LGBTQI Meditation Retreat October 5th - 9th

Spots are still available for our Fall LGBTQI Retreat with Anushka and Shelly. For more visit the program page.

Contact us at guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org for any inquiries about scholarships and financial assistance, or for more about this retreat.

 

Attend a Retreat

at Big Bear Retreat Center

Booking a retreat at Big Bear Retreat Center includes:

  • CABINS & RETREAT CENTER: enjoy all the amenities of a room in a retreat cabin in nature to support your practice
  • MEALS: daily delicious freshly prepared, healthy, and vegetarian meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
  • COMMUNITY: practice in community with others
  • NATURE: over 100 acres of beautiful forested land and hiking trails

Testimonials from past retreat guests

  • The meals were INCREDIBLE. Hands down the highlight of the whole experience. Honestly, I was blown away by the quality of the food, both taste and health wise.

    Retreat Guest
  • BBRC and its staff make the retreat experience seamless and magical at every turn. The chefs prepare meals that are the embodiment of love and nourishment for this practice. The teachers are supportive and generous with their time, and find the balance between stimulating and calming the mind with the dharma.

    Retreat Guest Calm Abiding Insight Meditation Retreat with Beth Sternlieb and Eric McCullum (InsightLA), May 2022
  • The natural beauty of Big Bear Retreat Center offers the perfect space to feel interconnected to all life and to open to the beautiful teachings we experienced this week.  The cabins, meditation hall, food, and  staff all supported our opportunity to become still and stable, to open our hearts to all of life.  Thank you for this beautiful experience.  I'll be back. 

    Cheryl
    Cheryl Calm Abiding Insight Meditation Retreat with Beth Sternlieb and Eric McCullum (InsightLA), May 2022
  • The meals at BBRC were top of the line. The food was comparable to restaurant-quality dining. The fact that it was vegetarian and vegan was unbelievable. One of the best parts of the center.

    Retreat Guest
  • Big Bear Retreat Center has quickly become of my favorite places to teach and retreat. The extraordinary mountains and unspoiled landscape create the perfect container for meditating in a natural environment away from the busyness of urban areas. The staff is professional, attentive and compassionate. The food is delicious and nutritious. I love sitting in the spacious, peaceful meditation hall, hiking the trails and looking out at the long-range views.

    I recommend Big Bear to everyone who appreciates retreating in nature with a kind, compassionate staff and community.

    Lisa Ernst
    Lisa Ernst Teacher, InsightLA
  • I highly recommend the Big Bear Retreat location due to its beauty, comfort, facilities and ability to go on walks in the forest. Everything was well organized and thoughtful.

    Retreat Guest
  • I found refuge sitting on the mountain.

    Retreat Guest Four Foundations of Mindfulness Insight Meditation Retreat with Christiane Wolf and Greg Serpa (InsightLA), May 2022
  • BBRC and InsightLA put on the most incredible silent retreat. I am encouraging all my interested friends to sign up- it is life-changing.

    Retreat Guest Spring Renewal Insight Meditation Retreat with Christiane Wolf and Celeste Young (InsightLA), April 2022
  • This was an absolutely wonderful retreat experience.  The environment at Big Bear Retreat Center is relaxing and beautiful, with hiking trails and serene natural views everywhere.  The vegetarian meals were outstanding…each dish seemed prepared with care and love, and full of flavor.  The staff was professional yet warm and approachable. I will go back again and again!

    Anne
    Anne Calm Abiding Insight Meditation Retreat with Beth Sternlieb and Eric McCullum (InsightLA), May 2022

Retreat Calendar

Additional Information for Select Online Components:

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January - September 2024: Mindfulness Based Ethical Living: An 8-month Practice and Retreat Curriculum (with 2 retreats in Big Bear) Led by Dave Smith and Stephen Batchelor:

More Information and Register Here | Mindfulness Based Ethical Living (MBEL) is an organized, contemplative system carefully designed for anyone who seeks to care for their own and others’ lives, here in this world. MBEL is a practice curriculum that addresses the psychological, ethical, and philosophical dimensions of the human experience and has been developed for those who seek a more expansive understanding for their practice of mindfulness. 8-month program includes two in-person retreats at Big Bear Retreat Center.

2023

SUMMER

big-bear-retreat-2022-selects-25-of-41_52083330276_o

FEBRUARY

February 22-26, 2023

The 8th Annual Women’s Retreat
a 4-night meditation retreat
Renouncing Praying Against Your Own Flesh: Self Hatred, Tenderness & Impermanence

Led by Sydney Reece & Mary Stancavage

meditation-coalition-logo

Starts: Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Ends: Sunday, February 26, 2023

This retreat will explore women’s spiritual journey of working with inner emotional storms. We’re excited to announce that our annual women’s retreat is back in person this year. We are looking forward to being in community with you.

Never again will I pray against my own flesh   —   Jill Hammer

Becoming aware of and turning to that which may prevent women, uniquely, from having a healthy and resilient body and mind, not only in her life, but more deeply in her own spiritual practice. What is said over and over, can be said to be “prayer”.  The intent and adversity of what is said internally preys against women’s attempts to engage with self and others in effective and nourishing ways as Bodhisattva for our times.

