Vance Pryor, PsyD
Residential Retreat Teacher
Vance Pryor has practiced insight meditation since 1999 in both the United States and Myanmar. He has been influenced by the teachings of Sayadaw U Pandita and Sayadaw U Tejaniya. He is a graduate of The Insight Meditation Society's 2017-2021 Teacher Training Program.
Vance Pryor's Upcoming Programs
Retreat | On-Land
April 20 - April 29, 2026 | Monday - Wednesday | 9 nights
April Insight Meditation Retreat
Full - short waitlist. Commuter spaces available! The emphasis during this retreat will be on the continuity of awareness in all activities, which stabilizes and balances the mind. Relaxed acceptance of our moment-to-moment experience will become the platform for investigation and wisdom. Particular attention will be paid to the attitudes in the mind that condition our understanding. This retreat is suitable for both beginner and experienced meditators, and we welcome people from all life experiences, backgrounds, and communities.
Retreat | Online | Hybrid
April 20 - April 29, 2026 | Monday - Wednesday
April Insight Meditation Retreat
Our Self-Paced Retreat option allows you to participate fully from wherever you are, bringing the stillness directly into your home. Each day includes 2–3 hours of meditation instruction, Dharma teachings, mindful movement, and heart practices, livestreamed from Spirit Rock’s Upper Meditation Hall and recorded for on-demand access.
Practicing from home allows the retreat to unfold gently within the rhythms of your own life. You may join live when you’re able, move at your own pace, and revisit the teachings as often as you wish—whether you follow the full daily schedule or spread the content out over several weeks. All sessions are available within 24 hours and include unlimited replay, offering a flexible and supportive way to turn inward and release what no longer serves you.
While the Self-Paced Retreat format does not include teacher meetings, small groups, Q&A, or affinity groups, it offers the gift of practicing in your own sanctuary. You can create your retreat space, follow your nervous system’s natural pacing, and allow the teachings to weave organically into daily life. With lifetime access to the recordings, the retreat can continue to nourish your practice long after it concludes.
Retreat | On-Land
October 3 - October 12, 2026 | Saturday - Monday | 9 nights
Concentration (Samādhi) Retreat: Cultivating Joy and Contentment
Spaces Still Available! Concentration (samādhi), the unification of mind, is essential for deepening meditation and was emphasized by the Buddha as a path to awakening. This retreat offers practical techniques to strengthen focus and stability, supporting both Insight (vipassanā) practice and access to deeper absorption states (jhanas). Whether you're new or experienced, you’ll receive guidance on sustaining attention, calming the mind, and integrating concentration into your practice—building a foundation for greater clarity, ease, and transformation.
Retreat | On-Land
November 14 - November 21, 2026 | Saturday - Saturday | 7 nights
When Awareness Becomes Natural: A Vipassanā Retreat in the Lineage of Sayadaw U Tejaniya
Spaces Still Available! Join us for an Insight Meditation (vipassanā) retreat in the lineage of Sayadaw U Tejaniya, rooted in present-moment awareness and Wise Understanding. This approach emphasizes relaxed, natural awareness guided by Wise View (Sammā Diṭṭhi) and sustained throughout all activities—not just during formal meditation. Sayadaw’s approach encourages relating skillfully to whatever we encounter—on and off the cushion. It invites the whole of our experience into Dharma practice, integrating mindfulness and the cultivation of skillful qualities of mind with how we live.
Vance Pryor