mindful CECs is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Mindful CECs maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
• Mindful CECs is a provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP17985 for 15 contact hours.
• Credit is awarded for instructional time only and does not include extended silent meditation, if offered.
• Potential Conflict of Interest Statement: This instructor may have authored publications relevant to the subjects covered in this course, and may teach additional programs. The instructor might reference these publications and programs during the course, and the instructor may receive financial compensation if participants choose to purchase them.