Join us, in not only growing concentration, but purifying the quality of awareness by turning to negative inner dialogue, long-held, but unexamined beliefs/thought patterns and working with body and breath through insight sitting and walking practices.  Contemplative writing and movement will be introduced to meet and renounce the many ways women pray, then prey against our own flesh (read well-beingsovereignty).

This retreat is intended to assist women practice and explore their spiritual journey with warm curiosity, within the warm and nourishing circle of sisterhood and always with more tenderness for being woman/female-bodied.

We use an inclusive definition of “woman” and “female” and we welcome trans women, genderqueer women, and non-binary people who are significantly female-identified. Attendees only need to identify as women in a way that’s significant to them.

Testimonials from past retreats

“Life doesn’t always give you what you want, but it does give you what you need. I really needed this. It was truly life changing and profound. I look forward to the next one! Love & Gratitude to all of you.”

“There was a sense of selflessness about the teachers. I got a feeling that the dharma was at the forefront and that any ego attachments were put in the background – that was nice.”

“The teachers are… well versed in the Dharma, excellent practical examples of how we can come together to practice, and how the Dharma impacts us on a daily basis.”

“I just want to express great Gratitude for being able to participate. There was a deep sense of spaciousness that allowed me to ‘see’ myself and be myself – and I feel the germination of the seeds of self-compassion that were planted in the circle of women.”

“I feel empowered to stick with my own meditation practice now. Thank you so much!”

APRIL

April 27 - 30, 2023

Opening to Inner + Outer Change: A Life Balance Retreat

Led by Jennifer Ward and Celeste Young

insightla
life-balance-institute

Starts: Thursday, April 27, 2023

Ends: Sunday, April 30, 2023

Come join us in the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains of Big Bear, CA and explore whatever internal or external life changes you might be considering, restoring balance to your life. We’ll be together in community for meditations, teachings and interactive exercises, healthy meals and plenty of downtime to enjoy the beauty of nature. More information below…

How well we navigate changes and transitions in our lives has a direct impact on the degree of well-being, purpose, and satisfaction we experience on a day-to-day basis. If you’re considering a big change, are in the midst of one now, or are still feeling the effects of past changes, this unique retreat offers you the personal understanding and tools to open to the next phase of your life with clarity, confidence, and deeper Insight.

Together in a supportive environment, we’ll be learning principles about the nature of change, adult stages of development, as well as time-tested mindfulness practices that can help you move through times of change with more balance and clear intention. Throughout the retreat, you will be offered a series of highly effective self-assessments and tools from the Life Balance Institute that are designed to give you clarity about your specific situation and support you in moving towards your next steps. These tools have helped countless individuals step into greater alignment with what they truly care about in life- to connect with what is truly meaningful. In addition, each day we’ll practice meditations together specifically designed to support you in meeting change more effectively and in coming home to yourself in daily life.

MAY

May 3 - 9, 2023

Calm Abiding: A Retreat for Cultivating a Concentrated Mind
a 6-night, 7-day silent insight meditation retreat

Led by Celeste Young and Eric McCullum

insightla

Starts: Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Ends: Tuesday, May 9, 2023

We are looking forward to practicing an in-person retreat in the beautiful San Bernardino mountains. With the support of nature and a friendly, peaceful quiet we will care for the heart and mind with compassionate mindfulness.

Guidance will be given for gathering awareness, relaxing the body, opening the heart, and calming the mind.

The structure of our meditation retreat will include time for sitting and walking or movement meditation, rest, mindful eating, and Dharma talks along with instruction and guidance, time for questions and reflections, short practice discussion meetings with the teachers to support you within the container of a silent retreat.

Retreat practice helps us to deepen our appreciation and gratitude for the mystery of being alive and for the benefits of generosity and kindness to ourselves and others.

May 17 - 23, 2023

Spring Renewal: The Blossoming of Insight
a 6-night silent insight meditation retreat

Led by Christiane Wolf and Celeste Young

insightla

Starts: Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Ends: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Spring is a wonderful time to turn inward and renew ourselves. Come spend the week at Big Bear Retreat center in the serene San Bernardino mountains deepening your Insight meditation practice with others. By bringing mindful attention to our moment to moment experience, we can learn to cultivate resilience amidst change and grow in awareness and love. We will focus on practices that quiet the mind and open the heart, supporting continuity of mindfulness and the unfolding of insight.

The structure of a silent Insight meditation retreat includes time for sitting meditation, walking meditation, rest, mindful eating, and Dharma talks along with some instruction and guidance, and short practice discussion meetings with the teachers to support you within the container of a silent retreat. This helps us to deepen our connection to our direct moment to moment experience, cultivate continuity of mindfulness, and awaken the heart and mind for greater ease, balance, and clarity in daily life.

We will tend to the heart and mind with compassionate mindfulness and strengthen our connection with ourselves and each other, with time for enjoying nature, deep rest, and practice in this beautiful setting.

June 3 - 10, 2023

Dharma Everywhere: An Awareness and Wisdom Retreat
a 7-night silent insight meditation retreat

Led by LC Tran and Alexis Santos

insightla

Starts: Saturday, June 3, 2023

Ends: Saturday, June 10, 2023

On this 7-day retreat, we will explore Insight meditation as a way of living naturally in the present moment with awareness and wisdom. The retreat will be offered in the style of Sayadaw U Tejaniya, a renowned Burmese monk and meditation teacher. He is known for his radically simple approach to meditation that invites us to bring a relaxed awareness into any moment and any posture – hence the title of his book “Dhamma Everywhere.”

