Please arrive between 3:00-5:00 p.m. to check in and get settled. Check in at the Dining Hall, where you will also receive work meditation assignments. Please arrive no later than 5:00 p.m. If you arrive earlier than 3:00 p.m., you may have tea in the dining hall while you wait for check-in to open or walk around the land to orient yourself. Dinner is served on opening day. Explore our beautiful campus.

Please arrive no later than 5:00 p.m.

Late arrivals are not allowed without prior approval from the teachers. If you will be delayed past 5:00 p.m. please call the retreat office at 415.488.0164 ext. 262 and leave a message letting us know to hold your space. If possible, also email [email protected] before 5:00 p.m. After 5:00 p.m. if retreat staff have not heard from you they begin calling the waiting list.

Our security gate is closed each night between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. If a late arrival has been approved and you anticipate arriving after 10:00 p.m., contact the registrars or retreat staff prior to arrival to receive the 4-digit gate code.

The retreat ends by 11:00 a.m. on closing day. Breakfast is served on the closing day, but not lunch.

Early departures from the retreat are not allowed without approval from the teachers. If your plans have changed since you registered, please contact the registrars immediately.

For Residential Retreats

• Masking: Optional for all participants, staff, and teachers attending residential retreats. If you choose to mask, any masking type will be allowed. Please bring your own supply of masks.

• 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 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. Spirit Rock will administer a second test to everyone on day four or five for all retreats that are seven nights or longer. Anyone who tests positive at that time will need to exit the retreat.

For Non-residential Programs (in our Community Meditation Center)

• Masking: Optional for all participants, staff, and teachers, attending a non-residential program. If you choose to mask, any masking type will be allowed. Please bring your own supply of masks.

• Vaccination: Not required; vaccination + booster (at least 1) strongly encouraged.

• Negative COVID Test: Not required; same-day COVID testing strongly encouraged.

Effective April 2, 2024

For residential retreats, the following updates to our COVID-19 safety protocols will be implemented:

• Vaccination: We will no longer require proof of COVID vaccination and booster for residential retreats, but still encourage them.
• Masking: It will still remain optional.
• Negative COVID Test: Proof of negative COVID test on opening day will still be required. For retreats 7 nights or longer, all practitioners will be asked to bring a COVID test kit with them as a second test will be conducted mid-retreat. You can order FREE COVID test kits for U.S. households. If you do not bring your own test, we will ask for a $10 donation to help cover the cost. Retreats 6 nights or less will not have a second test.

View all COVID Safety Protocols

As part of registration, you will complete an online practitioner questionnaire. In this required form you’ll submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination, a photo, and answer questions about your meditation practice and psychological health. This form is confidential and will be disposed of after the retreat.

If you are not paid in full, please be sure that your full balance is paid before the start of the retreat by contacting the registration department. If we have a credit card on file for you, we are happy to charge the remaining balance for you. Payment plans are not available following a retreat.

For Online Programs: Drop-ins, Daylongs, Multi-day Programs (1-3 days), Family Programs/Series, & CEC fees

• No Refunds
• If you cancel by midnight, the day prior to program start (Pacific Time), you will receive an "open credit" for another program or may offer your fee as a donation to Spirit Rock.
• No open credit is offered for cancelations on the day of the program or beyond

To receive an open credit or donate your fees, please email us by the deadline above so we have a record of your cancellation. Open credits must be used within one year of their date of issue.

To use a personal credit, email [email protected] at least two business days prior to the event.

For Online Multi-day Retreats (4+ days) with CEC Fees

• $100 fee on or before 2 days prior to program start (Pacific Time)
• No refund if cancelation is less than 2 days prior to program start

On-Land Residential Retreat: Cancellation Fees

• On or before 8 weeks prior to the retreat: $100
• 4-8 weeks before the retreat: $175
• 2-4 weeks before the retreat: $300
• No refunds as of 2 weeks before the retreat

Scholarship Rates and Commuters: Cancellation Fees

• On or before 8 weeks prior to the retreat: $75
• 4-8 weeks before the retreat: $100
• 2-4 weeks before the retreat: $200
• No refunds as of 2 weeks before the retreat

* Fees may be reduced for serious illness, including COVID, or family emergency. Contact Registration if needed.

Airport information and driving directions at Plan Your Visit.

Your fellow practitioners are traveling from near and far and may need help getting to and/or from the retreat. Consider offering a ride to, from, or both ways. Our rideshare board can be used to coordinate rides or to share an airport shuttle to the retreat. We do not monitor this board. It is the responsibility of the practitioners to coordinate between themselves via this platform. Your generosity is appreciated.

