NOTE: in-person Retreat registration opens at 2:30pm PT. Retreat begins at 6:00pm PT. / 9:00pm et.
Insight Meditation Winter Solstice Retreat:
Embracing the Dark, Inviting the Light
with Oren Jay Sofer, devon hase, Yong Oh, and David Cabrera (movement)
In this retreat, we will emphasize centering ourselves at the time of the holidays and the New Year, quieting our minds, grounding in our bodies, opening up our hearts, and using inquiry to help give energy to our practice. There will be a special emphasis on opening to the darkness, including to our difficulties and challenges, as well as to the coming light -- to our beauty, joy, wisdom, and love. The retreat will include complete meditation instructions, sitting and walking meditation, daily loving kindness practice, daily Qigong practice, evening talks, practice discussions, and a Winter Solstice ceremony.
Dates: Friday, December 18, 6pm PT – Wednesday, December 23, 10:30am PT
Cost: Sliding Scale, plus a donation to the teacher(s) and retreat staff.
Hybrid Retreat: We are happy to offer this retreat with options to join in-person or remotely/online. All sessions will be recorded and available for 3 months to registered participants.
Teacher Support: The teachers on this retreat offer their teachings freely. They do not receive compensation from Spirit Rock program fees and rely on the generosity of students for their livelihood. There will be an opportunity to offer a donation to the teachers at the end of the retreat. Read more about this practice here.
Questions?
This event is being run by the Spirit Rock Meditation Center. For any questions related to registration, scholarships and/or continuing education, please contact them here.
Registration for this event is not yet open. Add your name to the list to be notified when registration opens.
About the Teachers
Oren Jay Sofer
Oren Jay Sofer, a CNVC Certified Nonviolent Communication Trainer, teaches workshops and retreats on meditation and communication internationally. His teaching emphasizes how awareness practice and communication training deepen one another in a synergistic manner. He holds a degree in Comparative Religion from Columbia University and is certified as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner for healing trauma. Oren is a husband, a father, and the author of several books including Your Heart Was Made For This, and the best-selling title, Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication.
Devon Hase
devon hase is empowered to teach in the Insight and Vajrayana traditions of western Buddhism. Since discovering meditation in 2000, she has put dharma and community at the center of her life: she spent a decade bringing mindfulness to high school and college classrooms before entering several years of silent, solitary retreat in the mountains of Oregon. She now teaches at the Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and the Forest Refuge, among others. She enjoys supporting practitioners in long and short retreats, and also with personal mentoring, emphasizing relational practice and the natural world. Along with her life partner nico, devon co-authored How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Buddhist Survival Guide for Modern Life. When she’s not traveling and teaching in their van, she’s most likely in wilderness retreat. For more, visit devonandnicohase.com.
Yong Oh
Yong Oh is a Dharma Council teacher at the Durango Dharma Center and a core teacher for Sacred Mountain Sangha, and is also a visiting teacher for other community centers across North America. He teaches retreats at the Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Big Bear Retreat Center, and Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center. He is a graduate of the 4-year Insight Meditation Society Retreat Teacher Training program, Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s 2-year Community Dharma Leaders program, and the Sacred Mountain Sangha 2-year Dharmapala training, taught by his primary teachers Kittisaro and Thanissara. Yong is also a retired acupuncturist, is passionate about Nature and Dharma, and has particular interests in devotional expression, supporting caregivers, and offering teachings to communities of color in the Dharma.
DAVID CABRERA (MOVEMENT TEACHER)
David Cabrera has practiced Vipassana meditation since 2007 and received certification through Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program in 2021. Incorporating many years of martial arts studies, David is Laoshi in Chen Taiji and has taught mindful movement, Qi Gong, Taiji for since 2011 and was trained by the International Tiancai Chenjiagou Federation USA under Sifu Kam Lee. David also specializes in Somatic Integration healing practices. Being of Afro Cuban Asian heritage, David comes from a long lineage of Afro Cuban abolitionists who have devoted their lives to equality and liberation for all people of color in Cuba. David is also a Grammy award winning musician in the Latin music industry and a devout father and husband.