LC and Alexis Santos, two of Sayadaw U Tejaniya’s long-time  students, have a love and a passion for this natural and easeful approach to cultivating awareness and wisdom. They will offer guidance through instructions, group meetings and teachings through a conversational format and plenty of time for Q&A. There will be periods of structured practice as well as more open periods that will allow retreatants to find their own rhythm of practice. The retreat will be in Noble Silence.

At Sayadaw U Tejaniya’s monastery in Burma, meditation is not about achieving special experiences under structured retreat conditions – instead, a sense of joy and interest in learning infuses the relaxed environment. Taking this fresh approach to retreat practice, we will have an opportunity to explore and cultivate a practical wisdom, and to experience a real and lasting change in the place where it truly matters: our everyday life.

JUNE

June 26 - July 1, 2023

Southern California Teen Retreat

Led by Inward Bound Mindfulness Education

IBME Inward Bound Mindfulness Education youth teens

Starts: Monday, June 26, 2023

Ends: Saturday, July 1, 2023

Be loved + accepted for who you are

Mindfulness retreats provide young people with the rare opportunity to experience uninterrupted and genuine insight into their own life experience while connecting with their peers and mindfulness teachers in a welcoming and safe community. Come for the fun & friends. Stay for the calm & community.

Our world-class teachers share their diverse lived experiences and mindfulness practices with every teen on retreat. They honor humanity in its many forms, allowing each attendee to be authentic and show up exactly as they are.

July 2 - 9, 2023

Opening the Heart
7 days of Jewish Mindfulness Practice by Or HaLev

Led by Rabbi Dr. James Jacobson-Maisels and Rabbi Genevieve Greinetz

or halev jewish mindfulness

Starts: Sunday, July 2, 2023

Ends: Sunday, July 9, 2023

Opening the heart, and living with an open heart, is no easy task.

How do we open our hearts in the midst of life, especially in times of immense uncertainty? How do we live with bravery, ease and joy even in the midst of challenge?

This in-depth retreat by Or HaLev offers us a sacred opportunity for transformation. We will be equipped with concrete tools to reconnect with our Divine nature and embrace an open heart filled with love and courage. Using the gifts of silence, mindfulness and a variety of Jewish meditation approaches, we will pause to reflect, rebalance and access the treasures of our inner wisdom that are yearning to be discovered.

We will learn to trust and uncover the deep resources of openness, balance, lightness, clarity, softness, freedom and joy that await us within.

Come open your heart with us.

This Retreat offers you:

  • Daily meditation instruction that guides both beginners & advanced practitioners into the sacred space of the retreat

  • Daily teachings

  • Daily times for Q&A

  • Group Meetings with the Teachers

  • Daily periods of prayer, chant & yoga

  • A deep celebration of Shabbat

Through deepening our practice together, this retreat will be a supportive container to reclaim the heart-full clarity and peace that is waiting to be uncovered within, and then bring that centered, loving presence back into our daily lives.

JULY

July 31 - August 5, 2023

BIPOC Teen Retreat

Led by Inward Bound Mindfulness Education

IBME Inward Bound Mindfulness Education youth teens

Starts: Monday, July 31, 2023

Ends: Saturday, August 5, 2023

Be loved + accepted for who you are

Mindfulness retreats provide young people with the rare opportunity to experience uninterrupted and genuine insight into their own life experience while connecting with their peers and mindfulness teachers in a welcoming and safe community. Come for the fun & friends. Stay for the calm & community.

Our world-class teachers share their diverse lived experiences and mindfulness practices with every teen on retreat. They honor humanity in its many forms, allowing each attendee to be authentic and show up exactly as they are.

August 6 - 11, 2023

A Mindfulness Silent Retreat
a 5-night silent meditation retreat

Led by Beth Mulligan and Hugh O’Neil

ucsd-center-for-mindfulness

Starts: Sunday, August 6, 2023

Ends: Friday, August 11, 2023

This silent retreat is for those already teaching or interested in teaching mindfulness-based programs (MBP) such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention Therapy and Mindful Self-Compassion. It fulfills the silent retreat prerequisite for all Mindfulness-Based Interventions. In addition, it is open to individuals who would like to further develop their mindfulness meditation practice. Some experience with mindfulness meditation is expected. The importance of Silent Retreats for teachers of Mindfulness-Based Interventions is articulated beautifully in this article by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

An important aspect of teaching MBP is the requirement to have a personal mindfulness practice, our intention for this retreat is to support your personal practice. This 5-night silent retreat will consist of sustained periods of silence, alternating sitting and walking meditation, with periods of Mindful Movement; (All vital for deepening a personal practice and fundamental to teaching and living a rich full life). There will be afternoon sessions exploring the attitudinal foundations of mindfulness with additional meditation practices to foster and strengthen kindness and compassion, and evening talks. Throughout the week there will be scheduled group and individual meetings with the teachers. The container of Silence, which includes refraining from speaking (except with the teachers as scheduled and as needed) reading, writing, and technology, with the exception of emergencies of course. It is a rare opportunity to slow down and give our hearts and minds some space to access our inner wisdom and compassion.

