Belonging & Self Compassion Daylong Retreat [ONLINE]

This online daylong retreat is open to both beginning and experienced practitioners. Those who self-identify as LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, and beyond) and BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) are prioritized. Allies are welcome.

Registration for this event closes on August 2, 2025 at 11:59 pm. To inquire about joining after registration closes, please contact guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org. 

Please join us for a day of refuge, with a focus on self-compassion and mindfulness. We’ll experience periods of silence, teaching, practice and community discussion. 

Compassion and self-compassion involve responding to difficult moments with kindness, empathy and understanding so that we soothe and comfort ourselves and others when we’re hurting. 

We belong here. We belong on the planet. We are staking our claims and finding resilience in caring community. We can be examples of deepening our self-friendship even amidst hardship.

Listen or sing along with chants that build community and bring the teachings to a deeper place. New and seasoned practitioners are welcome. Invite your friends to sign up!

Lev and Eve have led multiple LGBTQIA+ retreats and have taught together for the family sangha at East Bay Meditation Center for three years. They will be leading a residential retreat on the land at Big Bear Retreat Center on this same theme in December. 

SCHEDULE

Please plan to attend this entire online retreat program. More details will be provided closer to the start of the program. All times listed below are Pacific Time.

Starts: Sunday, August 3rd at 10am PST

Ends: Sunday, August 3rd at 4pm PST

*During this retreat expect periods of silent meditation, chanting/singing and discussion.

AN ONLINE RETREAT

This retreat will be an interactive online retreat. Online retreats offer the unique opportunity to deepen your practice in a “real world” setting, where meditation practice and regular life intersect more than in a typical residential retreat. This can be supportive for integrating the practice into daily life.

Please plan to be present for the entire retreat and all the sessions.Presence is important for your personal practice and continuity, as well as the community container of retreat. The online retreat will be offered over Zoom. Please plan to have your video on during the sessions.

At registration you will receive a link with a landing page for the online community that includes the Zoom and schedule information for the online component of this program, along with any other helpful tips before, during, and after your retreat. This link will be emailed to you again 24 hours before your retreat. The retreat recording will be available within 48 hours of the retreat.

See more of our online offerings on our SoundCloud, Dharmaseed and YouTube channel.

GENEROSITY

Retreat Cost & Fees:

Our sliding scale option for this online retreat includes financial support for teachers. Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports the teachers as well as Big Bear Retreat Center and your fellow practitioners who need to pay less. 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.

What retreat participants have to say about our online programs

“Big Bear created an online retreat experience that was inclusive, supportive, and responsive. I felt held and cared about throughout the retreat.” – Bernadine

“This was a spectacular experience and one that could be appreciated by novice and experienced mediators and everyone in between. Doing it at home has helped me envision how to live more mindfully throughout my day.” – Deb

I felt very connected to the teachers, the teachings and the other participants, even while being on Zoom.  As a more experienced practitioner, this felt like such a good fit for where I am at and it met a need to bring mindfulness into my day-to-day home life. I felt Big Bear did an amazing job with the technical aspects of making sure we felt our questions were being heard and answered, and it just ran very smoothly.  I’m so impressed.  I feel so fortunate for the experience of getting such a well-curated online/home retreat.  – S.B.