Retreat as Ceremony: Mindfulness and Indigenous Presence for Wellness and Healing (218X25) - Lottery

Lottery application opens at 9:00am (Pacific Time) on December 17, 2024 and closes at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) on January 7, 2025.

Admission for this retreat is by application and a lottery-style selection in order to maintain a diverse community of practitioners – see Selection Details below for more information.

Retreat to be held on the land

Description

Indigenous Presence blends aspects of Indigenous ceremony with the methods and outcomes of another ancient expression of wholesome presence: mindfulness and lovingkindness. This retreat is open to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from around the world. Together, we will explore the intersection of Buddhist practices from the Insight tradition such as mindfulness and mettā (lovingkindness) meditation, and Indigenous knowledge systems such as Intuitive Awareness. Both traditions are anchored in a meaningful relationship with nature, ancestors, and the sweet territory of silence.

For most of the retreat, practitioners will enter into a dedicated practice of Noble Silence and Wise Speech. The retreat will open and close with ceremonial talking circles, integrate small group practice meetings, and allow for breakout groups toward the end of the retreat to support integration. Together, we will have the opportunity to deepen our Intuitive Awareness, ripen our insight and wisdom, connect meaningfully with nature and the ancestors, and tend skillfully to our suffering.

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.*

Supporter Rate w/guaranteed single room – $2200
Benefactor Rate – $1280
Sustainer – $1020
Basic – $580
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, Mudita/Karuna, or Young Adult [ages 18-26 yrs] – $380
*Registration fees DO NOT include teacher dana. At the end of the retreat, there will be an opportunity to offer dana to the teachers and to Spirit Rock.

Scholarship offerings: All scholarship rates require a minimum fee. These rates are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and limited to those with significant financial needs. Scholarships are limited to TWO per calendar year for on-land retreats. And, while we are not able to offer “pay what you can” type of scholarships for residential retreats, we invite you to email us if the lowest rate does not fit your financial circumstance.

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

Selection Details:
Applications are accepted between December 17, 2024 and January 7, 2025 (end of the day). All applications are assigned a random number for the selection process. The lottery-style selection process helps us balance many factors to create equity, diversity, inclusion, and access across our community of practitioners. The factors include: age, gender, scholarship needs & availability, affinity group participation, and stage of practice (new to experienced). Applications received after the close date are automatically placed on the wait list (and will not be included in the first round of selections). Notification rounds can move quickly in the first few weeks following the first acceptances, so we recommend staying ready. You may be accepted sooner than you realize!

You will be notified about the selection results within two weeks of the application close date. If you have been offered a space, you will have two days to pay a deposit to accept/hold the space. If you don’t accept the space within this deadline, we will offer it to the next person in line.

Cancellation Fee Policy for All Attendees (modified for DEI retreat):**

• $100 On or before 8 weeks
• $175 4-8 weeks before
• $200 2-4 weeks before
• No refunds as of 2 weeks before

**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.

Prerequisite to Attend as a Commuter:
You must have attended at least one 7-night or two 5-night silent, Insight (vipassanā) meditation residential retreats 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 – $720
Basic-Commuter – $480

Continuing Education (CE) credit available:
This program offers 7.5 CE credits for $75 for psychologists, and California-licensed MFTs, LCSWs, LEPs, LPCCs, nurses, and chiropractors. Please review our Continuing Education Credit information page to determine if your association or board will accept credits offered by Spirit Rock.***

Teachings are appropriate for health care professionals as well as the general public. This retreat is relevant to healthcare providers as it integrates mindfulness and Indigenous knowledge systems, offering evidence-based strategies to enhance self-acceptance and emotional regulation.  By engaging in ceremonial practices and mindfulness exercises, providers can develop the ability to identify and address challenging areas of attention, which is crucial for managing stress and preventing burnout.  The retreat emphasizes the importance of adaptability and fluidity in self-concept, which can improve providers’ resilience and their capacity to deliver compassionate, patient-centered care. This retreat will provide tools to cultivate wellness and healing and improve the quality of care delivered to patients.

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

• Describe and analyze how Indigenous knowledge systems and Buddhist mindfulness and mettā (lovingkindness) meditation intersect and can be integrated into healthcare practices, emphasizing their shared focus on nature, ancestors, and silence to create healing environments and enhance patient care;
• Utilize mindfulness and Indigenous practices that support self-care, professional resilience, and emotional balance, particularly during periods of professional dis-regulation, to prevent burnout and improve overall well-being;
• Utilize mindfulness principles and practices, including mind-body awareness, to construct effective interventions for self and clients dealing with depression, anxiety, and stress, while also improving the capacity for presence, connection, openness, and curiosity;
• Describe and apply mindfulness principles to skillfully cultivate focus, concentration, and self-regulation in navigating difficult emotions and thoughts in a clinical setting, thereby improving the ability to work with emotions, thoughts, and sensations;
• Describe to clients mindfulness techniques to cultivate emotions of well-being such as kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, and support self-acceptance and orientation during periods of dis-regulation, enhancing clients’ ability to manage stress and anxiety effectively.

Continuing Education content level: Introductory

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

• April 16
  No CECs
• April 17 – April 19
  8:30am – 9:30am: ​​Guided meditation practice with Instructions and Q&A
  4:15pm – ​​5:15pm: Discourse
  7:30pm – 8:00pm: Lovingkindness Practice
• April 20
  No CECs

***Please note:

• For full Provider information, and additional CEC information, including attendance requirements, cancellation, and grievance policies, please visit our Continuing Education Credit information page.
• For those with a different license than listed above, or with a license from a different board or association than listed on our CEC info page, please contact your licensing board or association directly to request pre-approval/acceptance of CE credits offered at Spirit Rock. Spirit Rock does not confirm the applicability of credit for those with licenses different than those listed.
• Spirit Rock is a provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP16905 for 7.5 contact hours.
• Credit is awarded for instructional time only and does not include extended silent meditation, if offered.