Intimacy with Life: Undoing the Habits That Armor the Heart

A daylong meditation retreat offered by Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, and open to join online over Zoom. Led by James Baraz, Tara Brach and Jill White Lindsay, Intimacy with Life is a day of Buddhist-rooted meditation and inquiry into the habits that separate us from our inner lives and from one another. It suits beginners and experienced meditators alike, along with therapists and other health care professionals who want a contemplative approach to self-compassion and emotional resilience.

What to Expect

The day runs from 10:00am to 4:00pm Pacific Time, with morning and afternoon sessions. It opens with meditation and an inquiry into patterns of emotional self-protection, the "armoring" of the heart. Teachings on those habits alternate with guided meditation, and small-group and whole-group inquiry gives the ideas somewhere to land.

Jill White Lindsay guides simple stretches and gentle movement through the day, so the practice stays grounded in the body. Themes include self-compassion, joy and gratitude, and a felt sense of connection and belonging. The teachers also look at how greater openness in relationships can support caring, values-aligned action in the wider world. The hope is that as the heart opens, people rediscover their capacity for joy and a deeper kinship with all beings.

About the Teachers

James Baraz holds a master's degree in psychology and is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center. He started the Community Dharma Leader program, the Kalyana Mitta Network and the Spirit Rock Family Program, and helped create the Heavenly Messengers Training Program. He has led the online course Awakening Joy since 2003.

Tara Brach is an internationally known meditation teacher with a PhD in clinical psychology and the author of the bestsellers Radical Acceptance, True Refuge and Radical Compassion. Her podcast draws over 3 million downloads each month. She is the founder of the Insight Meditation Center in Washington, DC, and her teaching brings Western psychology together with Eastern meditation practice.

Jill White Lindsay began her career as a high school biology teacher before moving from the classroom to the yoga studio. After a bout with cancer, she found that the yoga she had been practicing could help with pain management, mood regulation and overall strength and wellbeing. Yoga became an anchor in her life, and it shapes the movement she offers here.

Before You Go

This is an introductory-level program. No prior meditation experience is needed. It is taught in English and Spanish and draws on Buddhist, secular mindfulness and psychology-informed approaches.

The program is offered in two formats, on-land at Spirit Rock and online, and participants register for one or the other. The online format is live on Zoom and includes the guided practices, inquiry, movement guidance and unlimited access to the recording, which becomes available about ten days afterward. Meals, accommodation and printed materials are not included. A sliding scale supports the teachers and the center, and the online program is open to those who cannot pay, as space allows.

Five continuing education credits are available for licensed and license-eligible mental health and health care professionals, through Mindful CECs. Credit requires registering for CEs before the program begins and attending the full session live, signed in to Zoom with the registration email. Participants should confirm that their own licensing board accepts the credits.