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Liberation through Deep Rest (290R27) - On Land

Cara Lai, MA, Yong Oh and Matthew Brensilver, PhD

December 13 - 17, 2027

Date and Time Details:
Monday to Friday
December 13 - 17, 2027 (4 nights)
Arrival Time: 2:30-4:30pm PT
Departure Time: 11:00am PT

On Land - Upper Retreat Hall

Contact: Spirit Rock Registration
registration@spiritrock.org

  • Supporter-guaranteed single. – $2,580.00
  • Benefactor-residential. – $2,060.00
  • Sustainer-residential. – $1,540.00
  • Basic Rate-residential. – $1,040.00
  • Mudita/Karuna Scholarship Rate-residential. – $400.00
  • BIPOC Scholarship Rate-residential. – $400.00
  • Young Adult Scholarship Rate-residential. – $400.00
  • Present Parent Scholarship Rate-residential. – $50.00
  • Sustainer-Commuter Rate – $780.00
  • Basic-Commuter Rate – $520.00

Cancellation Policy (Residential Retreats):*

Standard Cancellation Fees:
  • $50: On or before 12 weeks
  • $100: 8-12 weeks before
  • $175: 4-8 weeks before
  • $300: 2-4 weeks before
  • No refunds as of 2 weeks before
*Fees reduced for serious illness or death in family

Registration opens: Sep 2, 2026
Registration opens: Sep 2, 2026

Registration opens at 9:00am (Pacific Time) on September 2, 2026, and closes at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) on December 12, 2027. A waiting list will be created if the retreat fills early.

Applying for a residential scholarship? – see our Financial Support FAQs.
Interested in Commuting to the retreat? – learn more below.


Description

The Buddha taught that freedom from suffering comes from letting go, and that awakening is possible for everyone. And yet, in a busy world oriented towards productivity and achievement, it’s easy to adopt the idea that we have to strain to find peace, and to doubt that it is really possible. If real peace comes from letting go and not from contracting, how do we make the radical shift from doing to receiving? This retreat will explore the many ways to rest, to release the grip we have on life, and to allow this life and this path to come to us. With instructions that support a shift from doing to receiving; through teachings on not-self, compassion, and faith; and through devotional practices such as Kuan Yin bowing and chanting, this retreat will support the heart in releasing back into the clear, luminous stillness that is its deepest nature.

This retreat is silent except for teacher-led Q&A, small groups, or other practice meetings.


Financial Details

Sliding Scale fees are for 4 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 – $2,580
Benefactor Rate – $2,060
Sustainer Rate – $1,540
Basic Rate – $1,040
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, Mudita/Karuna, or Young Adult [ages 18-26 yrs]) – $400
Present Parent Scholarship (low-to-modest income parent/legal guardian raising children under 18) – $50**
**See eligibility requirements here>> Financial Support FAQs

Pay in full or Payment plan: You can either pay in full or pay a minimum 30% deposit when you register. Payment plans are available to everyone! If you choose the deposit option, the remaining balance will be automatically set up and 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 (Sep 20)
  • $100: 8-12 weeks before (Sep 21 – Oct 18)
  • $175: 4-8 weeks before (Oct 19 – Nov 15)
  • $300: 2-4 weeks before (Nov 16 – Nov 29)
  • No refunds as of 2 weeks before

Scholarship and Commuter Rate Cancellation Fees:

  • Full refund: On or before 12 weeks (Sep 20)
  • $75: 8-12 weeks before (Sep 21 – Oct 18)
  • $100: 4-8 weeks before (Oct 19 – Nov 15)
  • $200: 2-4 weeks before (Nov 16 – Nov 29)
  • No refunds as of 2 weeks before

*Fees reduced for serious illness or death in family


Retreat Commuter Option

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 accommodation at their own expense. 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.

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. (“Personal circumstances” could be situations like if you are a sole caregiver, or parent w/young children where you need to be home each night, for example.)

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

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

Commuter Sliding Scale:
Sustainer-Commuter – $780
Basic-Commuter – $520

Current Covid-19 Safety Protocols for residential retreats


About the Teachers

Cara Lai, MA

Cara Lai spent most of her life trying to figure out how to be happy—or at least avoid total misery—which ultimately led to her spending the majority of her adulthood meditating. She's explored the wild beauty of the human experience through many adventures in consciousness, including long retreats, chronic illness, and the profound experiences of […]

Learn more about Cara Lai, MA

Yong Oh

Yong is a Dharma Council teacher at the Durango Dharma Center and a core teacher for Sacred Mountain Saṅgha, and is also a visiting teacher for other community centers across North America. He teaches retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Insight Meditation Society, Big Bear Retreat Center, and Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center. He is a […]

Learn more about Yong Oh

Matthew Brensilver, PhD

Matthew Brensilver teaches at the Insight Retreat Center, Spirit Rock and Insight Meditation Society. He was previously program director for Mindful Schools and for more than a decade, was a core teacher at Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. Matthew worked as a clinical social worker, serving severely and persistently mentally ill adults. He subsequently […]

Learn more about Matthew Brensilver, PhD

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