Community Rideshare Bulletin Board [pending rebuild].

If you need to be reached in an emergency during the retreat, the retreat staff office number is 415.488.0164 ext. 262. The retreat staff will get a message to you as quickly as possible. Please let people know this number should be used only in case of emergencies.

Office hours are 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. PT daily.

• A variety of loose, comfortable, casual, layered clothing; and ask that you not wear anything with obvious logos or slogans.

• Outdoor walking shoes (and hiking shoes if you intend to hike)

• Slip-on shoes and indoor slippers if you need them. No outdoor shoes are allowed in the retreat hall or residence halls

• Hat and scent-free sunscreen in the spring and summer, rain gear in the late fall and winter for outdoor walking

• Flashlight or headlamp with fresh batteries (our campus is quite dark at night!)

• Wristwatch, if you intend to hike (we have only a few loaner wristwatches)

• Earplugs, if you’re a light sleeper (we have some for purchase)

• Shawl or lap blanket (for use during meditation practice)

• Checkbook, cash, or credit card, for dāna contributions

• Water bottle. Filtered water is available onsite in several places. We have water bottles available for purchase.

• Optional: Sleeping bag or your own personal linens. Linens (towels and bed sheets), blankets, and a pillow are provided. You do not need to reserve these ahead of time. Linens are available in self-serve linen closets in each dorm on the 2nd Floor.

• Optional: Sitting cushion(s) or bench. If you have special sitting supports or you require a large number of pillows, consider bringing your own supply so there are enough cushions for everyone. The meditation hall has zafus (round sitting cushions), zabutons (floor mats), and chairs available.

• Optional: Personal scent-free soaps, if you prefer. We provide fragrance-free shampoo, conditioner, and body soap in each shower of the dorms.

• For yoga retreats only: If you have specific blocks, straps, or other yoga equipment that you need, you may want to bring them along. We have a good supply, but not enough for everyone on a dedicated yoga retreat.

• All technology besides phones, including computers, tablets, and other devices

• Silence all notifications on smartphones and watches if you bring them. We will have a renunciation ceremony on the morning of the first full day of the retreat, where you can choose to relinquish your smartphones and watches for the duration of the retreat.

• Printed books, ebook readers, magazines

• Intoxicants: plant, chemical, or alcohol. (But DO bring prescription medications and continue taking your prescribed medications through the retreat.)

• Scented personal hygiene products. (See Please Be Fragrance Free for more details.)

• Candles or incense

• Please do not wear anything with obvious logos or slogans.

• Clunky jewelry, which can be noisy in the retreat hall

If you leave anything behind, please email us at: [email protected]. We will keep items for 30 days before giving them to charity. Spirit Rock can ship items if needed. You will be responsible for all costs related to shipping your lost items.

To ensure that our retreat environment remains one of safety and refuge for those who come here, all retreat center dormitory rooms have locks. You may request a key at retreat check-in and keep it for the duration of your retreat. In addition, we have installed a gate at the main entrance near Sir Francis Drake Boulevard that will prevent automobile access to the land at night. The gate automatically opens from the inside, and emergency vehicles have full access at all times. The gate is closed from 10:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m.

If commuters are allowed on this retreat, and you are a commuter, you will be given the gate code so you can exit and enter as you need to daily. Lastly, please lock your car and leave valuables out of sight or bring them with you into the retreat center.

Spirit Rock is located in the coastal hills of northern California. The wooded campus includes separate buildings for dining, meeting, and sleeping. Spirit Rock has two-story residential buildings with single and double rooms. (Note: During the period of August through December 2021, all practitioners will have a single room.) Go to Spirit Rock Accommodations to read more details about our residence rooms and dining hall.

There is a slope from the dining room to the residence halls. If you have mobility limitations, please let us know in advance, so we can assist you with your participation in the retreat. We do have four (4) scooters and one electric wheelchair with a joystick control for those in need.

Our center has some limitations, so if you are a person with a disability, we would greatly appreciate a conversation with you in advance of your arrival. This way, we can better understand what is needed to support you. We would like you to be able to participate in this retreat as fully as possible. If you need support and you haven’t yet let us know, please contact us at: [email protected], and either the Registrars or the Retreat Operations Manager will be in contact with you.

Some retreats allow a limited number of commuters—retreatants who stay off-site. Commuters are expected to attend the entire retreat and follow the daily schedule. While you will not have a room on campus, we will have a resting area with futons for folks to use. Commuters will be given the gate code so you can exit and enter as you need to daily. The gate is closed from 10:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. Lock your car and leave valuables out of sight or bring them with you into the retreat center.