Cara Lai

Residential Retreat Teacher

Cara Lai spent most of her life trying to figure out how to be happy—or at least avoid total misery—which ultimately led to her spending the majority of her adulthood meditating. She's explored the wild beauty of the human experience through many adventures in consciousness, including long retreats, chronic illness, and the profound experiences of childbirth and motherhood.

Cara once worked as an artist, wilderness guide, social worker and psychotherapist, but traded it in for an all-out mindfulness rampage. She’s a working mom whose teaching is relatable, authentic, funny, sometimes crass, and accessible for many people. She teaches teens and adults at Spirit Rock, Insight Meditation Society, and Ten Percent Happier—ultimately hoping to get woke enough to bend spoons with her mind in front of large audiences. And to help everyone get totally free.

Emotions don’t need to be something we have to run away from or try to regulate. And they don’t have to be seen as an obstacle to happiness and awakening. They can be used for something positive! We can ask ourselves, “Does my way of relating to this emotion—or does the way that it’s being expressed—lead to more suffering or less suffering?” Because emotions can lead us towards more wisdom and compassion when we move with them skillfully. When we can be curious about them, make space for them, and honor them. This is the art and skill we’re learning to do here.
 
Cara Lai, Opening to Emotions

Cara Lai's Upcoming Programs

Retreat On-Land Hybrid

April 1 - April 8, 2025 Tuesday - Tuesday | 7 nights

Steadying the Heart: Refuge through the Four Sublime States

Registration Open. The Buddhist path cultivates four transformative qualities that can be developed into steadfast dwelling places for the heart: kindness, compassion, joy, and balance. Known as the brahmavihāras, these states can be powerful supports for deepening concentration and insight on the contemplative path and responding to suffering. Throughout this retreat, we will explore techniques to develop each of these states, and release the obstacles that hinder us from living a full life and responding meaningfully to the needs of our world.

Oren Jay Sofer

Oren Jay Sofer

Cara Lai

Cara Lai

Yong Oh

Yong Oh

Jessica Morey

Jessica Morey

Gullu Singh

Gullu Singh

David Cabrera

David Cabrera

Retreat Online Non-Residential | Hybrid

April 1 - April 8, 2025 Tuesday - Tuesday

Steadying the Heart: Refuge through the Four Sublime States

Registration Open. The Buddhist path cultivates four transformative qualities that can be developed into steadfast dwelling places for the heart: kindness, compassion, joy, and balance. Known as the brahmavihāras, these states can be powerful supports for deepening concentration and insight on the contemplative path and responding to suffering. Throughout this retreat, we will explore techniques to develop each of these states, and release the obstacles that hinder us from living a full life and responding meaningfully to the needs of our world.

Oren Jay Sofer

Oren Jay Sofer

Cara Lai

Cara Lai

Yong Oh

Yong Oh

Jessica Morey

Jessica Morey

Gullu Singh

Gullu Singh

David Cabrera

David Cabrera

Family On-Land

July 30 - August 3, 2025 Wednesday - Sunday | 4 nights

The Family Retreat

Applications Open February 19, 2025. Find joy in a retreat for the whole family and take time together to rest, reconnect, play, and enjoy! This four-night residential retreat for adults and children ages 7-15 years old will combine meditation and Dharma teachings, games, arts and crafts, nature time, and more. Kids and teens will have organized time each day to be with peers, fully supervised by our mindful leaders, and adults will also have time to practice, relax, and receive Dharma from the teachers.

Diana Winston

Diana Winston

Ajahn Cunda

Ajahn Cunda

Cara Lai

Cara Lai

Ofosu Jones-Quartey

Ofosu Jones-Quartey

Retreat On-Land

August 5 - August 10, 2025 Tuesday - Sunday | 5 nights

Young Adult Retreat

Open to: Young Adults ages 18-32 years.

Registration Opens - February 19. Join a kind community to practice mindfulness and compassion. Give yourself a break from overstimulation and come home to the simple experience of being alive. In mindfulness meditation, we practice resting, looking deeply, knowing moment-by-moment what it’s like to be human. Some of us are hesitant to look because we’re concerned what we’ll find. But our practice shows us that the more deeply we look into experience, the more reason we have to love.

Matthew Brensilver

Matthew Brensilver

Cara Lai

Cara Lai

Vinny Ferraro

Vinny Ferraro

Hakim Tafari

Hakim Tafari

Dharma Library

Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Cara Lai through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.