I was motivated to sign up for A Year to Live by a nagging sense of obligation: This is something I need to get done! I didn’t expect that in learning to walk through all the doors of dying, and ultimately through death’s door, I would be handed such precious keys to living. Thank you, thank you, thank you dear Vinny for your clarity and compassion. And to you dear Heather, our angel hovering attentively over it all. And to my small-group partners, with whom I shared love and laughs.
Online Training Program
How to live this year as if it were your last.
This yearlong journey, inspired by Stephen Levine’s A Year to Live, is an exploration of forgiveness, gratitude, and letting go. The Buddha encouraged us to reflect on death not out of fear, but as a way to awaken to the fleeting beauty of our lives. By embracing this practice, we come to appreciate the fragility and impermanence of our existence. Through meditation, inquiry, and group discussion, together we’ll discover what death has to teach us about life and vice versa.
What Our Past Participants Are Saying
What Makes This Program Special?
- A Transformative Yearlong Journey – Guided by the wisdom of Stephen Levine’s A Year to Live, this program offers a powerful framework for exploring impermanence, forgiveness, and gratitude through lived practice.
- Depth and Community – Participants move together through 12 months of shared inquiry, meditation, and intimate Home Groups—creating a supportive space for honest reflection and connection.
- Teachers – Vinny Ferraro, Frank Ostaseski, and Pam Dunn bring decades of experience in mindfulness, compassion, and end-of-life care, offering a grounded, heart-centered approach to this profound work.
- Accessible, Flexible Format – Entirely online with live sessions and recordings, participants can join from anywhere and engage deeply while maintaining their regular rhythms of life.
Program Components:
- Monthly Large Group Sessions: Twelve live, three-hour Zoom gatherings with Vinny, Frank, and Pam exploring death, impermanence, forgiveness, and what it means to truly live.
- Home Groups (Required): Monthly, self-facilitated small groups offering intimate community, reflection, and mutual support between large group sessions.
- Guided Home Practice: Meditations, readings, and reflections (about 5–7 hours per month) to deepen insight and integrate teachings into everyday life.
- Q&A Sessions: Optional live, one-hour monthly sessions (recorded) for additional reflection and connection with teachers.
- Orientation and Community Essentials: Required introductory sessions to build shared understanding and community agreements before the journey begins.
- Access to Recordings: Video and audio recordings available for one year after program completion through our Online Learning Platform.
Program Dates & Outline
All meetings below are held online via Zoom, listed in Pacific Time. Attendance at 10 of 12 live sessions is required, including the first session.
| Date | Time (PT) | Session |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Jan 13, 2026 | 5:30–6:30pm | Orientation (attend ONE) · Required |
| Thu, Jan 15, 2026 | 11:00am–12:00pm | Orientation (attend ONE) · Required |
| Sat, Jan 24, 2026 | 12:00–1:15pm | Community Essentials · Required |
| Sat, Jan 31, 2026 | 10:00am–1:30pm | Session 1: The Prognosis · Required; extended |
| Sat, Feb 28, 2026 | 10:00am–1:00pm | Session 2: Fear of Death and Dying |
| Sat, Mar 28, 2026 | 10:00am–1:00pm | Session 3: Softening to Fear |
| Sat, Apr 25, 2026 | 10:00am–1:00pm | Session 4: Practicing Dying |
| Sat, May 30, 2026 | 10:00am–1:00pm | Session 5: Life Review—Making Peace |
| Sat, Jun 20, 2026 | 10:00am–1:00pm | Session 6: Building an Altar—Service |
| Sat, Jul 25, 2026 | 10:00am–1:00pm | Session 7: Who or What Dies? |
| Sat, Aug 22, 2026 | 10:00am–1:00pm | Session 8: What Comes Next? |
| Sat, Sep 19, 2026 | 10:00am–1:00pm | Session 9: What to Do With This Body? |
| Sat, Oct 17, 2026 | 10:00am–1:00pm | Session 10: A Will, a Memorial, and an Epitaph |
| Sat, Nov 14, 2026 | 10:00am–1:00pm | Session 11: We are Not Alone |
| Sat, Dec 12, 2026 | 10:00am–1:00pm | Session 12: Saying Good-bye |
| Sat, Jan 23, 2027 | 10:00am–1:00pm | Graduation — Celebration & closing |
Orientation (attend ONE)
Date: Tue, Jan 13, 2026
Time (PT): 5:30–6:30pm
Required
Orientation (attend ONE)
Date: Thu, Jan 15, 2026
Time (PT): 11:00am–12:00pm
Required
Community Essentials
Date: Sat, Jan 24, 2026
Time (PT): 12:00–1:15pm
Required
Session 1: The Prognosis
Date: Sat, Jan 31, 2026
Time (PT): 10:00am–1:30pm
Required; extended
Session 2: Fear of Death and Dying
Date: Sat, Feb 28, 2026
Time (PT): 10:00am–1:00pm
Session 3: Fear of Death and Dying
Date: Sat, Mar 28, 2026
Time (PT): 10:00am–1:00pm
Session 4: Practicing Dying
Date: Sat, Apr 25, 2026
Time (PT): 10:00am–1:00pm
Session 5: Life Review—Making Peace
Date: Sat, May 30, 2026
Time (PT): 10:00am–1:00pm
Session 6: Building an Altar—Service
Date: Sat, Jun 20, 2026
Time (PT): 10:00am–1:00pm
Session 7: Who or What Dies?
