Coming Home to Our Senses
With Gullu Singh, Trudy Goodman, Lienchi (LC) Tran and Gabrielle Hammond (Qi Gong)
April 22 - 26, 2026
Open to experienced and new practitioners
Registration closes on April 8, 2026. If joining after this date, please contact us.
Along the path of Dharma practice, we cultivate the habit to connect with the truth of each moment — as it’s felt in the body, seen through the eyes, and heard through the ears of the heart. By doing so, we begin to transform our relationship with experience itself. Instead of resisting, fixing, or fleeing what arises, we learn to meet each moment with curiosity and care. From this intimacy with life as it is, peace and joy naturally emerge.
Meditation can also help balance our nervous system, moving us from fight, flight or freeze to rest and digest. This is profoundly healing. Not only do we learn to notice the habit of getting lost in troubled thinking that causes agitation, we practice creating a whole new relationship to thoughts.
Time in retreat allows us to step away from the demands of everyday life and listen deeply to our body, heart and mind. The purpose of this practice is to turn our attention to what brings true peace and happiness in life while cultivating more resilience, compassion and wisdom, both in responding to suffering in the world and in our own hearts.
Most of the retreat is held in silence, with periods of sitting and walking meditation. Expect guided meditations, teaching talks, qigong practices and a teacher-led practice discussion meeting for each participant.
HEAR MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND TEACHERS
Such a great balance between these 4 teachers, each had a unique perspective and way of expressing the dharma. I appreciated the uniqueness and cohesiveness of the retreat.
It was an amazing retreat with some profound teachings and guidance. The was one of the best retreat experiences I have had. I am so grateful to have been part of this retreat.
WHAT TO EXPECT ON THIS RETREAT
This is a silent mindfulness retreat with alternating sitting and walking meditation, instruction, dharma talks, work meditation, and practice discussion with the teachers.
Learn more ABOUT RETREAT & SEE A SAMPLE SCHEDULE.
GENEROSITY: Retreat Costs and Fees
Registration fees for this retreat support the cost of developing and offering BBRC programs, which include lodging, meals, and staff compensation. Teacher compensation is not included in your registration fees. We price fees to make programs as financially accessible as possible.
As part of this tradition, many meditation teachers (including the teachers of this retreat) offer their teachings without set fees or compensation. As a practice of generosity from the heart, participants are invited to offer “teacher dana” (donations-generosity) to the teachers at the end of the retreat. It is encouraged but not required. Learn more about dana here.
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.
SIMPLE YET COMFORTABLE, NESTLED IN NATURE
Accommodations
We offer several lodging choices nestled in nature for each retreat.
Meals
Our meals are freshly prepared to support your retreat experience.
Preparing for your retreat
We offer several resources and information to best help you plan your time on retreat with us.
Getting to BBRC
We have several resources to support your travel. Visit Getting to BBRC & Rideshares and Shuttles for more.
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.
Visit our Planning Your Retreat page to learn more about accessibility and other resources. Contact us if we can support ahead of time.
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
Gulwinder “Gullu” Singh is a mindfulness and Dharma teacher who also practices corporate real estate law. Although he was exposed to meditation as a child, he found his own practice when, after law school, he found himself working at high-powered law firms where the job was extremely stressful. Gullu completed the four-year Spirit Rock Meditation Center Teacher Training Program and qualified to teach Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Gullu is core faculty in the Mindfulness in Law Teacher Training, the Spirit Rock Dedicated Practitioner Program, and a mentor for the Sounds True Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program. He is also a core…
Learn more about Gullu Singh
Trudy Goodman, PH.D., is the founding teacher of InsightLA and cofounder of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. She has taught at universities and retreat centers worldwide for over 40 years. Trudy has trained in mindfulness and Zen since 1973, holds a graduate degree in developmental psychology from Harvard, and is one of the senior Buddhist teachers in the U.S. She is widely known for her role as the voice of Trudy the Love Barbarian in the Netflix series “Midnight Gospel”. Trudy is a contributing author: Clinical Handbook of Mindfulness (Springer, 2008); Compassion and Wisdom in Psychotherapy, (Guilford Press, 2011);…
Learn more about Trudy Goodman
Raised in a Mahayana Buddhist family in Vietnam, Lienchi Tran discovered meditation in 1984, inspired by the teachings of Thay Thich Nhat Hanh. Her journey deepened in 1992 when she attended a retreat with Bhante Khippapanno, leading her to ordain and fully immerse herself in Theravada Buddhism. In 1998, she continued her training in Burma under Sayadaw U Pandita, and in 2003, she found her path profoundly shaped by her primary teacher, Sayadaw U Tejaniya, who encouraged mindfulness as a natural part of daily life. After transitioning from monastic life, Lienchi returned to her career as an architect, weaving mindfulness…
Learn more about Lienchi (LC) Tran
Gabrielle Hammond (Movement Teacher | Qigong) has been practicing as an acupuncturist and doctor of Taoist and Traditional Chinese Medicine for past 28 years, under the tutelage of a 64th generation Taoist Master Chang Yi Hsiang, who initiated her journey into contemplative arts, meditation, and qigong practice at a young age. Gabrielle continues to teach and practice qigong over 35 years later as the bedrock of her healing practice. She loves working with plants, both as an herbalist in healing and in the more subtle and energetic way we are connected with plants as allies. This love of plants has…
Learn more about Gabrielle Hammond (Qi Gong)