Summer Aliveness: Contemplative Practices for Joy, Emotional Balance, and Deep Resilience (EE2D26)

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

Registration closes at 9:00am (Pacific Time) on July 11, 2026. A waiting list will be created if the program fills early. A recording* will be available following the program.

This program offers 4.5 CEs at $45. For more CE details, see below.

Description:
Held within the fullness of summer, this workshop offers a chance to pause in the richness of being alive amid the complexity of our lives and the world. Through contemplative practice and guided restoration, we create space to soften, listen, and return to the senses—and to our innate capacity for love.

Blending contemplative practice with contemporary science, this day-long workshop explores how emotional awareness supports resilience, vitality, and meaningful connection. We engage in practices that cultivate awareness, connection, and positive emotional states that support nervous system regulation, enhanced allostasis, and adaptability. Through meditation, breathwork, and reflection, we’ll explore how resilience includes moving gently through sadness and frustration while savoring the many joys abundantly present in life.

This work is not about striving toward a distant goal. It is about learning how to be here—steady, responsive, and open-hearted—amidst a complex and changing world.

Sliding Scale: Our sliding scale options for this program include financial support for our teachers. Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports teachers as well as Spirit Rock and your fellow practitioners who need to pay less.

On-Land Sliding Scale: (EE2D26)**
Benefactor – $310
Sustainer – $235
Basic – $140
Scholarship Rate (BIPOC, Mudita/Karuna) – $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: (EE2Z26)***
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.

*Important Notes:

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

Continuing Education (CE) credit available:
This intermediate-level program offers 4.5 Continuing Education (CE) credits/contact hours for $45.

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 emotional awareness and stress resilience. 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.

Care providers live and work at the intersection of their own emotional lives and those of the people they serve. The capacities this program cultivates — recognizing reactivity, meeting difficult emotions with equanimity, and sustaining the kind of inner steadiness that makes genuine connection possible — are not incidental to clinical practice; but can provide a solid foundation to the work. Grounded in Dr. Epel’s research on stress physiology and allostasis and Dr. Ekman’s work in emotional awareness training for health professionals, this program offers clinicians across disciplines both the science and the lived experience of resilience as a renewable resource.

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

• Describe the relationship between emotional awareness, stress physiology, and resilience through the lens of contemplative practice and contemporary science.
• Utilize contemplative and body-based, somatic techniques to support nervous system regulation and adaptive responses to stress.
• Identify patterns of emotional reactivity and apply strategies for responding to difficult emotions with enhanced clarity, equanimity, and self-awareness.

Attendance policy for CE participants:

• Sign in and out at the CE table, on time.
• Full, live attendance is required. Incomplete attendance nullifies CE eligibility, as board regulations do not permit 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 one-week deadline to complete and submit this form to receive the Certificate of Attendance.

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.
• Professionals with other license types or credentials may find our programs applicable for continuing education. Please confirm acceptance with your licensing board or certifying organization before registering for CE. 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.
• 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 4.5 contact hours.
• 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.