The Retreat meets the requirements for teacher training and certification at the Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute, University of California at San Diego.

Join us to nourish and sustain your practice, in a safe, beautiful environment, wonderful healthy food, with experienced teachers Beth Mulligan and Hugh O’Neill. Learn more about the 5-day retreat.

  • First Day Registration: 4:00 to 5:30 pm
  • Last Day Session Ends: Noon

Learn more about the UCSD Center for Mindfulness Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute.

August 13 - 20, 2023

Mentoring Retreat with Dave Smith
a 7-night silent insight meditation retreat

Led by Dave Smith

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Starts: Sunday, August 13, 2023

Ends: Sunday, August 20, 2023

Over the course of 7 days, we will slowely and carefully develop the stages of insight within the context of kindness, care, and awareness.

The retreat will follow a common structure of noble silence with scheduled sitting and walking practices

  • Daily morning and afternoon mindfulness and metta instructions and evening dharma talks
  • Group teacher meetings for people to check in on their practice
  • Guided relational mindfulness practices within the context of insight dialog
  • Ample time for students to speak with and connect with each other as well as other events and activities

 

About this Retreat: Metta-Vipassana and the Progress of Insight
Vipassana meditation unites the stillness of concentration with the immediacy of moment to moment experience. As we learn to calm the body and mind, intuitive wisdom arises. This allows us to open to the truth of each moment’s experience within and around us. In this way, we increase our ability to meet life’s ups and downs with ease and presence.

Metta meditation practice calls forth the beautiful spiritual emotions within our heart: lovingkindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity. Mindfulness of these qualities strengthens and brings them into fruition. This process guides our thoughts, attitudes and behaviors into the direction of awakening to our full potential.

Learn more here about Dave Smith and his offerings.

AUGUST

August 21 - 27, 2023

When Awareness Becomes Natural
a 6-night silent insight meditation retreat

Led by LC Tran and Kim Allen

insightla

Starts: Monday, August 21, 2023

Ends: Sunday, August 27, 2023

Vipassana retreats are set up so that people can have few duties but to be aware of their experience moment to moment.  When removing distractions we become more familiar with the working of our minds and of the particular negative habits that create needless stress for us (worry, annoyance, dissatisfaction, unhappiness, jealousy, the inner critic, etc.)  When shining the light of awareness on these habits, they naturally recede and weaken and in their place the positive habits of mind grow (love, kindness, compassion, gratitude, happiness, self-respect and appreciation).

On this 6-night retreat you will be guided in mindfulness of the mind and body and encouraged to practice being aware of all you do throughout the day.

“The whole path of mindfulness is this: whatever you are doing, be aware of it.”
-Dipa Ma

September 9 - 14, 2023

Love and Rest
a 5-night silent insight meditation retreat

Led by Beth Sternlieb and Matthew Brensliver

insightla

Starts: Saturday, September 9, 2023

Ends: Thursday, September 14, 2023

We often long for love, both giving and receiving, but the busyness of life and the agitation of our minds do not create the conditions for love to arise. In dharma practice, we find love naturally arises when we rest deeply. When we let go of the dissatisfaction of endless grasping, we experience loving awareness itself. As we do this, we discover what’s been waiting there all along, a softening of the heart, a truly satisfying love.

The daily rhythm of a retreat usually involves alternating periods of stationary and movement meditation, nature walks, meals and tea, as well as practice meetings, dharma talks and rest periods. The first session usually begins before breakfast. Each morning the teachers offer continuing meditation instructions for the day. The whole retreat is a succession of mindfulness training, breathing practices, deep awareness of the body and environment, meditations on the nature of feelings, and awareness of mind are from the Buddhist Insight Meditation tradition.

September 14 - 17 (18), 2023

Groundwork Masterclass:
End the Overwhelm and Reclaim the Wonder of Being Alive
a 3-night immersive workshop retreat

Led by Amrita Ahuja

groundwork-logo

Starts: Thursday, September 14, 2023

Ends: Sunday, September 17, 2023

optional independent stay to September 18

Join us for this immersive workshop experience led by Amrita of Groundwork.

It is increasingly difficult to get things done. The world is filled with distractions that drain our energy and prevent us from doing what matters most. Many of us are looking for a way out of the vicious cycles that perpetuate our stress, overwhelm and worry – but even tools that are supposed to help us are adding to the problem.

We need a new approach to get things done. A way that is connected and conscious.

This Groundwork Masterclass will get you out of survival mode and help you renew your focus. Break away from living in a constant state of overwhelm so that you can shift your attention to the experience and wonder of being alive again.

Outcomes

  1. A permanent way out of the cycles that perpetuate overwhelm.
  2. A new set of practices for cultivating peace of mind in your work and life.
  3. A complete shift into living with clarity and getting things done with ease.

Come enjoy the stillness, simplicity and charm of the mountains. Leave transformed, relieved and joyous.

What is Groundwork?

Groundwork is a standardized system of tools and behaviors that are easy to adopt and promise to reduce the noise, chaos and overwhelm felt by people with limited time, juggling competing priorities. People who implement groundwork report greater clarity and ease in their daily lives.

View the Program Schedule for this Retreat

For more information, meet 1-1 with Amrita or learn more at groundwork.xyz.

