Awakening Mindfulness and Compassion
With Diana Winston, Leslie Booker and Vadan Ritter (movement teacher)
September 29 - October 4, 2025
This retreat for beginning or experienced students.
In collaboration with:
Cultivate the wisdom and compassion we need to carry forward into our lives. Join us for a five-night silent retreat in the beautiful natural setting of Big Bear Retreat Center, only two hours from Los Angeles. We will spend our days deepening our meditation practice in the service of cultivating wisdom and compassion that we need in our lives. As we settle our minds, supported by nature, we can see ourselves and the world with deeper clarity and allow our inner wisdom to emerge.
The retreat will include sitting and walking meditation with ongoing guidance, lecture and instruction from the teachers. We will also have an opportunity to practice cultivating positive emotions, mindful speaking and listening, mindful eating, as well as experience the depth of stillness that can come through an extended period of practice. Daily movement practice will be led during this retreat.
Registration for this retreat closes on September 15th, 2025 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. If looking to join after this date, please inquire at guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org.
HEAR MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND TEACHERS
I found these teachers to be so very emotionally open, honest and also skillful. They feel sincere and genuine in their practices.
Intelligent, thoughtful, caring teachers – with a sense of humor!
WHAT IS A SILENT MEDITATION RETREAT?
Also known as Vipassana, or Insight, this is a retreat held for several days in the practice of “noble silence” with alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation throughout the day. There are teacher-guided sessions and talks, as well as self-guided periods. There also will be interview opportunities with the teachers to talk about your experience. Silence usually begins after dinner on arrival day and ends after breakfast on departure day. All are asked to hold the practice and silence throughout the entire time and to not leave the retreat early, so as to support the fullness of practice. Read more here on what to expect and sample schedule.
GENEROSITY
Retreat Cost & Fees:
Registration fees for this retreat support the cost of developing and offering BBRC programs, which include lodging, meals, and staff compensation. Teacher compensation for this retreat is included in your registration fees. We price fees to make programs as financially accessible as possible.
Is cost a barrier? Nobody is turned away at Big Bear Retreat Center due to finances. We ask that financial assistance be prioritized for those who self-identify as BIPOC, hold marginalized identities, or are in financial need. For more information, please contact us at guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org.
FEEL WELCOME AND INCLUDED: A PLACE TO BELONG
Our intention is to be as accessible as we can, even in ways that we may not be aware of yet. We hope this is a space of inclusivity where people feel welcome and held. For us, it is a practice of consistent attunement, presence and care to our community. However you identify – race, gender, sexuality, disability, mental health, and so on – it is our wish to meet your needs for belonging.
Please consider this about our environment:
- The center is on a hill with outdoor walkways between dining, gathering, and residential spaces.
- We are located at an elevation of 6,500 feet altitude in a ski town in the mountains of Southern California.
- We experience weather of all four seasons.
- We are located about 2 hours from Los Angeles and near 3 major airports. Learn more about getting here.
- We have a commitment to everyone’s mobility needs. Please contact us about ADA accessibility.
See our FAQs for more detailed information on accessibility to our campus and programs.
SIMPLE YET COMFORTABLE, NESTLED IN NATURE
Simple and elegant lodgings to support rest and renewal. Our rooms are uniquely designed to offer comfort, convenience, and simplicity. All of our cabins are surrounded by nature with forest sights and sounds. Lodgings are a short walk from spaces for dining and gathering. See a video tour of a cabin.
Our Meditation Hall is spaciously designed to provide an atmosphere that feels deeply integrated with nature and the surrounding forest. The versatile space is conducive for meditation, movement, workshops, training, and other community gatherings.
Food that nourishes to support healing, restoration, and community. Our organic and seasonally inspired menus feature creative and nourishing vegetarian meals, tailored to support meditative practices. We use fresh and locally-sourced ingredients when possible. Lunch is the most substantial meal of the day and dinner is lighter. Our indoor and outdoor dining hall is open 24/7 with self-service coffee, tea and healthy snack options.
HEAR MORE ABOUT BIG BEAR RETREAT CENTER
Big Bear Retreat Center is exceptional in every way. The accommodations are outstanding, food exceptional, staff very responsive and helpful and the teachers are always so loving and knowledgeable. Just a top notch retreat experience!! – Sheila
I love Big Bear Retreat Center. It’s my dharma home away from home. Everything about it – staff, teachers, food, accommodations, setting – is exceptional. A true gift to the community!!
Big Bear Retreat Center is indeed a refuge. A safe space to open your heart. – Laura
Teachers & Facilitators
Diana Winston is the Director of UCLA Mindful, the mindfulness education center of UCLA Health. She is the author of The Little Book of Being: Practices and Guidance for Uncovering your Natural Awareness, and the co-author, with Susan Smalley PhD, of Fully Present, the Science, Art and Practice of Mindfulness. She has taught mindfulness for health and well-being since 1993 in a variety of settings including the medical and mental health field, and in universities, businesses, non-profits, and schools. At UCLA she has developed the evidence-based Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPs) curriculum and the Training in Mindfulness Facilitation (TMF), which trains mindfulness teachers worldwide.…
Learn more about Diana Winston
Booker is a heart – centered, spirit – driven activist and meditation teacher committed to creating a culture of belonging through her teaching and writing. She trained at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in their Mindful Yoga and Meditation (2012), Community Dharma Leaders (2017) and Retreat Teacher training programs (2020). Outside of her formal training, she shared the practices of yoga and mindfulness with New York City’s most vulnerable populations for over a decade, and served as the Director of Trainings for Lineage Project for 10 years. She spent many years sharing her expertise nationally as a guest lecturer at conferences…
Learn more about Leslie Booker
Vadan teaches Yoga and Qi Gong through the San Francisco Public Health Department, and focuses on the healing power of Mindful Movement. She is also a UCLA trained Mindfulness facilitator and Licensed Acupuncturist. Her background includes over 30 years of teaching Tai Qi, Qi Gong and Yoga and 4 years Instructing Mindfulness and Awakening Joy classes. She also facilitates groups for the Integrative Pain Management Program. In my classes we will explore Mindful Movement as a sacred practice that invites integration and supports the body in finding more ease and comfort during sitting practice.
Learn more about Vadan Ritter (movement teacher)