For New & Experienced Practitioners: Insight Mini Retreat with Erin Selover

February Insight Meditation 1-Month Retreat Application - 2024

February 3 - March 2, 2024
Silent meditation retreat On-Land

February Insight Meditation 1-Month Retreat Application - 2024

An extended period of retreat offers the rare opportunity for sustained, dedicated practice. This retreat emphasizes quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing profound clarity and depth of Insight practice. Instruction will follow the traditional four foundations of mindfulness, combined with training in lovingkindness and compassion, and practice will be structured around a daily schedule of silent sitting, walking, Dharma talks, and practice meetings with teachers.

Teacher Dāna

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.

Meet the Teaching Team

Andrea Fella

Andrea Fella

Teacher

Andrea Fella has been practicing Insight Meditation since 1996, and began teaching in 2003. She is drawn to intensive retreat practice and has done many long retreats, both in the U.S. and Burma. During one long practice period in Burma, she ordained as a nun with Sayadaw U Janeka. Andrea teaches at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City and teaches residential retreats at centers around the country.

John Martin

John Martin

Teacher

John Martin has been devoted to dharma practice since 2001. He serves as the Co-Chair of the Spirit Rock Guiding Teachers Council. John teaches Vipassana, Metta and LGBTQI-themed meditation retreats. He also teaches in dedicated practitioner programs and supports practitioners in bringing practice to daily life.

Devin Berry

Devin Berry

Teacher

Devin Berry has practiced meditation since 1999 and is a student of Thich Nhat Hanh and Vipassanā. He co-founded Deeper Still at EBMC and serves on the board of Mindful Peacebuilding. A graduate of MBSR teacher training, he brings culturally-informed mindfulness to youth, elders, and communities. Devin co-leads trauma-informed, ancestral healing workshops and helped found the Transforming Historical Harms Project in the Bay Area.

James Baraz

James Baraz

Teacher

James Baraz is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock. James started the Community Dharma Leader program and Spirit's Rock Family Program. James has led the online course "Awakening Joy" since 2003. He is a guiding teacher to One Earth Sangha, a platform devoted to Buddhist responses to Climate Change.

Tara Mulay, JD

Tara Mulay, JD

Teacher

Tara Mulay teaches and mentors Dharma practitioners on retreat and in daily life practice. She was trained and authorized by the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts, serves as a Guiding Teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and teaches nationally.

Kim Allen, PhD

Kim Allen, PhD

Teacher

Kim Allen began meditating in 2003, studying primarily with Gil Fronsdal. She has spent years on silent retreat in the West and Sri Lanka, and also trained with teachers from later Buddhist traditions. Kim now teaches widely in-person and online, emphasizing retreats, sutta contemplation, and integrating Dharma into daily life. She serves on the Sati Center board, holds a PhD in physics, a master’s in environmental sustainability, and is the author of two books.

Rasika Link

Teacher

Rasika has taught haṭha yoga since 1984, influenced by teachers in the Iyengar and Kripalu traditions. In 1999 she began vipassanā practice at Spirit Rock, which gradually shaped her yoga into a more mindful, concentrated style. She invites curiosity and gentleness in asana practice, encouraging softening around rough edges. Rasika lives in Portland, Oregon, and enjoys time with her two young grandchildren.

Jaya Rudgard

Jaya Rudgard

Teacher

Jaya Rudgard began meditating in 1984 and was ordained from 1996 to 2005 as a nun in the Thai Forest Tradition at Amaravati Monastery in England. She trained as an Insight Meditation teacher with Spirit Rock and IMS. Jaya teaches retreats internationally and has extensive experience with MBSR, MBCT, and Mindful Self-Compassion. She also enjoys practicing and teaching Qigong, including for mindfulness teachers in training.

Helpful Info & FAQs

Cancellation Policy

Standard Cancellation Fees:*

  • $50: On or before 12 weeks 
  • $100: 8-12 weeks before
  • $175: 4-8 weeks before
  • $300: 2-4 weeks before
  • No refunds less than 2 weeks before

Scholarship and Commuter Rate Cancellation Fees:*

  • Full refund: On or before 12 weeks
  • $75: 8-12 weeks before
  • $100: 4-8 weeks before
  • $200: 2-4 weeks before
  • No refunds less than 2 weeks before

*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 Plan Option

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.

COVID and Other Illnesses

  • While on retreat, participants live closely together and are in shared spaces; so it is very important that everyone takes steps to minimize the transmission of colds, flu, or other infectious diseases. We ask individuals who are sick to please stay home! Notify the registration department as soon as possible; cancellation fees will apply. 
  • Spirit Rock does not require proof of vaccination or compulsory testing for COVID, if you feel uncertain about this policy participants are encouraged to wear a mask for your own personal comfort, but it is not required. In advance of your retreat, please consider wearing a mask while en route to Spirit Rock via public transportation of any kind. Be mindful of attending large public gatherings where the risk of exposure is increased. If you have cold or flu-like symptoms, take a COVID test, and please reconsider coming on retreat.
  • We suggest everyone practice diligent hand hygiene (20 seconds of handwashing as often as practical).
  • If a practitioner (or teacher) becomes sick while on retreat, they will be asked to mask, and if serious, leave the retreat. We will also ask that they take a COVID antigen self-test onsite, and if they test positive for COVID-19, they must exit the retreat. We will not be able to offer a refund for mid-retreat exits.

Room Occupancy

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.

Participation and Attendance Guidelines

Explore the practice of being on retreat - Learn more here.

  • This retreat is silent except for teacher-led Q&A, small groups, or other practice meetings. Explore "How Retreat Works"
  • Preparing for Your Retreat
  • We strongly encourage you to read the sub-section "Retreat Guidelines and Agreements" so you understand what is required of you as a participant on this silent retreat.
  • Review a general outline of a Retreat Schedule.
  • If you have "never meditated" before, we recommend attending two to three daylong programs first! Then "graduate" to longer retreats like a 4- or 5-night retreat.
  • We would be happy to help guide you and set you up for success, please contact the Registration Department so we may have a conversation. We want you to be prepared.

Scholarship Offerings and Types

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: 

  • Muditā: supports any individual who has significant financial need; this includes our low income folks and elders (65+) on fixed incomes; or young adults who have 'aged out' of the Young Adult rate.
  • Karuṇa: supports individuals who have significant financial need and have a serious medical condition(s), or life-threatening illness.

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.