September 14 - 18, 2023

Fall Independent Individual and Small Group Retreats
a flexible time for self or small group retreat (campus is not silent)

Independent Retreats

Starts: Thursday, September 14, 2023

Ends: Monday, September 18, 2023

Flexible length of stay until September 18. Arrival must be Thursday or Friday

*REGISTRATION CLOSES SEPTEMBER 13*

Your Retreat, Your Pace at Big Bear Retreat Center

Join us during these dates for an option to retreat on your own or in a small group or team. 

We are thrilled to re-introduce independent solo retreats. Book time for yourself or your small group at the retreat center with light programming. This is a great option if you want to experience some time in nature and your version of retreat at the center. Take time for quiet alone time, to write, work on art, or be on retreat with loved ones or friends. This time is minimally structured, allowing for self-paced retreats at the center.

This is also a great time to gather as a team with your organization.

For these retreats, we require that you arrive on September 14th or 15th (Thursday or Friday), with flexible departure days/times.

SEPTEMBER

September 28 - October 3, 2023

Awakening Mindfulness and Compassion:
A Collaboration with UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC)
a 5-night silent meditation retreat

Led by Diana Winston, Leslie Booker, Marvin G. Belzer and Lissa Edmond (movement)

Starts: Thursday, September 28, 2023

Ends: Tuesday, October 3, 2023

registration closes Sunday Sept 24th at 11:59pm Pacific Time

Join MARC faculty for our first ever five-night silent retreat in the beautiful natural setting of the Big Bear Retreat Center, only two and a half hours from Los Angeles. We will spend our days deepening our meditation practice in the service of cultivating wisdom and compassion needed to transfer out to 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 on this retreat.

This silent retreat is suitable for beginning or experienced students. It meets the requirements for the MARC IPP and TMF programs.

**cost includes meals, lodging, tuition and teacher compensation**

OCTOBER

October 5 - 9, 2023

LGBTQI Meditation Retreat
Recognizing Yourself as Part of Nature:
Buddhist Liberation Practices for the LGBTQI Community
a 4-night silent meditation retreat

Led by Anushka Fernandopulle and Shelly Graf

Starts: Thursday, October 5, 2023

Ends: Monday, October 9, 2023

early bird discounts until Sept 18

If you self-identify as queer, intersex, transgender, genderqueer, bisexual, lesbian or gay, join us to explore practices of presence and freedom on this silent meditation retreat.

Stepping away from technology, entertainment, recreational drugs and alcohol will support us to cultivate wisdom and love. We will engage in contemplative practices of mindfulness and compassion as a community while sitting, walking, eating and in daily life activities. The retreat is supported by guided meditation, dharma talks, time for questions and small group meetings.

Note: If you have recently experienced a significant trauma or are having difficulty with psychological stability, silent intensive residential meditation retreat like this one is not recommended.

October 12 - 16, 2023

The Respite Retreat 2023
5 days to practice + live your own pace
ALL are welcome

Led by Nykké Ford and Jylani Ma’at

Starts: Thursday, October 12, 2023

Ends: Monday, October 16, 2023

We excitedly invite you into 5 days to practice and live your own pace. All bodies are welcome.

breathe.
pause.
feel.
experience … repeat.

Our daily retreat practice together:

  • signals the importance of respite as a lifestyle, skill and pathway to deliberate ease + joy
  • cultivates self-discovery, personal reflection of health + history, in nature
  • invites meditation, silence, conversation, walking, writing, storytelling, dance, creativity, contemplation, & … respite
  • seeds new concepts for retreat. We provide the content. You decide your pace…
  • We (un)schedule daily offerings

We invite you to lean into your agency, participate with each offering as you desire. We welcome your moments in collective + your moments in solitude. Each day there will be silence, we will gather, we will meditate, we will move. Each day you decide when to engage or rest.

A sample daily (un)schedule:

  • rise
  • walk/meditate (solo or collective)
  • journal
  • dine
  • creative arts
  • rest
  • dine
  • explore/connect
  • dine
  • gather
  • meditate
  • rest

*note: silent options available

Learn more at therespiteretreat.org

October 17 - 22, 2023

[Hybrid] Turning the Tide: A Mindful Re(LOVE)ution for Our Times
Meeting these times with love, courage and authenticity
a 5-night meditation & dialogue retreat on dharma + climate change

Led by Thanissara, Gullu Singh, Dawn Mauricio, Djuna Devereaux and Adam Stonebraker

*This retreat will be offered in person at Big Bear and online via Zoom

insightla

Starts: Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Ends: Sunday, October 22, 2023

Join us in a journey from overwhelm and anxiety into an alliance as collaborators navigating the poly-crises of these times. By opening to the heart’s intuitive knowing and our embodied belonging within Nature’s sacred web of life, we will be guided by the living Dharma as depth wisdom and revolutionary love. As humanity faces its utmost challenge, we will also explore holding faith in the spirit of collective transformation, knowing that the greatest trials also hold the seed of opportunity. The Buddha called Mindfulness “the flood stopper,” enabling a shift from reactivity into clarity and authentic presence, to manifest quantum shifts needed for a sustainable future.

As a Bodhisattva training for our times, we will engage with these themes within the foundations of Mindfulness and Insight Meditation, we will also draw from devotional and ceremonial practices, the Kuan Yin Dharmas, Qigong and gentle somatic-based movement, psycho-spiritual inquiry, depth breath practice with sacred music, somatic-based movement, chanting, mantras, and Dharma reflections focused on meeting the initiation of these times.