Date: Sat, Jul 25, 2026
Time (PT): 10:00am–1:00pm
Session 8: What Comes Next?
Date: Sat, Aug 22, 2026
Time (PT): 10:00am–1:00pm
Session 9: What to Do With This Body?
Date: Sat, Sep 19, 2026
Time (PT): 10:00am–1:00pm
Session 10: A Will, a Memorial, and an Epitaph
Date: Sat, Oct 17, 2026
Time (PT): 10:00am–1:00pm
Session 11: We are Not Alone
Date: Sat, Nov 14, 2026
Time (PT): 10:00am–1:00pm
Session 12: Saying Good-bye
Date: Sat, Dec 12, 2026
Time (PT): 10:00am–1:00pm
Graduation — Celebration & closing
Date: Sat, Jan 23, 2027
Time (PT): 10:00am–1:00pm
Is A Year to Live Right for You?
This program is both tender and transformative. It invites honest self-reflection, consistent practice, and community engagement. Before joining, please read these participation commitments and prerequisites carefully.
- Prerequisites: A minimum of three days of silent meditation retreat, daylongs, or mindfulness workshops—or an equivalent combination. A consistent meditation practice is highly encouraged.
- Orientation & Community Essentials: Attend one Orientation session (Jan 13 or 15, 2026) and the required Community Essentials session (Jan 24, 2026) to establish shared agreements and practice foundations.
- Attendance: Commit to attending at least 10 of the 12 live large group sessions, including the first session on January 31 (required).
- Home Groups: Meet monthly with your assigned Home Group for about one hour between large group sessions. These peer circles are a foundational part of the program.
- Home Practice: Engage with monthly readings, reflections, and guided meditations (approximately 5–7 hours/month) to integrate insights into everyday life.
- Daily Practice: Maintain a regular meditation, self-regulation, or centering practice throughout the year to support depth and stability.
- Emotional Readiness: This journey can bring up deep emotions related to death and letting go. Participants should feel grounded enough to engage these themes with care and self-compassion.
- Community Agreements: Show up with honesty, kindness, and respect—for yourself, your teachers, and your peers—as we explore these profound teachings together.
In Community, We Awaken: Walking This Path Together
At the heart of A Year to Live is the shared journey. This program unfolds within a community of practice: people who listen deeply, speak honestly, and hold one another with compassion. As we contemplate impermanence together, the Sangha becomes both mirror and refuge, reminding us that we don’t walk this path alone.
Meet the Teaching Team
Vinny Ferraro
Teacher
Vinny Ferraro has been a practitioner of insight meditation (Vipassanā) since the mid-90s. He’s been the Guiding Teacher of the Big Heart City Sangha in San Francisco for 20 years. He has been trained and empowered by Spirit Rock/IMS and he doesn’t like talking about himself in the 3rd person.
Frank Ostaseski
Teacher
Frank Ostaseski Hoshi is a respected Buddhist teacher and a pioneer in contemplative end of life care. He is the visionary co-founder of the Zen Hospice Project and the Metta Institute, and he is the author of The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully.
Pam Dunn
Teacher
For almost 20 years, Pam Dunn has been a leader and teacher trainer for Challenge Day, one of the best known organizations in North America teaching empathy, compassion and other core social & emotional skills to students. Without question, Pam continues to identify herself as a learner.
Program Fees
Program fees support the full year of teachings, coordination, and community practice.
Please consider paying at the highest rate you can afford: your generosity helps us offer lower sliding scale rates and respond to a large number of scholarship requests.
All program fees include support for the teachers.
Standard Sliding Scale
Support our community at the highest level you can.
- $1,500 — Benefactor
- $1,250 — Sustainer
- $1,008 — Basic
Scholarship Sliding Scale
Scholarship rates are limited and reserved for those experiencing financial hardship. First-come, first-served.
