1-week Insight Meditation Retreat

May 13 - May 20, 2026

This is a 7-night Insight meditation retreat organized by Insight Retreat Center (IRC).

Questions? Contact the Registrar, Niharika, at niharika@insightretreatcenter.org.

Diana Clark, Kim Allen, David Lorey & Ying Chen

  • A silent Insight meditation retreat with a daily schedule of alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, instruction, dharma talks, work meditation, and practice discussions with teachers. Suitable for both beginners and experienced practitioners.

  • Diana Clark, PhD, is a dedicated meditation teacher based in the San Francisco Bay Area, teaching primarily at the Insight Meditation Center and Insight Retreat Center. Her extensive meditation experience includes years of silent retreats at Spirit Rock, IMS, and the Insight Retreat Center, where she received training from esteemed teachers Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella. Inspired by the Buddha's teachings on peace and freedom, Diana's teaching approach aims to combine the profound and the practical, with a sincere commitment to cultivating an environment that nurtures both wisdom and compassion. Diana holds a PhD in biochemistry, and much like her scientific training facilitated her comprehension of the human body, her Buddhist practice deepens her insights into the workings of our precious minds and hearts. For more info you can visit dianaclarkdharma.org

    Kim Allen began meditating in 2003, seeking both a path out of suffering and the deeper truths of life. She trains mainly under the guidance of Gil Fronsdal at the Insight Meditation Center, and has also practiced in Sri Lanka and, more recently, with a few Mahāyāna teachers. Kim was drawn early on to long retreat practice and has sat cumulative three years of retreat. Engagement with the Pāli Canon, and also texts from other Buddhist traditions, informs her practice and life. A teacher and author, Kim aims to bring classical Dharma to a modern context and to encourage lay practitioners in fully living a life of Dharma. Kim also serves on the board of the Sati Center. Her education includes a PhD in physics and a master’s degree in environmental sustainability, and her website is http://www.uncontrived.org.

    David Lorey began meditating as a teenager in the 1970s, in college began an intensive training in transcendental meditation, and then came to practice in the Buddhadharma in the early 2000s. Integrating tranquility and insight practice forms the core of his current path; in addition, he explores the early teachings embedded in the textual tradition of the Pali canon for insights into practicing and living in accord with the Dharma. In sharing the Dharma, David is committed to helping others discover their own unique ways of using meditation and Dharma study to find relief from stress and release from suffering. Gil Fronsdal is David’s guiding teacher; IMC is his home sangha. David holds a PhD in history.

    Ying Chen is a first generation Chinese immigrant. She took refuge to become a buddhist with Venerable Ji Ru in 1995 and was exposed to Chinese Mahayana Buddhism first. She has been practicing in Insight Meditation Center since 2005, and Dharma Ground since 2020. She currently facilitates the Insight Meditation Center support group for people living with health challenges and co-leads Asian Dharma Circle. As a wife, mother, and a lay practitioner, Ying is inspired by the possibilities of freedom and wellbeing in everyday life. She teaches in IMC/IRC and Dharma Ground.

  • Please reach out to the retreat organizer for information specific to your retreat. Click here to review important information about attending a retreat at Big Springs. Thank you!

6-day Insight Meditation Retreat

May 23 - May 28, 2026

This is a 5-night Insight meditation retreat organized by Insight Retreat Center (IRC).

Questions? Contact the Registrar, Barbara, at barbara@insightretreatcenter.org.

Matthew Brensilver & Dana DePalma

  • Dharma practice is about working with the fundamental forces that shape our experience and lives. Among these forces, the impulses to judge, compare, and fix run deep.

    We all know the abiding urge to judge the moment, compare it against some idealized alternative, and devise plans to fix the conditions of this moment. We know the impulse to judge ourselves, compare ourselves to others and determine our relative value. Although these habits of mind are meant to address our pain, they compound it and compromise our freedom.