The retreat will be in noble silence with interactive inquiry and sharing sessions in small and larger groups. This retreat will offer a plant-based diet only in alliance with care for the Earth and its myriad beings.

Big Bear Retreat Center is a 3-hour drive from Los Angeles Airport (1.5 hours from Ontario Airport), nestled in the ancient Juniper forests of the San Bernardino Mountains at a 7,000-foot elevation near Big Bear Lake in Southern California.  The Center is immersed in nature amidst about 100 acres of forested land with direct access to several hiking trails connected to our property.  Various lodgings are available, from three per room to single rooms.  The retreat fee includes lodging and three daily plant-based (vegan) meals. In reverence to the ancient Buddhist tradition, which holds that the teachings are priceless, the teachers will receive no set remuneration. Retreatants will be invited to offer Dana in support of the teachers.

October 22 - 27, 2023

Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB)
a 5-night course & retreat, includes teaching sessions, meditation and silence

Led by Eve Ekman and Ryan Redman

cultivating emotional balance ceb workshop retreat course

Starts: Sunday, October 22, 2023

Ends: Friday, October 27, 2023

Registration closes Sept 30

Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB): With the practical tools, discover greater happiness and ways for leading  a more constructive emotional life supporting our own and others well-being.

Come join us in the serene San Bernardino mountains of Big Bear, California for a week of Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB).

In this program inspired by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and developed with eminent psychologist Dr. Paul Ekman, Tibetan Buddhist teacher Lama Alan Wallace and secondgeneration emotion researcher Dr. Eve Ekman, we invite you to discover greater happiness and well-being. Using insights and methods drawn from both Western psychology and Buddhist contemplative practices, we investigate our inner life in order to improve our outer life. Designed using evidence-based, practical, and secular strategies to benefit people from all walks of life, this course helps us explicitly seek to bring about wise aspirations and values, learn how to develop our attention skills, and then begin to cultivate emotional balance—the emotional intelligence that can lead to genuine happiness and a fulfilling life.

This class is taught by emotional researcher, meditation teacher, and senior CEB teacher Dr. Eve Ekman and Ryan Redman, CEB senior teacher, meditation teacher and founder of Flourish Foundation.

During the week will explore:
• Insights and methods drawn from both Western science and Eastern contemplative practices for genuine happiness and well-being
• A rich and in-depth understanding of your own emotional life and guidance toward your overarching goals for living meaningfully
• Techniques for developing attention skills and discerning mindfulness
• How to chart the territory of specific episodes of emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, joy, etc.
• Ways to identify your own and others’ destructive and wholesome emotions as well as their consequences

Schedule:
Sunday, October 22, 2-4 PM Arrival and Check In
Friday, October 27, 12:00 PM Retreat Ends (optional lunch 12:00-1:30pm)

Learn more about CEB

October 22 - 27, 2023

Fall Independent Individual and Small Group Retreats
a flexible time for self or small group retreat

Independent Retreats

Starts: Sunday, October 22, 2023

Ends: Friday, October 27, 2023

Flexible length of stay until October 27. Arrival must be October 22-24

Your Retreat, Your Pace at Big Bear Retreat Center

Join us during these dates for an option to retreat on your own or in a small group or team. 

Book time for yourself or your small group at the retreat center with light programming.

This is a great option if you want to experience some time in nature and your version of retreat at the center. Take time for quiet alone time, to write, work on art, or be on retreat with loved ones or friends. This time is minimally structured, allowing for self-paced retreats at the center.

This is also a great time to gather as a team with your organization.

NOVEMBER

November 1 - 3, 2023

Resilience Immersion Training
a training retreat for first responders

Led by Richard Goerling and Brian Shiers (Mindful Badge and Aligned Mind)

mindful badge logo

Starts: Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Ends: Friday, November 3, 2023

This training is tailored for first responders, medical professionals, psychotherapists, social workers, educators, military members, and other high-reliability trauma professionals. Please contact us if any questions about eligibility to attend.

Mindfulness is a category of mind training that explores the three different modes of attention and trains them to enhance new forms of concentration, self-awareness, and situational awareness to enhance all cognitive, emotion regulation, tactical, and interpersonal skills. This training is an examination into the science and experience of mindfulness as it relates to resilience, warrior-humanitarian ethos, and human performance optimization. These skills provide the foundation to thrive through adversity and trauma and the wisdom to understand strategies for recovery, pliability and striving toward sustained post-traumatic growth.

This is an intensive introduction to the science of the mind and cognitive conditioning through mindfulness meditation and mindful movement. Opportunities for experiential practice through guided and individual meditations and mindful movement are supported with lectures/discussions throughout each training day.

Learning Objectives

  • Train mindfulness meditation skills- attention and compassion skills that strengthen health & performance.
  • Train an evidence-based understanding of occupational stress injury and the interventions necessary to move into recovery and set conditions for post-traumatic growth.
  • Train toward a sustainable growth mindset and cultivate skills in trauma competency.
  • Build the capacity to work with the constant inner narrative and train new habits of thinking that best support health & performance.
  • Cultivate skills in self-awareness, self-compassion, and self-regulation (agency).
  • Develop knowledge and skills to build a plan to integrate mindfulness skills into the rhythms of work & life.

