Intimacy with Life: Undoing the Habits That Armor the Heart (JB2D26)

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

Registration closes at 9:00am (Pacific Time) on December 13, 2026. A waiting list will be created if the program fills early. A recording* will be available following the program.

This program offers 5 CEs at $50. For more CE details, see below.

Description:
Join us for a day of meditation and inquiry devoted to loosening the habits that separate us from our inner life and from each other. As our hearts open, we may rediscover our capacity for joy, deepen our sense of kinship with all beings, and engage more actively in caring for our world.

Jill White Lindsay will be guiding us in simple stretches and movement to ground us in our bodies as we go through the day.

On-Land Sliding Scale: (JB2D26)**
Benefactor – $310
Sustainer – $235
Basic – $140
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, Mudita/Karuna, Young Adult) – $70
**Volunteer/Work Exchange opportunities, which include full or partial Scholarships, may be available for the in-person program. For more information, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator at volunteering@spiritrock.org.

Online Sliding Scale: (JB2Z26)***
Benefactor – $175
Sustainer – $95
Basic – $75
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, Mudita/Karuna) – $45
***Online Program: All are welcome! No one will be turned away for lack of funds as space allows. For more information, please email Registration@spiritrock.org no later than 12:00pm (NOON) PT on the day prior to the program date.

Access to Recording

• Registration includes unlimited access to this program’s recording. You must register by the deadline above. The recording will be available in ~10 days after the program.

On-Land Attendees

• The on-land program will take place in the Community Meditation Center (CMC) in the Great Hall.
• Bring a lunch and a water bottle. Lunch is not provided.
• This is NOT a residential retreat. Overnight accommodations are not provided.

COVID Safety Protocols for non-residential programs: details here.

Cancellation Policy for On-Land: Daylongs, Multiday Programs (1-3 days), Family Programs, CE fees:

• NO REFUNDS.
• Open Credit or Donation to Spirit Rock = cancel 2 or more business days prior to program (Pacific Time)
• No Open Credit = cancel less than 2 business days prior

This program is applicable for licensed and license-eligible mental health and health care professionals, including psychologists, social workers (LCSW, LSW), counselors (LPC, LCPC, LMHC), marriage and family therapists, nurses (RN, NP), chiropractors, and other health care professionals, seeking education in contemplative approaches to self-compassion, emotional resilience, and relational connection. 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.

Through discourse, guided meditation, and inquiry practices, participants will have the opportunity to examine patterns of experiential avoidance and self-protection — ways we turn from our own inner experience and from one another — and practice cultivating self-compassion, eliciting positive affect through joy and gratitude, and a felt sense of connection and belonging. Participants will also explore how greater emotional openness and interpersonal intimacy can support compassionate, values-aligned action in our relationships and community. For clinicians, this experiential engagement can support work with self-criticism, while strengthening emotional regulation and building our psychological resources tied to sustainable practice, ultimately deepening the capacity to respond to suffering with care.

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

• Identify common patterns of emotional self-protection (“armoring”) that limit openness, connection, and presence.
• Apply self-compassion–based inquiry practices as an approach to reduce self-criticism and support emotional regulation.
• Describe the role of gratitude and joy cultivation in supporting emotional resilience.
• Apply practices that cultivate a felt sense of social connection and belonging as a counterpoint to habitual self-protection and isolation.
• Utilize practices that translate compassion and interpersonal connection into potential for prosocial, values-aligned engagement in relationship and community.

Attendance policy for CE participants:

• Full, live attendance is required. Incomplete attendance nullifies CE eligibility, as board regulations do not permit partial credit for partial attendance.
• Sign in and out at the CE table, on time.
• Submit your professional information within one week of receiving the link. This link will be emailed within 2 business days after the program to all participants who met the attendance requirements.
• 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.

Please note:

• 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 5 contact hours.
• Participants are responsible for determining whether this program meets the CE requirements of their licensing board or certifying organization. Spirit Rock does not confirm CE applicability for license types beyond the scope of Mindful CECs’ provider approvals.
• Credit is awarded for instructional time only and does not include extended silent meditation, if offered.
• 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 may receive financial compensation if participants choose to purchase them.