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

Non-Residential Retreats (Multi Day Retreat)

(Hybrid: Online) Deep Belonging: Connecting with Ourselves, Each Other, and the Natural World

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

Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD Teacher

Greg Serpa, PhD

Jennifer Cho

  • Location Online
  • Experience Levels All
  • Date Starts Monday, April 15, 2024
    Ends Sunday, April 21, 2024

    6 nights

Refund and Event Policies

BBRC Logo Big Bear Retreat Center

Co-hosted by InsightLA and Big Bear Retreat Center

*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 Big Bear Retreat Center: Deep Belonging [Online], April 2024

A SILENT INSIGHT MEDITATION RETREAT
A 6-night silent Vipassana Meditation retreat, which meets the retreat requirements for MBSR, MSC, MMTCP and other teacher and facilitator training programs

Monday, April 15th – Sunday, April 21st
Registration closes April 14th at 11:59pm Pacific Time

This retreat is available hybrid (online and in-person). To visit the in-person program page, visit here. 

Loneliness and alienation permeate these times of political conflict, climate crisis, and social discontent. Connections to our phones and the virtual world often leads to an increased sense of isolation. And whether you are healthcare providers, family caretaker, or just a human being who feels the constant painful ruptures in the fabric of humanity, finding ways to reconnect are a necessity, not a luxury.

On this silent retreat, lead in the Vipassana (or Insight) meditation tradition, we will explore how being still and opening our hearts again in a supportive environment can connect us back to ourselves and to each other. We are doing this nestled in the beauty of the San Bernardino National Forrest with time to practice outside both formally (with sitting and walking meditation) and informally (with hikes and just spending time outside).

As we practice together, we can let ourselves settle into the arms of nature and community, which are strong enough to hold our sorrows and celebrate our joys. The repetitions of daily retreat life and the simple practices of sitting and walking meditations are the time proven containers to allow the mind and heart to remember its interconnectedness and belonging.

Each day will include guided meditations with a Q&A, silent sitting and walking periods, unstructured time for rest and being out in nature, Dharma talks and small group check-in periods with the teachers. The Dharma talks will focus on Buddhist as well as on Western psychology, using the teachers’ strengths and backgrounds in their respective fields.

This will be a hybrid retreat, so part of the group will attend the retreat online, being streamed into the meditation hall at BBRC for all guided meditations, Q&As and Dharma Talks. The streaming is interactive, so online participants can ask questions and be heard by the whole community. One of the teachers, Jennifer Cho, will be attending the retreat online and will be the main contact person for the online Sangha. She will also holding their small group check-ins.

Cost:

*retreat fees do not include donations (dana) to teachers: more information below*

Accessible Rate: $250

Sustainer Rate: $450

Benefactor Rate: $650 or more

Please consider paying at the highest tier in order to support accessibility for the greatest number of people. Your Generosity is appreciated.

Financial support: A limited number of financial support options are available. We ask that these be prioritized for those that identify as BIPOC, of a marginalized community, or in financial need. Contact us at guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org for more information.

TEACHER DANA: 
As part of the Buddhist tradition, many teachers (including the teachers of this retreat) offer the teachings freely with no expectations of fees or payment. As a practice of generosity from the heart, participants are invited to offer “dana” (donations-generosity) to the teachers at the end of the retreat. There are no minimums, expectations, or guidelines. It is not required. Teachers do not receive retreat fees, apart from travel reimbursement support. Learn more here about the practice of dana.

For any questions please contact guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org or visit our website bigbearretreatcenter.org

Cancellation Policy: Please visit our website for more on the cancellation policy for this retreat.

Online Retreat Cancellation Fee Schedule:

> 48 hours  20%
<48 hours    No Refunds

Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD Teacher

Berlin to Los Angeles to InsightLA I started my professional life as a Gynecologist at the University Hospital in Berlin, Germany. I had fallen in love with the universality of the Buddhist teachings as a searching teenager and it surely helped me stay sane through medical school and residency. In 2003 my husband, baby daughter... Read more

Greg Serpa, PhD

J. Greg Serpa, PhD, is a clinical psychologist for the US Department of Veterans Affairs. He is honored to teach mindfulness to America’s veterans and is the first full-time mindfulness teacher and trainer in the federal system. He is developing a national mindfulness certification program for VA clinicians based upon his book, co-authored with Christiane... Read more

Jennifer Cho

Jennifer Cho has been a student of meditation for over 20 years.  She sat her first silent meditation retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh, where she felt her heart break open in the presence of embodied practice and teaching, and she has been walking the path ever since.   She has practiced Zen in the tradition of... Read more

Pricing Options
Accessible Rate $250
Sustainer Rate $450
Benefactor $650.00

Register Now

Need Financial Support?

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

Thanks for stopping by!

Sign up for our newsletter to hear about new events and we’ll send you a FREE GIFT “Guided Meditations to Steady the Heart” by Trudy Goodman and Jack Kornfield

Sign-Up for Our Newsletter

Subscribe