For more details, visit: mindfulbadge.com/events/bigbear23

November 4 - 11, 2023

Settling, Seeing, and Spacious Awareness
a 7-night silent insight meditation retreat

Led by Donald Rothberg, Devon Hase, and Tere Abdala

insightla

Starts: Saturday, November 4, 2023

Ends: Saturday, November 11, 2023

We will train in three inter-related modes of practice. First, we will settle and stabilize our minds and bodies, becoming more concentrated, through both sitting and moving forms of meditation, including regular Qigong. As we settle, we then become better able to examine closely both our experiences of our bodies, thoughts, and emotions, and the general patterns of experience, both more personal and more universal. We see more clearly when we are reactive, when we suffer, when there is a thick sense of self, and we learn to be more with the impermanent flow of experience. We can also tune in more, as we settle and see, to an increasingly unconfined and luminous awareness beyond reactivity, that is a source of freedom, wisdom, and compassion, both in retreat practice and daily life.

Prerequisite: Completion of a class or retreat in mindfulness practice and a regular mindfulness practice.

November 12-18, 2023

Embodying the Spirit of Ubuntu:
A Somatic & Mindfulness Meditation Retreat For Women and Gender Expansive People of the African Diaspora
a 6-night retreat that includes silent meditation and embodied movement

Led by Spring Washam and Prentis Hemphill

Starts: Sunday November 12, 2023

Ends: Saturday, November 18, 2023

early bird discounts until Sept 30

*this is a retreat for women and gender expansive people of the African diaspora*

We are excited to offer this very special healing retreat for all self-identified women of African Ancestry and of the Diaspora. During this retreat we will create a safe container where we can experience connection, compassion and unconditional loving support. By blending deep embodiment/ somatic work with mindfulness-based meditation practices we can re-learn how to come home to our hearts, rest in our bodies and become truly present for one another.

The word Ubuntu is translated as, I am because we are” and it’s the spirit of this gathering and a core theme we will weave throughout the retreat. For some, Ubuntu is something akin to a soul force it’s a direct expression of unity, honor and interconnectedness with one another. Ubuntu derives from Nguni and Bantu languages of Africa and in Zulu language of South Africa the word symbolizes being human. 

This retreat will be primarily held in “noble silence” outside of the scheduled group work, dharma talks, guided meditations and interactive sessions. Each day will include a full schedule of sitting and walking meditation practice, training in the four foundations of mindfulness, yoga, talks on the core themes, sacred music and deep embodiment work. 

 

The kind of change we are after is cellular as well as institutional, is personal and intimate, is collective as well as cultural. We are making love synonymous with justice.

– Prentis Hemphill

November 28 - December 4, 2023

Resting in Metta
a 6-night silent insight meditation retreat

Led by Celeste Young and Dawn Scott

insightla

Starts: Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Ends: Monday, December 4, 2023

For this particular retreat, we will be developing the Brahma Viharas, the four qualities of an awakened heart: Lovingkindness (Metta), Compassion (Karuna), Appreciative Joy (Mudita) and Equanimity (Upekkha). Join us for an in person retreat in the beautiful San Bernardino mountains and deepen your practice within this secluded setting in nature.

We will tend to the heart and mind with compassionate mindfulness and strengthen our connection with ourselves and each other, with time for enjoying nature, deep rest, and practice in this beautiful setting. During this five day retreat, we will learn to slow down and attune to the fresh simplicity of our present moment experience, rest in stillness, and connect with the heart’s inner capacity for healing and freedom.

Together we will explore some of the supports for presence: letting go of distraction, the deliberate cultivation of simplicity and contentment, and a renewed sense of connection with our own bodies, hearts, and minds in community. By bringing mindful attention to our moment to moment experience, we can learn to cultivate resilience amidst change and grow in awareness, love, and wisdom.

The structure of this Metta meditation retreat includes guided meditation on each Brahma Vihara with Q&A each day, time for silent sitting and walking meditation periods, rest, mindful eating instruction, Dharma talks, and small group practice discussion meetings with the teachers.

DECEMBER

December 4 - 7, 2023

Winter Independent Individual and Small Group Retreats
a flexible time for self or small group retreat

Independent Retreats

Starts: Monday, December 4, 2023

Ends: Thursday, December 7, 2023

Flexible length of stay until December 7. Arrival must be on December 4th or 5th

Your Retreat, Your Pace at Big Bear Retreat Center

Join us during these dates for an option to retreat on your own or in a small group or team. 

We are thrilled to re-introduce independent solo retreats. Book time for yourself or your small group at the retreat center with light programming.

This is a great option if you want to experience some time in nature and your version of retreat at the center. Take time for quiet alone time, to write, work on art, or be on retreat with loved ones or friends. This time is minimally structured, allowing for self-paced retreats at the center.

This is also a great time to gather as a team with your organization.

December 15 - 20, 2023

Winter Independent Individual and Small Group Retreats
a flexible time for self or small group retreat

Independent Retreats

Starts: Friday, December 15, 2023

Ends: Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Flexible length of stay until December 20. Arrival must be on December 15th , 16th or 17th

Your Retreat, Your Pace at Big Bear Retreat Center

Join us during these dates for an option to retreat on your own or in a small group or team. 