    During our retreat, we’ll explore the costs of measurement and the alternatives to it. In awareness, we become completely at ease with imperfection and relax the habits of measurement we ordinarily use to substantiate ourselves and our story. Stillness invites us to drop all the familiar reference points of liking and disliking, better than and worse than. As silence deepens, the ‘measureless’ heart qualities – lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity – infuse the places of measurement with relaxation, allowing deep care to manifest.

    The retreat will be composed of guided and silent meditation practice, and dharma reflections and meetings with the teachers. All are welcome.

  • Matthew Brensilver, MSW, PhD teaches retreats at the Insight Retreat Center, Spirit Rock and other Buddhist centers. He was previously program director for Mindful Schools and for more than a decade, was a core teacher at Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. Matthew worked as a clinical social worker, serving severely and persistently mentally ill adults and adolescents. He subsequently earned a PhD from the Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at USC where he was a Provost’s Fellow. His dissertation examined the mechanisms of risk and resilience in maltreated adolescents in a large, longitudinal study in South Los Angeles. Before committing to teach meditation full-time, he spent years doing research on addiction pharmacotherapy at the UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine. 

    Each summer, he lectures at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center on the intersections between mindfulness, science and psychotherapy. He serves on the Board of Directors at Spirit Rock. Matthew is the co-author of two books about meditation during adolescence and continues to be interested in the unfolding dialogue between Buddhism and science. 

    Website:  https://www.matthewbrensilver.org/

    Dana DePalma, MA teaches regularly online through Dharma Ground, where she serves as the Founding Guiding Teacher, and also at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, where she serves as a Stewarding Teacher. Her approach emphasizes samādhi, ease, and the natural arising of understanding. Dana holds a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies and has a relational teaching style. She is a Bay Area native, married, mom to an awesome teen, and grateful beyond words to be living a life focused on the Dharma.

  • Please reach out to the retreat organizer for information specific to your retreat. Click here to review important information about attending a retreat at Big Springs. Thank you!

Access to Zen Kindness Retreat

June 13 - June 20, 2026

This is a 7-night retreat organized by Access to Zen (A2Z) Sangha.

Questions? Contact Deb at deborah.svo@gmail.com.

Rev. Liên Shutt

  • Reconnect with ancestral Dharma teachings on kindness

    Are you tired from the despair as fascism continues to unleash across our lands and communities? 

    If so, let’s come together to settle into and cultivate our compassionate heart-minds. To have the capacity to be with and then work to alleviate or end the “cries of the world,” we do need to take time to attend to ourselves in body, heart and mind.

    Our ancestors have experienced similar circumstances before. In this 7-night (6-night silent) retreat, various forms of ancestral Dharma teachings on aspects of kindness will be offered to support us to reconnect to and reclaim our wholeness. Rev. will emphasize how to practice kindness on- and off-the-cushion. 

    NOTE: One way in which we put this into practice-action in a retreat format is reflected in the first 1.5 days of our time together: with a public lay-precepts ceremony for two Access to Zen members and then a Sangha Day.

    On the evening of Saturday, June 13, A2Z will hold a Jukai (Lay Initiation Precepts) ceremony for two A2Z members. Sunday, June 14 will be a Sangha Day and noble silence will begin at 7pm on Sunday, June 14. The retreat will end mid-morning on Saturday, June 20. The retreat format will follow a traditional Insight meditation retreat schedule supported by Soto Zen spirit.

    Schedule & Format: 

    June 13-20, 2026: Saturday - Saturday

    Saturday, 6/13: Arrival day

    Saturday, 6/13 in late pm: Jukai (Lay Initiation Precepts) ceremony & celebration dinner

    Sunday, 6/14: Sangha Day -- various events to support connecting with your fellow retreat practitioners (yogis/sanghamates), such as: hike or bird-watching, community-building exercises, zendo/meditation hall forms/space-negotiation-conduct instructions, likely chanting, talking meal times, etc. Some are optional (retreat-related ones are not).