- $750 — Scholarship Rate 1
- $500 — Mudita/Karuna Scholarship Rate
- $500 — BIPOC Scholarship Rate
Financial Commitment & Payments
- Deposit: Pay in full or choose a 30% deposit at registration to hold your place.
- Installments: Equal monthly payments begin the month after your deposit and may continue through May 15, 2026 if needed. All fees must be paid in full by that date.
- Payment method: Installments are credit-card only and will be set up automatically using the card used for your deposit.
- Hardship exceptions: Case-by-case exceptions may be available for those with extreme financial hardship.
If the lowest scholarship rate does not meet your financial circumstance, please email [email protected]. While we cannot guarantee additional support, we will review all requests with care.
Included
- ✅ Twelve live, large-group sessions via Zoom
- ✅ Monthly Home Group coordination & support
- ✅ Guided home practice: readings, reflections, meditations
- ✅ Access to video/audio recordings for one year after the program ends
- ✅ Optional monthly recorded Q&A sessions
Not Included
- ❌ Supplemental books (e.g., Stephen Levine’s A Year to Live)
- ❌ Personal technology and internet service for Zoom
- ❌ Any optional, participant-organized in-person meetups
For full program policies, including cancellation details, please scroll to the FAQs section below.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the prerequisites for joining A Year to Live?
- A minimum of 3 days of either silent meditation residential retreat or daylongs/mindfulness workshop(s), or a combination of both.
- Consistent meditation practice highly encouraged.
What is the format of the program?
Online via Zoom (must know how to join a specific breakout room manually)
Teachings: Monthly (12) large group sessions (attendance at 10 of 12 live sessions required; this must include the first session on Jan 31st)
Home Groups (required!): Monthly (12), 1-hour, self-facilitated, self-hosted Home Groups that meet in between large group sessions. They are a foundational aspect of this program and will be organized by Spirit Rock. Each group will determine a time/day and location (online or in-person) that works for everyone during the January large group session.
Home practice: Guided meditations, readings, reflections (estimated 5–7 hours/month + monthly Home Groups + daily meditation)
Access: Video and audio recording access for 1 year after program ends via our Online Learning Platform
Q&As: Monthly, 1-hour, recorded (optional)
What are the program dates and times?
Monthly large group sessions – Saturdays: January 31 (required!), February 28, March 28, April 25, May 30, June 20, July 25, August 22, September 19, October 17, November 14, December 12, plus “Graduation” on January 23, 2027.
All large group meeting times are: 10:00am – 1:00pm US Pacific Time
IMPORTANT – the first session is longer! (10:00am–1:30pm PT)
Orientation Sessions (required, attend ONE):
-
Tuesday, January 13, 2026; 5:30–6:30pm PT
-
Thursday, January 15, 2026; 11:00am–12:00pm PT
Community Essentials Session (required):
-
Saturday, January 24, 2026; 12:00–1:15pm PT
What is the participation commitment?
Engaging in the content of this course may be uncomfortable, challenging, and/or difficult at times (it can also be profoundly liberating!). To get the most out of this program, we ask that you read thoroughly and commit to the following agreements:
- Meet the prerequisites.
- Attend ONE of the Program Orientation sessions.
- Attend the Community Essentials session on Jan 24.
- Attend a minimum of 10 of the 12 large group sessions live, including the first session on Jan 31st (REQUIRED).
- Meet with your Home Group each month for ~1 hour in between large group sessions (REQUIRED).
- Commit to a consistent meditation or stress management / self-regulation / centering type of practice (preferably daily) for the duration of the program.
- Skillfully engage in all sessions (home groups, large groups, breakout groups).
What is the cancellation policy?
Full refund: prior to December 15, 2025
25% cancel fee: December 16, 2025 – February 5, 2026
50% cancel fee: February 6 – 28, 2026
No refund: March 1, 2026 and beyond.
Applies to all participants. Cancel fee is based on the amount you agreed to pay.
Late cancellations do not allow us time to fill a vacated spot in the program. If you need to withdraw from the program, the above fee structure will apply. Cancellation fees support future scholarships at Spirit Rock. If you have an unexpected financial situation, please reach out to us at: [email protected].
Can I pay in installments?
ALL participants have the option of paying in full, or a 30% deposit, at the time of registration. Payment plans are available to all and the earlier you register the more months you have to spread out the cost. The remainder of any unpaid balance may be divided into equal monthly installments that will start the month following your deposit payment up through May 15, 2026 (if needed). All fees should be paid in full by this date. Installments can only be set up on credit cards; and will be automatically set up using the same card you used to pay your deposit.
Exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis for those with extreme financial hardship.