The Original Body Scan: Discovering Freedom within the Body [ONLINE]

Open to experienced and new practitioners

Registration closes on June 21, 2026. If joining after this date, please contact us.

In this retreat, we will work primarily with the first of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness – mindfulness of the body. The “32 Parts of the Body” meditation, which is part of the first foundation of mindfulness, has rarely been taught in the West; you will be introduced to it from an Insight perspective of the true nature and wonders of the body. This practice has also been used for healing illness and most importantly to help eradicate the erroneous view of self. Various methods will be taught to strengthen mindfulness of the body and to explore the mind/body connection.

We will follow the usual format of an Insight Meditation (Vipassana) retreat, with periods of sitting and walking meditation, as well as qigong sessions for further exploration of mindfulness of the body. The two daily Qi Gong session follow the deepening instructions of the 32 parts of the body. Each day there will be a talk and systematic meditation instructions that are embedded in lovingkindness. These teachings and practices will emphasize quieting the mind, opening the heart, and developing clarity, wisdom, and compassion; and foster the depth of practice.

This retreat is appropriate for the general public, health professionals, and mindfulness teachers or in training.

HEAR MORE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND TEACHERS

These teachers were knowledgeable and articulate, with hearts that genuinely cared for the well being of everyone in attendance.

The teachers were all exceptional and their styles complemented each other magnificently. They all brought me and several other retreat goers to tears with their dharma talks.Very thoughtful, kind and lovely teachers.

WHAT TO EXPECT ON THIS ONLINE RETREAT

This is a silent mindfulness retreat with alternating sitting and walking meditation, instruction, dharma talks, work meditation, and practice discussion with the teachers.

This will be a hybrid online retreat. The teachings in the meditation hall will be live-streamed for online participants. This retreat will be an interactive online retreat. 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.

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.

GENEROSITY: Retreat Costs and Fees

This retreat is offered on a sliding-scale basis to make it as financially accessible as possible. Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford: your generosity supports your fellow practitioners who need to pay less.

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. There will be an opportunity 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.

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 meditators 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.

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