COVID Safety Protocols for In-person Retreats

Our first priority is to protect the health of everyone who comes to Spirit Rock, including practitioners, staff, and teachers, while respecting their personal health practices. We follow county, state, and federal (CDC) COVID-19 guidelines that are currently in place, along with additional safety protocols appropriate for our retreat setting.

The Spirit Rock campus will remain closed except for in-person programs. During programs, the campus will be closed to all, excluding staff, retreat teachers, and retreatants.

Safety Protocols

Please note, as the pandemic has shifted, we are supporting retreatants being able to make their own choice about wearing a mask with respect to our current safety protocols. The following are Spirit Rock’s primary safety protocols:

• Vaccination: All staff, teachers, and practitioners must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, which includes at least one booster. If you have not received at least one COVID-19 booster since your first COVID vaccination, you will need to have a booster before you attend retreat. The first booster must have been received no less than two weeks (14 days) prior to the retreat start date. Any FDA-approved booster is acceptable. If you have had more than one booster, in addition to your first COVID-19 vaccination, you are fine to attend regardless of the timing of the boosters. Proof of vaccination with booster(s) will be required. Individuals will not be admitted to the retreat if not "fully vaccinated."
• Negative COVID-19 Test: All practitioners must arrive with proof (picture or actual test) of a same-day negative antigen test that they have taken prior to arrival. Practitioners who do not arrive with a negative test will be given one prior to admittance. Individuals will not be admitted to the retreat if the test result is positive for COVID-19.

• Masking: Although Marin County has lifted the mandatory mask mandate, it is strongly recommended by the CDC and the California Department of Public Health that we continue to wear masks indoors. We will continue to require masks for residential retreats that are 6 nights or less in all shared indoor spaces except for dormitory rooms.

  We are requiring the proper wearing of N95, KN95, or KF94 masks, which are proven to better filter aerosolized particles than cloth or three-ply disposable masks. We will supply you with an appropriate mask if you do not have one. Teachers are exempt from the mask requirement while actively offering Dharma teachings. Masks are not required in outside spaces when physical distancing of six feet or more can be maintained. You may be asked to leave the retreat if you do not properly wear your mask.

  For residential retreats that are 7 nights or more, practitioners and teachers may forgo wearing masks following the second antigen test, as long as all test results are negative. Staff members will continue to wear masks.

  [For programs in our Community Meditation Center, masking will be optional.]

• Ventilation/Air Filtration: We have upgraded air filtration in all the meditation halls, and have provided small air purifiers in all dorm rooms and public spaces.
• Surface Cleaning: Sanitizing of all high touch areas will be done twice daily and hand sanitizing stations will be placed in convenient locations across campus.
• Dining: Physical distancing will be maintained in the dining hall with additional indoor and outdoor seating options for dining. We’ve added more tents with heaters to our outside dining space and have air filters in the dining hall as well. Typically, our opening night supper is a time for conversation and community connection. However, to minimize aerosolized particles and promote greater safety for all practitioners, retreats will begin with noble silence at the first meal and continue through the end of the retreat. We are extending the buffet time to 45 minutes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and ask that the first 10 minutes of each meal be reserved for seniors and folks with compromised immune systems. We ask that retreatants practice mindfulness while eating and not linger in the dining hall, as we have reduced our seating capacity to make more space for physical distancing.
• Physical Distancing in Meditation Hall: Cushions and chairs will be arranged to maintain physical distancing in the meditation hall.
• Symptom Check: All practitioners, staff, and teachers will receive a personal kit that includes a symptom checklist and thermometer. All are to monitor their symptoms daily and notify a staff member if their symptoms indicate COVID. 
• Sick Policy: If a practitioner or teacher becomes sick, they will be asked to remain in their room, and if serious, return home. We will also ask them to take an antigen self-test onsite, and if they test positive for COVID-19, they must exit the retreat. If they cannot return home due to travel restrictions, we will support their quarantine to the best of our ability.

Caring for the Community

Spirit Rock welcomes people from around the U.S. and the world to participate in our retreats. Our intention is to include as many people as possible. We have chosen to require COVID-19 vaccination + booster for in-person programs. This is not a decision we have made lightly. It reflects our obligation to keep our workplace and practice spaces as safe as possible.

If you are not vaccinated + boosted, we invite you to participate in our online retreats and programs to deepen your practice and connect with our community. We will continue to update our safety guidelines as the pandemic shifts.

If you have any questions, please contact us at srmc@spiritrock.org. Thank you for your practice and dedication to Spirit Rock.

Upcoming In-person Retreats

March 2023

April 2023

May 2023

June 2023

View Full On-Land Retreat Calendar

Cancellation Policy for On-land Retreats

As of April 2022*

Standard Cancellation Fees:

• $100 On or before 8 weeks
• $175 4–8 weeks before
• $300 2–4 weeks before
• No refunds as of 2 weeks before 

Scholarship Rates (and Retreat Commuter) Cancellation Fees:

• $75 On or before 8 weeks
• $100 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