Book time for yourself or your small group at the retreat center with light programming.

This is a great option if you want to experience some time in nature and your version of retreat at the center. Take time for quiet alone time, to write, work on art, or be on retreat with loved ones or friends. This time is minimally structured, allowing for self-paced retreats at the center.

This is also a great time to gather as a team with your organization.

December 28, 2023 - January 1, 2024

Awakening into the New Year
a 4-night silent insight meditation retreat

Led by Dave Smith and Cheryl Slean

Starts: Thursday, December 28, 2023

Ends: Monday, January 1, 2024

early bird discounts until Oct 15

During this New Years’ Insight Meditation retreat we will cultivate a deeper understanding of ourselves through gentle and sustained awareness of our body, breath, heart, and mind. Each day will include periods of silent sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks and meetings with the teachers. New Year’s Eve will be held with a special intention-setting ceremony. Together, we’ll develop a greater sense of care for ourselves and for our world through the revolutionary practices of the Dharma.

The practice instructions will be based on the four foundations of mindfulness in combination with exercises in kindness and compassion. This silent retreat will explore the many ways that true spiritual practice is an engagement with life that runs contrary to the confusion in this world. This ancient path of awakening our own deepest wisdom is accessible to all who choose it. The retreat is suitable for both beginning and more experienced practitioners. We hope you can join us for a meaningful and beautiful beginning to the New Year!

2024

January - September, 2024

Mindfulness Based Ethical Living (MBEL)
an 8-month Practice and Retreat Curriculum
(includes two in-person 7-day retreats at Big Bear Retreat Center)

Led by Dave Smith, Stephen Batchelor, Ann Brand and Eileen Ybarra

Starts: January, 2024

Ends: September, 2024

Mindfulness Based Ethical Living (MBEL) is an organized, contemplative system carefully designed for anyone who seeks to care for their own and others’ lives, here in this world. MBEL is a practice curriculum that addresses the psychological, ethical, and philosophical dimensions of the human experience and has been developed for those who seek a more expansive understanding for their practice of mindfulness.

Program includes two (2) in-person seven (7) day retreats at Big Bear Retreat Center. Online Course Materials and Monthly Live Teaching Sessions.

Learn more and Register Here.

January 12-16, 2023

Groundwork Masterclass: End the overwhelm and reclaim your focus

Led by Amrita Ahuja

groundwork-logo

Starts: Thursday, January 12, 2023

Ends: Monday, January 16, 2023

*registration closes Sunday, January 8th at 11:59pm Pacific*

The Groundwork Masterclass gets you out of survival mode and renews your focus. Break away from living in a constant state of overwhelm so that you can bring your attention to the experience and wonder of being alive again.

OUTCOMES

  1. End the overwhelm in your life and reclaim your focus
  2. Learn to get things done in a way that is connected and conscious
  3. Step into 2023 energized and clear, and keep it that way

RATES: $800 per person all inclusive for 4 nights (includes lodging, meals, and the workshop)

Take advantage of this special introductory rate as we bring Groundwork to Big Bear for the first time! Come enjoy the stillness, simplicity and charm of winter in the mountains.

For more information about Groundwork or to meet 1-1 with Amrita to find out more, please visit groundwork.xyz

April 9 - 15, 2022

Spring Insight Meditation Retreat

Led by Celeste Young and Dawn Scott

insightla

REGISTRATION OPENS SOON

Starts: Saturday, April 9, 2022

Ends: Friday, April 15, 2022

As we focus on practices that quiet the mind and open the heart, we support a continuity of mindfulness and a deepening of our meditation practice, which provides us with a true refuge amidst uncertainty.

The structure of an Insight meditation retreat includes time for sitting meditation, walking meditation, rest, mindful eating, and Dharma talks along with some instruction and guidance, and short individual practice discussion meetings to support you within the container of a silent retreat. This helps us to deepen our connection to our direct moment to moment experience, cultivate continuity of mindfulness, and awaken the heart and mind for greater ease, balance, and clarity in daily life.

We will tend to the heart and mind with compassionate mindfulness and strengthen our connection with ourselves and each other, with time for enjoying nature, deep rest, and practice.

2022

DECEMBER

December 28, 2022 - January 2, 2023

Awakening in the New Year
a 6-day silent insight meditation retreat

Led by Lisa Ernst and Thomas Davis

insightla

Starts: Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Ends: Monday, January 2, 2023

Practicing together at the turn of the New Year will provide an ideal time for reflection and taking refuge in dharma and community. By taking time to pause and look into our hearts, we can better care for ourselves and those around us with loving attention and wise action. Through deep inquiry we can also clarify our direction for the New Year and live from the truest part of ourselves. With the support of a flexible practice schedule, guidance from the teachers and a warm community of participants, let’s awaken to the New Year together.

The daily rhythm of a retreat usually involves alternating periods of stationary and movement meditation, nature walks, meals and tea, as well as practice meetings, dharma talks and rest periods. The first session usually begins before breakfast. Each morning the teachers offer continuing meditation instructions for the day. The whole retreat is a succession of mindfulness training, breathing practices, deep awareness of the body and environment, meditations on the nature of feelings, and awareness of mind are from the Buddhist Insight Meditation tradition.

Contact Us

Connect with us at Big Bear Retreat Center.

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