    Sunday, 6/14 at 7pm: Noble silence begins

    • Daily Instructions, Dharma Talk and Encouraging Word from Rev.

    • Opportunity for 1-on-1 Practice Discussions/PDs with Rev. Liên.

    • Soto Zen spirit supported by an Insight schedule (45 minutes alternating between stationary & movement/walking meditations). Some forms/mindfulness-practices. No oryoki (formal Zen eating meditation).

    • Daily yogi job (about 45 minutes)

    Saturday, 6/20: Silent retreat ends mid-morning. Breakfast is the last meal served.

    We have deep gratitude to be able to offer this retreat in the midst of Nature’s beauty at Big Springs Garden Retreat Center, on the traditional territories of the Mountain Maidu, Nisenan, and Washoe People. 3% of your dana/Noble Giving will be given to these land trusts: Maidu Summit Consortium (Mountain Maidu), HUṠWEJ (Nisenan), and Wášiw-šiw Land Trust.

    Click here to visit A2Z’s website for important information about the retreat, including a health agreement, and to apply.

  • Rev. Keiryū Liên Shutt is a lineage holder in the Shunryu Suzuki tradition. Born to a Buddhist family in Vietnam, she received her meditation training in the Insight and Zen traditions in the US, Thailand, Japan and Vietnam. She was a founding member of the Buddhists of Color in 1998 and currently is the Guiding Teacher of Access to Zen, an anti-racist, inclusive sangha and non-profit in the SF Bay Area. She lives in Oakland, Huichin territory with her partner, exploring waterways and forests as often as they can.

  • Please reach out to the retreat organizer for information specific to your retreat. Click here to review important information about attending a retreat at Big Springs. Thank you!

6-day BIPOC Nature Dharma and Insight Retreat

June 23 - June 28, 2026

This is a 5-night Insight meditation retreat organized by Insight Retreat Center (IRC).

Questions? Contact the Registrar, Niharika, at niharika@insightretreatcenter.org.

Liên Shutt & Ram Appalaraju

  • This nature-based Dharma retreat, for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), offers an exploration of Buddhist teachings on interdependence and our profound oneness with the natural world. Through daily Dharma talks, we will reflect on Buddhist teachings on Dharma and how mindfulness reveals our inseparability from all life. Silent practice will include periods of sitting and walking meditation, inviting participants to attune to the rhythms, beauty, and stillness of the environment. Supported by the living landscape, a beautiful retreat center in the Sierras, we cultivate presence, compassion, and clarity, deepening our understanding of both inner and outer nature. This retreat offers a spacious container for renewal, insight, and heartfelt connection with all beings.

  • Liên Shutt (she/they) is a priest trained in the Insight and Soto Zen traditions in the United States, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. They are the Guiding Teacher of Access to Zen, an inclusive sangha and nonprofit in the San Francisco Bay Area. She lives in Oakland, on Huichin land, with her partner, exploring waterways and forests as often as they can. Visit AccessToZen.org to learn more.

    Ram Appalaraju (he/him) is a Chaplain and an Eco Chaplain serving marginalized communities in the Bay Area. He is also in the faculty at Sati Center for Buddhist Studies for the Eco Chaplaincy Training. Through Buddhist teachings and Vedanta, he developed a belief in the deeply interconnected and interdependent nature of existence in nature and suffering experienced by a disaggregate view. His work as an Eco and Prison chaplain has deepened the understanding of human suffering, and uses his learnings to serve communities affected by climate change.

  • Please reach out to the retreat organizer for information specific to your retreat. Click here to review important information about attending a retreat at Big Springs. Thank you!

Inhale Mountain, Exhale River

July 8 - July 12, 2026

This is 4-night, 5-day Women’s Summer Retreat in Nature & Community with Tracy Lease and Miyu Tamamura. Click here to view the flyer.

Questions? Contact Tracy at tracy@fulllifeyogastudio.com.

Tracy Lease & Miyu Tamamura

  • To create this women’s circle we will breathe in the mountain air, listen to the flow of water, settle into our inner landscapes.

