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

Register Now Save for Later Please log in or create an account to be able to use this functionality.

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: Unfolding the Great Heart: Bhakti, Buddhism, and the Practice of Connection [Online]

____________________

This event page is the online version of a hybrid retreat which will take place both in-person and online. To register for the in-person version of this event, click here.

This online retreat is open to both beginning and experienced practitioners.
Registration for this retreat closes on June 6, 2025 at 11:59pm Pacific Time.

This retreat is a sacred invitation to return to the source of your inner strength—the boundless capacity of your heart to love, heal, and transform. Together, we will explore the ‘Great Heart,’ a sanctuary of devotion and wisdom that holds the power to illuminate even the darkest moments of our lives.

Through the intertwined paths of Bhakti and Buddhism, we will dive into heart-centered practices that open us to the healing power of love and connection. Each day will include Metta meditation to cultivate compassion, devotional rituals to deepen our sense of reverence, and sitting and walking meditation on the land to ground us in presence and stillness. In the evenings, we’ll gather for chanting—a practice of surrender and devotion that invites us to rest in the sacred pulse of life.

This retreat is for those yearning to rekindle their faith in love, rediscover hope, or find strength amidst life’s challenges. It is a refuge for anyone seeking solace, clarity, or a deeper connection to themselves and the world. Bhakti’s path of devotion and Buddhist mindfulness will weave together, offering profound tools to help release old burdens, soften the heart, and awaken to life’s inherent beauty.

Step into this journey of devotion and transformation, where the Great Heart unfolds as a source of courage, resilience, and infinite possibility.

 

Spring Washam

Spring Washam is a well-known meditation teacher, author and visionary leader based in California and Peru. She is the author of A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage and Wisdom in Any Moment. Spring is considered a pioneer in bringing mindfulness-based healing practices to diverse communities. She is one of the founders of the East Bay Meditation Center, located in... Read more

Henry Shukman

Henry Shukman is a poet, author, and Zen master in the Sanbo Zen lineage. He is the founder of the Original Love meditation program, spiritual director emeritus at Mountain Cloud Zen Center, and co-founder of the single-path meditation app The Way. His most recent books are Original Love: The Four Inns on the Path of... Read more

Nina Rao

Nina Rao first learned sacred chants, as a young girl from her grandfather in south India, and the chants stayed quietly with her until she rediscovered this powerful practice with Krishna Das in New York in 1996. Since then she has been KD’s business manager and accompanies him musically. In 1998 she met her guru,... Read more

Pricing Options
Private room with private bath $1950
Private room with shared bath $1550
Double room with shared bath $1200
Triple room with shared bath $900
Camping Rate $900

Register Now

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 members of marginalized groups (people of color, queer people, 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.

Register Now

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