COVID Safety Protocols
Effective June 5, 2023
On June 5, Spirit Rock will implement the following important, new updates to our COVID-19 safety protocols:
For Residential Retreats
- Masking: Optional for all participants, staff, and teachers, attending a residential retreat. If you choose to mask, any masking type will be allowed. Please bring your own supply of masks.
- Proof of Vaccination and Booster: Still required
- Proof of Negative COVID test: Still required
For Non-residential Programs (in our Community Meditation Center)
- Vaccination + Booster: Not required; vaccination + booster (at least 1) strongly encouraged.
- Proof of Negative COVID Test: Not required; same-day COVID testing strongly encouraged.
- Masking: Optional. If choosing to mask, masking type is your personal choice. Be sure to bring your own mask with you.
Prior to June 5, 2023, our current safety protocols below will continue to be maintained.
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.
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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 with Space Available
May 2023
June 2023
July 2023
Wed - Sun, July 5-23, 2023 (18 Nights)
Concentration and Awareness
Guy Armstrong, Sally Armstrong, Susie Harrington, Tuere Sala and Monica Antunes
Developing concentration and then exploring awareness (consciousness) opens a powerful path to inner freedom and liberation. Learn More and Register
Thurs - Mon, July 20-24, 2023 (4.5 Days)
July Insight Meditation Retreat - ONLINE
Joseph Goldstein, Kamala Masters, Roxanne Dault, Tara Mulay and Vance Pryor
Our beloved July Insight retreat emphasizes continuity of awareness in all activities, which stabilizes and balances the mind and heart. Learn More and Register
Mon - Sat, July 31-August 5, 2023 (5 Nights)
Young Adult Insight Meditation Retreat
Vinny Ferraro, Matthew Brensilver, PhD, Cara Lai, Pam Dunn and Hakim Tafari
Practice meditation for a week with your peers. Get a break from overstimulation and cultivate inner calm, spaciousness, and presence. Learn More and Register
August 2023
Sat - Fri, August 6-12, 2023 (6 Nights)
The Elements: Cultivating an Embodied Experience of Emptiness & Fullness
Tuere Sala, Dana DePalma, MA, MFT and Alex Haley
Explore the felt sense, energetic sense, and intuitive knowing of earth, water, fire, air, and space as a basis for insight. Learn More and Register
Sun-Mon, August 13-21, 2023 (8 Nights)
Summer LovingKindness Retreat
Tempel Smith, John Martin, Devin Berry, Bonnie Duran, MPH, DrPH, Rebecca Bradshaw, Rasika Link and Kristina Baré, MFT, SEP
The Buddha’s liberating teachings on the four divine sanctuaries (brahmavihāra) include meditations on universal friendliness, compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity. Learn More and Register
Mon-Tues, August 21-29, 2023 (8 Nights)
Summer Insight Meditation Retreat
John Martin, Tempel Smith, Devin Berry, Bonnie Duran, MPH, DrPH, Rebecca Bradshaw, Rasika Link and Kristina Baré, MFT, SEP
Combining relaxation with clarity, we will explore the liberating teachings of the Buddha, including the foundations of mindfulness, the radical nature of impermanence, and the cessation of craving.Learn More and Register
Wed-Mon, August 30 - September 4, 2023 (5 Nights)
Labor Day Insight Meditation Retreat
James Baraz, Howard Cohn, Tuere Sala and Terry Vandiver
A traditional Insight Meditation retreat emphasizing quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing clarity and depth of practice.Learn More and Register
September 2023
Mon-Fri, September 11-15, 2023 (4 Nights)
Foundations of Mindfulness
Gullu Singh, JD, Louije Kim and Adam Stonebraker, MA
Deepen in mindfulness practice as a path of purification, cultivating awareness of breath, body, and all experiences with clear recognition.Learn More and Register
Sat - Fri, Sept 16-22, 2023 (6 Nights)
Rest, Renewal, and Joyful Rigor: A Women's Meditation Retreat
Erin Selover, MS, Kate Johnson, MA, Erin Treat, Victoria Cary and Syra Smith
With a foundation of deep rest, practice with the Four Noble Truths through stories that lift up women. Learn More and Register
October 2023
View Full On-Land Retreat Calendar
Cancellation Policy for On-land Retreats
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