     We will enjoy Qigong with a view of the Buttes, sitting and walking Meditation in the hall and forest, Restorative Yoga and special Sound Healing Meditation with Crystal Singing Bowls in Pristine Nature!

    Optional nature and art activities, beautiful walking trails, state of the art architecture, delicious vegetarian meals in a peaceful setting await you.

    All-inclusive retreat cost:

    Single room: $1,820 - $2,050

    Shared room: $1,510 - $1,720

    Tent Camping: $870 - $1,090

    *25 participants max 

  • Tracy Lease, owner and director of Full Life Yoga Studio, a certified Yoga Therapist, Yoga, Pilates, Qigong and Meditation Teacher has spent 20 years guiding students in movement and mindfulness  practices. Tracy loves to share meditative movement and empowers each unique individual to move towards optimal health and happiness. Tracy knows movement can help calm and revitalize body, mind and spirit and assist us in living fully in the present moment. She tunes into her students, wanting each client to feel welcome, safe and supported in classes, retreats and private sessions. Tracy has a passion for guiding groups, and has led retreats in the United States, Mexico, France and Japan.

    Miyu Tamamura, born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, is an artist, teacher, guide and healer who bridges the East and West through her 20 years of Shiatsu practice, deep listening, intuitive and heart-centered approach to truth. 

    Miyu’s commitment to transformation and healing is the very energy that plays her orchestra of Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls, returning us to the silence within. Miyu has been teaching the monthly program of Sound Healing Meditation at Mountain Stream Meditation Center in Nevada City, California since 2019, as well as collaborating with various yoga, Qigong and meditation teachers, musicians and artists holding retreats, workshops and concerts worldwide.

    Miyu graduated from Kyoto University of Art with a bachelor degree in Modern Art before she moved to the U.S. in 2000. As a certified Shiatsu Therapist of 20 years, Miyu’s practice is deep listening, holding a healing space for one to integrate and harmonize all aspects of self. Miyu established YU Healing Arts with her husband in Nevada City, California in 2004. The clinic is dedicated to the healing arts, including Sound Healing and Shiatsu Therapy, Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine.

    Miyu’s eclectic background and experiential approach to truth and Japanese heritage are infused in all her practices and artistic expressions.

  • Please reach out to the retreat organizer for information specific to your retreat. Click here to review important information about attending a retreat at Big Springs. Thank you!

1-week Dharma in Nature, Nature in the Dharma

August 1 - August 8, 2026

This is a 7-night Insight meditation retreat organized by Insight Retreat Center.

Questions? Contact the Registrar, Soohee, at soohee@insightretreatcenter.org.

Gil Fronsdal

  • A silent Insight meditation retreat with a daily schedule of alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, instruction, dharma talks, work meditation, and practice discussions with Gil. Suitable for both beginners and experienced practitioners.

  • Gil Fronsdal is the senior guiding co-teacher at the Insight Meditation Center (IMC) in Redwood City, California and the Insight Retreat Center in Santa Cruz, California. He started Buddhist practice in 1975, and has been teaching for IMC since 1990. Gil is an authorized teacher in two traditions: the Insight Meditation lineage of Theravada Buddhism of Southeast Asia, and Japanese Soto Zen. He holds a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from Stanford. He is a husband and the father of two sons.

  • Please reach out to the retreat organizer for information specific to your retreat. Click here to review important information about attending a retreat at Big Springs. Thank you!

Serenity in a Forest Temple

August 19 - August 23, 2026

This is a 4-night, 5-day silent, self-guided meditation retreat hosted by Miyu Tamamura. Click here to view the flyer.

Registration is now open. To register, email Miyu at miyu@yuhealingarts.com.

Questions? Contact Miyu at miyu@yuhealingarts.com.

  • There is an inner silence.

    It cannot be heard by the ears, only by the heart.

    Listening to your heart, finding out who you are, is not simple. 

    It takes time for the chatter to quiet down.

