(In-person) Mindfulness for Everyone - 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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Location Big Bear Retreat Center
Experience Levels All
Date Starts Thursday, October 23, 2025
Ends Sunday, October 26, 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: Mindfulness for Everyone

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This retreat is specially designed for those on their first retreat, with partial silence. We welcome beginning or experienced students.

A meditation retreat fostering a meaningful engagement with ourselves and this world. This retreat will provide practice and theory rooted in both the early Buddhist tradition and secular understanding found within various fields of scientific and therapeutic inquiry. The focus is for each of us to find a middle way by developing tools and techniques that are supportive to our emotional and psychological make-up.

The retreat will follow a partial silence that will allow for longer periods of silent practice and inquiry. Sessions will be provided for us to discuss the ideas and practices we will be exploring as a group. There will be guided practice sessions, teaching periods with talks and lectures, small group discussions, and time for independent practice.

This program is designed for beginning as well as experienced practitioners who are looking for a fresh perspective on practice that is both simple and comprehensive.

While we will be offering various concepts rooted in the early Buddhist tradition, this retreat is secular in context. Anyone who is interested is encouraged to attend.

Registration for this retreat closes on October 9th, 2025 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. If looking to join after this date, please inquire at guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org.

For nearly 30 years, Dave Smith has held a practice rooted in the Insight Meditation (Vipassana) tradition. He was empowered to teach through the Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society, is a certified teacher for Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB) which is combines contemporary emotion based scientific research with contemplative practices and psychology drawn from Buddhism.... Read more

Ann Brand, Ph.D. (she/her) is a mindfulness teacher, facilitator, and mentor based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Benefiting immensely from her personal practice of mindfulness meditation while grieving the loss of her mother, Ann recognized the benefits mindfulness could bring to her sphere of education. Since receiving her mindfulness teacher training in 2014, Ann has brought... Read more

Pricing Options
Private room with private bath	$1150
Private room with shared bath	$910
Double room with shared bath	$700
Triple room with shared bath	$520

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