Unique Retreat Format
Bringing the retreat experience into an online format
A fully guided online retreat experience to help you feel supported, grounded and clear.
Our retreat format offers opportunities for retreatants to attend live, online teachings, throughout each day, led by highly qualified teachers in the Insight Meditation Tradition.
Retreatants may attend as many teaching 'Modules' - or as few - as they would like in order to support their individual intention for either a fully immersive, intensive retreat, or a retreat that integrates into ones' daily life; with over 37 hours of live retreat practice and support available, including small cohort practice discussion meetings with the retreat teachers as experienced on an in-person retreat.
The retreat format is designed to offer a progressive deepening into practice regardless of participation level; with each day of teachings and practice building upon the previous one and providing a foundation for further practice. Our format offers flexibility over time-zones as well as levels of participation.
"The design of the whole journey was beautiful - the container felt safe and spacious,
teachings deep and nourishing, sense of community created." ~ past participant
Your Retreat Experience
Throughout each day, and in each live session ('Module') we follow the classic Insight Meditation Retreat format, practicing Mindfulness with alternating periods of guided & silent sitting and walking meditation, including periods of gentle movement and opportunities for Q&A. Sessions are held using Zoom, a live, online platform to create an online community of practice; where participants can see and be seen by other retreatants just as they would in a physical retreat setting. This sense of community is a key ingredient supporting the retreat experience.
Each Module is two hours, which allows participants to settle in with periods of uninterrupted practice to support the continuity essential to deepening Mindfulness practice. This not only enhances each individual's developing practice, it also fosters a stable retreat 'container', a powerful support for practice, in the online Zoom community.
"I had a very profound experience, and I've attended many types of retreats over the years."
~ past participant
Flexibility: Practice a little... or a lot!
Choose Your 'Track' for Practice:
With Four, Two-hour Modules of live, teacher-led and community supported practice each day, participants can create a fully intensive or flexible retreat experience in their own home.
Modules are offered at intervals throughout each day that will accommodate most time-zones around the world. (See schedule page, and use the widget on the schedule page to find your time zone)
Participants have access to a retreatant-only portal, with resources to support at-home practice; including on-demand video practices and personalizable schedules for to support individual online and offline practice.
Your registration gives you access to as many modules as you want to participate in; however, we offer some suggested 'tracks' or levels of participation, and how they may support your intentions:
Intensive Retreat Track:
Create a full retreat schedule with 3-4 modules each day, and use the schedules provided to support maintaining a retreat schedule the rest of the day. Additional resources provide instruction and suggestions for holding a retreat-container at home, meal-time practice and movement practices, and to support your personal commitment during the course of the retreat.
Robust Retreat Schedule for Integrated Practice:
Accommodate your work and home-life responsibilities with 2-3 modules each day + plus daily-life practice suggestions and schedules to integrate a robust retreat schedule into your daily obligations and conditions.
Deepening Practice in Daily Life Context:
A supported commitment to integrate1 or 2 modules each day into your home life and work schedule to support a deepening of practice in the context of daily life.
MMTCP Pre-Requisite*/CE Credit** Track:
This retreat satisfies the retreat requirement for the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP) and is eligible for CE hours for psychologists and other health care professionals with a full commitment to attending at least 3 modules each day modules and holding an intensive practice container at home. Attendance will be taken & other requirements must be met for those seeking credit for their participation. Please carefully review the attendance criteria. MMTCP students will utilize the 'Intensive Retreat Track' model.
*MMTCP students who wish to receive credit for this as their 'qualifying' retreat must meet certain criteria to fulfill the requirement. MMTCP students should not plan to work or participate in other activities during their retreat, but to follow an Intensive retreat schedule as they would on an in-person retreat. Additional practice obligations are included in this Track in order to create a full retreat experience. Please carefully review the schedule and the MMTCP requirements for receiving credit.
**Continuing Education (CE) Hours for Health Professionals: Please see our info page on CE Hours. CE Hours are offered through SCA at an additional. Same participation requirements as MMTCP students.
The Insight Meditation Tradition:
Our Retreats are held in the Insight Meditation Tradition and are based in its foundational teachings going back 2600 years. Insight meditation, also known as Vipassana meditation, is the oldest known Buddhist practice. Insight Meditation has been brought into many secular community and healthcare environments and is commonly referred to as 'mindfulness'. This practice is the cultivation of moment to moment awareness of experience as it arises at the sense doors (body and mind).
An Insight meditation retreat provides instruction and a container to cultivate the continuity of practice that enables 'clearly seeing' into our own patterns on a personal level, and into the nature of experience at the universal level. Cultivated over time and deepening through retreat practice, Insight meditation supports greater internal freedom, resilience and well-being. Insight practice also incorporates Loving Kindness ("Metta") practices to balance the heart and strengthen inner resources. Retreats typically include sitting meditation, walking meditation and other mindful movement practices.