    In the silence of “not doing” we begin to know what we feel.

    If we listen and hear what is being offered,

    then anything in life can be our guide.

     Listen.

    -Baba Hari Dass

    This is a silent, self-guided retreat for experienced meditators and practitioners of all spiritual traditions to deepen their practices. We will practice seated meditation together as a like-hearted community. The teachers for this retreat are Silence and Mother Nature.

    The natural beauty of the retreat center is conducive to inner reflection and healing, opening our hearts for the peace and joy that resides within us. Together, we can elevate the space and energy, not only for each participant but for the whole, supporting everyone to delve deeper into their practices.

    Is this retreat for you?

    Participants are expected to:

    — Be self-aware and be responsible for all aspects of their wellbeing during the retreat.

    — Remain silent throughout the retreat except for portions of the arrival day and the departure day.

    — Be able to sit quietly through 40-minute silent meditation sessions.

    — Understand there will be no guiding teacher or dharma talks.

    — Refrain from any breathing practices or techniques that create noise or could disturb others during meditation times together.

    This retreat is hosted by Miyu Tamamura (bio below). Each meditation session will begin and end with a few moments of gentle sounds from Miyu’s crystal singing bowls. There will be a singing bowl session each evening from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for relaxation and expansion.

    On arrival day, all participants are welcome to meet one another and enjoy conversations during the evening meal. After dinner, everyone will gather for an introduction and welcome circle. Noble silence will begin after the first evening meditation through to the last morning meditation session. There will be a closing circle after breakfast on the last day.

    Your participation in all of the sessions is optional, though you’re encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity and group cohesiveness to advance in your practice. Physical practices such as yoga, qigong, stretching and breathing exercises are welcome between the 40-minute silent meditation sessions.

    At breaks and free times, there are some wonderful walking trails to explore on the property. Quiet activities like reading, writing, contemplation, and rest are all welcome during any free time during the retreat. Please arrive on time for each meditation session and for meals as our retreat chef will serve delicious fresh food.

    Those who would like to use the meditation hall for physical practices such as yoga, qigong, stretching, etc can use the hall from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please remain silent in the meditation hall while you enjoy your practice.

    We look forward to a retreat held by a community of people with the highest intention for self discovery and a time and space to experience their love for silence and nature.

    Sincerely,

    Miyu Tamamura

    Retreat cost includes lodging, all meals and use of facilities:

    Single occupancy $1,350 per person

    Double occupancy $1,050 per person

    Tent platform $750 per person

    *20 - 30 max participants depending on the room type availability.

    *Registration will close as soon as all the rooms are occupied.

    Retreat Schedule:

    Day 1

    3:00 - 5:00 Arrive at Big Springs

    5:30 - 6:00 Big Springs orientation

    6:00 - 7:00 Dinner

    7:00 - 8:30 Welcome circle, questions and answers, group sit (silence begins after the group sit)

    Days 2, 3, 4

    ~3 days of Noble Silence~

    6:00 - 6:40 Meditation

    6:40 - 7:00 Break

    7:00 - 7:40 Meditation

    8:00 - 9:00 Breakfast

    9:00 - 10:00 Free time, Meditation Hall open for exercise

    10:00 - 10:40 Meditation

    10:40 - 11:00 Break

    11:00 - 11:40 Meditation

    12:00 - 1:00 Lunch

    1:00 - 3:00 Free time, Meditation Hall open for exercise

    3:00 - 4:00 Free time, Meditation Hall open for meditation only

    4:00 - 4:40 Meditation

    4:40 - 5:00 Break

    5:00 - 5:40 Meditation

    6:00 - 7:00 Dinner

    7:00 - 8:00 Sound healing meditation with the singing bowls

    Day 5

    6:00 - 6:40 Meditation

    6:40 - 7:00 Break

    7:00 - 7:40 Meditation (end of silence at 8:00)

    8:00 - 9:00 Breakfast

    9:00 - 11:00 Closing circle and last group meditation

    11:00 - 12:00  Refreshments and snacks available

    Out of the room by 11am and off the land by 1pm

    Retreat Q and A

    Q. Are there times for walking meditation besides sitting meditation?

    A. You can substitute walking meditation for sitting meditation outside of the meditation hall. Each 40-minute meditation session indicated on the retreat schedule is for sitting meditation in the meditation hall. Only sitting meditation is appropriate during the 40-minute session inside the hall. 

