Awareness is a beautiful, hidden jewel that is innate in everyone. Awareness illuminates experience, which creates the pathway for clarity, understanding, and insight. It is a foundation for wisdom, compassion, and awakening. In this silent meditation retreat, we will explore the quality of awareness—what it is, and how to cultivate and abide in awakened presence. We will investigate how mindfulness supports a depth of awareness through various meditation practices, and we will look at what obscures the clarity of awareness both in meditation and in everyday life.
As our mindfulness grows, we discover how this capacity for awareness is available in every moment. Throughout our time together, we will also explore the fusion of love and awareness and consider how developing awareness allows a natural opening of the heart. This process fosters a kind and compassionate awareness to ourselves, others, and to all experience.
This retreat is silent except for teacher-led Q&A, small groups, or other practice meetings.
Assistant Teacher: Adam Stonebraker
Choose your rate
We offer our retreats on a sliding scale to make the Dharma accessible to all.
By selecting the highest rate you're able to afford, you help support Spirit Rock's ability to offer lower rates and meet the growing number of scholarship requests. Your generosity sustains our nonprofit mission and ensures that these teachings of lovingkindness and wisdom remain available to everyone.
Maximum generosity.
Helps the dharma remain accessible to all.
Generous support.
Helps the community and teachings.
Our standard rate.
The foundation of our community.
Partially subsidized.
Made possible by community generosity.
Subsidized rate for this program.
Covers part of the program cost.
Needs-based assistance
Scholarships are limited to those with significant financial need.
If you need a scholarship to attend, we encourage you to select the scholarship rate that best aligns with you and your financial circumstances.
For those facing financial hardship, including elders 65+ on fixed incomes, or those with serious or life-threatening illnesses.
For those who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color and need financial assistance to attend a program.
For young adults (ages 18–26) experiencing financial need who wish to attend a program and deepen their practice.
Please note that 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.
Susie Harrington is the guiding teacher of Desert Dharma, serving communities in the Southwest near her home in Moab, Utah. Practicing in the Insight tradition since 1989, she trained with Guy Armstrong, Jack Kornfield, and Joseph Goldstein, and completed the SRMC/IMS/IRC Teacher Training in 2016. Susie often teaches outdoors, drawing on nature as a gateway to true nature, and emphasizes mindfulness in speech, daily life, and the body.
Yong is a core teacher at the Durango Dharma Center and at Sacred Mountain Saṅgha. Yong has a particular interest in nature Dharma, devotional expression, and supporting caregivers as well as communities of color in the Dharma. For more, visit yongoh.com.
Mei Elliott is a Dharma teacher in the Theravāda tradition, currently serving as Co-Director of Insight Retreat Center. She began meditating in 2004 and spent eight years training as a Zen monk at San Francisco Zen Center temples. Mei is a graduate of Insight Meditation Center’s four-year Dharma Teacher Training.
Guy Armstrong has been practicing Insight Meditation for over 30 years. His training included a year as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, primarily with Ajahn Buddhadasa. He began teaching in 1984 and has led retreats in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. Guy is a Stewarding Teacher at Spirit Rock and a Guiding Teacher of Insight Meditation Society.
Teresa is dedicated to growing in wisdom, compassion, and community. She is a bilingual educator, multicultural mindfulness and movement teacher, and retreat facilitator. She is most inspired when engaging with the Eightfold Path, serving yogis in the depths of their healing, supporting monastic sanghas, and dedicating merit.
*Fees reduced for serious illness or death in family
**Monthlong retreats and Dharma Training programs have specific and very different cancellation policies. Refer back to your confirmation email for this information.**
Payment plans are available to everyone! Installments can only be set up on a credit cards, and some debit cards (we only accept VISA, Mastercard, or Discover).
You can either pay in full or pay a 30% deposit when you register. If you choose the deposit option, the remaining balance will be automatically charged monthly in equal installments using the same card you used to pay your deposit. The payment will debit on the 'same date' of the month that you paid your deposit. Full payment is due 2 weeks prior to the retreat start.
Let us know if you need to adjust a debit date or if you need to update your credit card. Any adjustments need to be done well in advance of a scheduled debit date. We are not able to 'reverse' a charge once it has been processed.
We have double and single occupancy rooms. Many of our rooms are single occupancy (only 16 of 80 rooms are double occupancy). We offer a limited number of "guaranteed single room" rates which guarantees a single room while generously helping to support scholarships and all we do here at Spirit Rock. The remaining single rooms are not exclusive to the top end of the sliding scale; however, they are initially prioritized for those with serious medical needs.
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 available for retreat commuters. An added benefit of a retreat commuter, is that you could be offered a residential spot on opening day due to a very last minute cancellation. Additional fees will be due if this option is accepted.
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 (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. Online retreat experience is not eligible for this prerequisite.
If you have questions about being a retreat commuter, please email [email protected]
Explore the practice of being on retreat - Learn more here.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center offers several categories of scholarship types for residential retreats. Scholarship rates are limited to those with significant financial need. A scholarship application is required to be considered for any scholarship rate below. We have many requests for scholarships and cannot honor all requests.
Muditā/Karuṇa Scholarship Rate:
Dr. Marlene Jones People of Color Scholarship Rate: supports individuals who have significant financial need and who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or a Person of color.
Toni Ko Scholarship Rate: supports individuals who have a significant financial need, are 27-55 years old, AND are attending their FIRST silent residential retreat (limited to a 6-night retreat only) at Spirit Rock. This scholarship is a one-time award.
Young Adult Scholarship Rate: supports individuals who have significant financial need and who are between the age of 18-26 years old. If all the Young Adult rates are sold out, you may select one of the above options that applies to you.
Renunciate Monastics: Monastics in the Buddhist traditions are invited to attend Spirit Rock retreats without cost. Monastic discounts can be extended only to one having taken vows and abiding as a renunciate, living exclusively on donations and having no form of income through work or other sources. You will need to provide the monastery you are affiliated with upon registering. To learn more, contact the Registration Dept at: [email protected].
*Maximum annual scholarship limit is two per calendar year; and this limit is not a guarantee.