(In-person) Cultivating Kindness: A Women’s Retreat of Mindfulness and Self-Compassion through Practice, Writing, and Movement - InsightLA Meditation

Financial Support

Our mission is to make all of our programs accessible. Every fee-based offering has a limited number of pay-what-you-can spots available to support self-identified people of color, members of marginalized groups (queer people, transgender people, and people with disabilities) and those in financial need (those for whom the cost to attend is not financially possible).

These spots are offered on a first come, first served basis. Please pay at the highest level you can afford. In order for this support to be available, we rely on those who can afford to pay the full price to do so.

Find out if spots are available by clicking REGISTER NOW on the event you are interested in.

Safety

We work to protect the safety of all students. We reserve the right to remove any student from any class, sitting group, retreat, or any event if the student is disruptive to the safe learning environment we maintain for all.

Cancellation & Refunds

We reserve the right to cancel a class or special event due to low enrollment or other circumstances which would make the event non-viable. If InsightLA cancels an event you’ve registered for, you will be offered a full refund. If an event has to be postponed for any reason, you will have the option to either receive a full refund or transfer your registration to the same event at the new, future date. If you cancel, we apply a 5% credit processing fee and the refunded amounts are listed below:

MBSR, MSC, & MBHC, Mindfulness for Beginners & Special Events

7 days – 95% Refund
<7 days – No Refunds – Credit given if requested or donation to InsightLA

Fee-Based Non-Residential Retreats (note: Donations are non-refundable)

>7 days – 95% Refund
<7 days – No Refunds – Credit given if requested or donation to InsightLA

Residential Retreats

> 8 weeks – amount paid less $100
4-8 weeks – amount paid less $175
2-4 weeks – amount paid less $300
< 2 weeks – No refund

Residential Retreats with Financial Support:

> 8 weeks – amount paid less $75
4-8 weeks – amount paid less $100
2-4 weeks – amount paid less $200
< 2 weeks – No refund

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Susan Steinberg-Oren

Christine Suarez

Location Big Bear Retreat Center
Experience Levels All
Date Starts Thursday, September 25, 2025
Ends Sunday, September 28, 2025

3 nights

Refund and Event Policies

This retreat is hosted by Big Bear Retreat Center, not InsightLA.

For any questions or support for registering or preparing for this retreat, contact guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org.
For more details and to register for this retreat, visit the Big Bear Retreat Center’s website: Cultivating Kindness: A Women’s Retreat of Mindfulness and Self-Compassion through Practice, Writing, and Movement

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A retreat for women and women-identified folks. Open to both beginning and experienced practitioners.
Registration for this retreat closes on September 10, 2025 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. If looking to join after this date, please inquire at guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org.

Through mindfulness, self-compassion, reflective writing, and movement, we will connect with each other and ourselves, cultivating and deepening our capacity to journey through our lives with greater ease and loving awareness. Come together with other women and woman-identified folks to explore practices that help us find compassion and kindness when we face stressful situations, painful emotions, and challenging relationships.

This 4-day and 3-night retreat will include personal and relational practices with time for rest, journaling, and exploring nature in the beautiful surroundings at Big Bear Retreat Center. There will be silent time in the early morning for contemplative meditation, and evenings will be varied with reflective writing, movement, a sound bath, and dance.

You’ll leave the retreat with new tools to face life’s challenges, a transformed relationship to yourself, and friends to share the journey of cultivating kindness.

Susan Steinberg-Oren

Since 1990, Susan Steinberg-Oren, PhD has been a clinical psychologist at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System (VAGLAHCS) where she has worked in many different areas including Substance Abuse, Women’s Mental Health, Trauma, and Comprehensive and Integrative Health. In 2010, she started her own deep dive into mindfulness where she found wisdom and healing... Read more

Christine Suarez

Christine Suárez is a choreographer, performer, educator and Pilates instructor based in Los Angeles. Born in Caracas, Venezuela & raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she has an unshakable faith in the transformative power of moving & creating together. She has been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Los Angeles County Department of Arts... Read more

Lesley Hyatt has been teaching students of all ages and backgrounds for over thirty years. She leads creative workshops and mindfulness groups at UCLA Ext Writers Program, Skirball Cultural Center, and privately throughout the L.A. area and on Zoom. A writer of fiction and creative nonfiction, Lesley holds an MFA from UMass, Amherst and was... Read more

Pricing Options
Private room with private bath	$1200
Private room with shared bath	$960
Double room with shared bath	$750
Triple room with shared bath	$570
Camping Rate	$570

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