    Q. If difficult emotions arise or if I need assistance in my spiritual practice, is there someone on site to support me?

    A. Emotional, mental, and/or spiritual assistance will not be provided during the retreat. Often times in a sustained silence and meditative state, mental, emotional, and spiritual clarity naturally occurs. Participants are encouraged to be compassionate with themselves and others with what arises.

    Participants are expected to be responsible for all aspects of their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing during the retreat. In addition, please be aware Big Springs is far from hospitals or medical facilities. The closest hospital is about 1.5 hour away by car. If any medical emergency occurs, there is always a Big Springs staff on site during the retreat to assist the participants.

    Q. I am not sure if I call myself an experienced meditator. Are there any qualifications for this retreat?

    A. We all have different ways of practicing meditation. If you have your own meditation practice and you can sit quietly and comfortably for 40 minutes at a time, you are welcome to participate. You are encouraged to come to every sitting meditation session. If your practice includes walking meditation, you may substitute some of the sitting meditation sessions for walking meditations. This is the beauty of the self-guided retreat in which you are in charge of your own practice and do what is best for your own wellbeing.

    Q. Are eye contact and gestures permitted on this retreat?

    A. While honoring silence for yourself and others, natural eye contact and gestures are fine. We encourage everyone to remain silent and not to speak during the silent period of the retreat. If the need arises, you can communicate by writing in the most direct and minimal way possible. There will be a note pad, paper, and pen in each of the cabins. There will be Big Springs staff on site during the retreat for any housekeeping needs. Miyu will be a point person should any other needs arise during the retreat.

    We will have Q and A time after dinner on the first day so that once the silent period begins, everyone is comfortable and self-sufficient.

    Q. I would like to share a room with someone. Can you find a roommate?

    A. Yes. If there are people who would like to share a room, we will do our best to find each person a roommate (same gender). If not, we will let you know ahead of time so that you may consider a single room option.

    Q. What kind of food/meals provided during the retreat?

    A. Healthy, delicious vegetarian meals will be served at each mealtime indicated in the retreat schedule. If you have any food allergies and/or dietary restrictions, please let Miyu know so that she can relay the info to our retreat chef. You are welcome to bring your own snacks and food to supplement your needs.

  • Miyu Tamamura, born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, is a teacher, guide, healer, and artist who bridges the East and West through her 23 years of Shiatsu practice, deep listening, intuition, and heart-centered approach to truth. 

    Miyu’s commitment to transformation and healing is the very energy that plays her orchestra of Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls, returning us to the silence within. Miyu has been teaching the monthly program of Sound Healing Meditation at Mountain Stream Meditation Center in Nevada City, California since 2019, as well as collaborating with various yoga, Qigong and meditation teachers, musicians and artists holding retreats, workshops and concerts in U.S. and Japan.

    Miyu graduated from Kyoto University of Art with a bachelor’s degree in modern art before she moved to the U.S. in 2000. A Certified Shiatsu Therapist of 23 years, Miyu’s practice is deep listening, holding healing space for one to integrate and harmonize all aspects of self.

    Miyu established YU Healing Arts with her husband in Nevada City, California in 2000. The clinic is dedicated to the healing arts, including Sound Healing and Shiatsu Therapy, Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine.

    Miyu’s eclectic background and experiential approach to truth and Japanese heritage are infused in all her practices and artistic expressions.

  • Please reach out to the retreat organizer for information specific to your retreat. Click here to review important information about attending a retreat at Big Springs. Thank you!