Awakening Together: Transforming Ourselves and Our World

Awakening Together: Transforming Ourselves and Our World is a seven-night silent meditation retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. Rooted in Theravada Buddhism and Vipassana, it is open to newer and more experienced practitioners. The teachers are JD Doyle, Larry Yang and movement teacher Jonathan Relucio, and the retreat turns the Buddha's teachings on mindfulness toward both personal and collective suffering.

The retreat's intention is embodied wisdom that supports awakening for ourselves and for the wider world. Practice is grounded in community and in kindness and compassion, with an aim of helping a more just and peaceful world come into being.

What to Expect

Arrival is on a Sunday afternoon, with a window from 2:30 to 4:30 PM for check-in and room assignments. An orientation and community gathering follows, and silence begins that evening. The next days follow a structured practice schedule: morning and afternoon guided meditations, a daily Dharma talk from the teaching team, guided movement sessions, and small-group practice meetings. Meals are taken in silence. The retreat closes the following Sunday with a final morning session and a closing ceremony, and departure is by 11:00 AM.

The meditation instruction covers mindfulness and the brahmavihāras, the heart practices. Silence is held throughout except for teacher-led guidance, Q&A, small groups and practice meetings.

The teachers hold an aspiration of a 50/50 ratio of BIPOC to non-BIPOC participants. To support it, half of the spaces are held for BIPOC retreatants for a period before registration opens to everyone.

About JD Doyle

JD Doyle (they/them) holds an MA and teaches at the East Bay Meditation Center and in many other communities. They are committed to celebrating the diversity of the human saṅgha, transforming the impacts of racism, honoring all genders, and living in ways that affirm the sacredness of the Earth.

About Larry Yang

Larry Yang has taught meditation retreats nationally for more than 20 years and has practiced for more than 35. He spent extensive time in Burma and Thailand as a Buddhist monastic. He has a special interest in increasing access for non-dominant cultures and in transforming the strong currents of White Supremacy in our communities.

About Jonathan Relucio

Jonathan Relucio, MA, leads the movement sessions. He teaches mindfulness and embodiment practices grounded in healing, justice and liberation. A former Senior Trainer at Niroga Institute, he teaches with Spirit Rock, East Bay Meditation Center and Braided Wisdom, drawing on over 20 years in community organizing, social services and leadership development. He is part of CDL 7.

The Setting

The retreat is residential at Spirit Rock in Woodacre, and sessions take place in the Upper Meditation Hall. Of the 80 rooms, 16 are doubles, so many participants have a private room. Guaranteed single rooms are available at the two highest sliding-scale rates, and the remaining singles are first prioritized for people with serious medical needs. All meals for the seven days are provided. The group is limited to 80 people.

A retreat commuter option exists for those who attend the full retreat with meals but stay elsewhere overnight, using a shared resting area on campus during the day. It opens once the retreat is full with a waitlist, though people whose circumstances rule out staying overnight, such as sole caregivers, can ask about it sooner.

Before You Go

The retreat is taught in English and suits all levels. People new to meditation are encouraged to complete two or three daylong programs before attending a week-long retreat. Commuters need prior experience of at least one in-person silent vipassana retreat of five to seven nights; online retreats do not count.

Registration includes lodging and meals but not transportation to Spirit Rock. Teacher dana is also separate: at the end of the retreat there is an invitation to offer dana to the teachers and to Spirit Rock.

Pricing is on a sliding scale, and scholarships are available for financial hardship, BIPOC participants, young adults aged 18 to 26, and low-to-modest-income parents and guardians raising children. About 20 percent of participants receive financial aid. Payment plans are offered to everyone.

Because people share close quarters, anyone who is sick is asked to stay home. Spirit Rock does not require proof of vaccination or COVID testing, and masks are optional.