Spring Insight Meditation Retreat: Mindfulness, Kindness, and the Practice of Presence

This Spring Insight Meditation Retreat is a seven-night silent meditation retreat in the Theravāda tradition of Vipassanā, or Insight meditation, held at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. It is led by Matthew Brensilver, Tuere Sala and Brian Lesage, and it offers systematic instruction in mindfulness meditation and lovingkindness practice. The retreat is open to all, with an introductory level of instruction.

What to Expect

The retreat begins with check-in and an opening orientation on the first afternoon, and it closes a week later with a final sitting, a closing ceremony and departure by 11:00 AM. The days in between are held in silence, apart from teacher-led Q&A, small groups and other practice meetings.

The teaching draws on a 2,600-year legacy of wisdom and kindness. The retreat's own framing asks how we should live, and answers by listening deeply, trusting that the heart's capacity is larger than we have assumed. In the silence, the aim is to open to the intensity of being human in a way that softens the heart rather than hardening it.

The daily rhythm includes morning and afternoon meditation sessions, with fixed points through the day:

- 8:30 to 9:30 AM: practice instructions and Q&A
- 4:30 to 5:15 PM: guided lovingkindness practice
- 7:30 to 8:15 PM: evening dharma discourse

Dharma talks run throughout the retreat, and individual meetings with the teachers are available to support your practice.

The Teachers

Matthew Brensilver, PhD teaches at the Insight Retreat Center, Spirit Rock and Insight Meditation Society. Before teaching meditation full-time, he spent years researching addiction pharmacotherapy at the UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine, and he remains interested in the dialogue between Buddhism and science.

Tuere Sala is a Guiding Teacher at Seattle Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock, and a long-time Vipassanā practitioner.

Brian Lesage is the third teacher on the retreat team.

The Setting

The retreat is residential, held on land at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, Marin County. Overnight accommodations and all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) are included, and practice takes place in the Upper Meditation Hall and other retreat facilities. Single rooms are available, with a limited number guaranteed at the highest rate level; other single rooms are first prioritized for people with serious medical needs. Shared rooms are offered at most rate levels. A commuter option is available for those who cannot stay overnight, including all meals and day-use access to the facilities with a shared resting area. Transportation to and from Spirit Rock is not included.

Before You Go

This retreat is introductory and open to all practitioners. First-time meditators are encouraged to begin with a shorter day-long program to prepare. Commuters need to have completed at least one previous week-long silent Insight retreat. The retreat is taught in English.

Registration is on a sliding scale, so that the teachings stay accessible. Scholarships are available, including rates for people facing financial hardship, for Black, Indigenous and People of Color, for young adults aged 18 to 26, and for parents or guardians raising children under 18. About 20% of participants receive scholarships. Teacher dana is not part of the registration fee; at the close of the retreat there is an invitation to offer dana to the teachers and to Spirit Rock.

Licensed and license-eligible mental health and health care professionals can add 15 continuing education credits, purchased separately and before the program begins. CE requires full, documented attendance at the required sessions.