Grounding in Presence, Compassion, and Wise Intention

This five-night meditation retreat at Southern Dharma Retreat Center in Hot Springs, North Carolina, is led by Eve Decker and Lev Michael Moses. It is an in-person Insight Meditation retreat rooted in the Buddhist dharma, devoted to presence, radical kindness, and the use of wise intention. It is intended for people who already have some meditation experience and want to spend the turn of the year in sustained practice.

What to Expect

The retreat takes its theme from the Buddha's words, "Intention, I tell you, is karma." Our response to this moment helps shape the moments that follow, and the days are built around that idea. Eve Decker and Lev Michael Moses guide practices that deepen presence and compassion, and that support clarity, courage, and peace as you move toward what comes next.

The teachings are offered in the Buddhist tradition of dana, meaning they are given freely. Teachers are not paid a fixed fee. At the close of the retreat, participants are invited to make offerings to the teachers and to the Center.

About Eve Decker

Eve Decker (she/her) began Insight Meditation practice in 1991 and now teaches in that tradition.

About Lev Michael Moses

Lev Michael Moses (he/they/Love) is a love and compassion activist, bringing that orientation toward kindness into the retreat's focus on compassion and wise intention.

The Setting

Southern Dharma Retreat Center sits in Hot Springs, in western North Carolina. Housing and all meals are included in the program fee, and there are five lodging options:

- A bed in a shared double room on the second floor of the lodge
- A bed in a third-floor lodge dorm with privacy partitions
- An unheated kuti, a single cabin with no electricity
- A furnished single canvas tent
- A basic tent platform, for camping with your own gear

Heated kutis are no longer offered, so every kuti is unheated. Winter visitors choosing a kuti, tent, or platform should plan accordingly. Pricing is based on lodging.

Check-in begins at 3pm. First-time retreatants at Southern Dharma must arrive by 5pm Eastern on the first day, and returning yogis can check in between 3 and 6pm. Departure is by 2pm on the last day.

Before You Go

The retreat is designed for participants with some prior meditation practice. Beginners are advised to confirm that it fits with the center before registering. Please be sure you can attend the full program.

Registration fees cover housing, all meals, and retreat instruction and guided practice. They do not include dana for the teachers, personal items, or travel to and from the center. Payment is due in full 30 days before the retreat begins, and any amount paid above the base rate is a tax-deductible contribution to the Center. All registrants review and agree to the Center's 2026 cancellation policy at sign-up.

Financial support is available. The sliding scale lets you choose the option that best fits your means, and lodge-based rooms have 25 and 50 percent scholarship levels. Choosing a scholarship makes shared housing highly likely, so if you need single housing, say so in the registration fields. You can also note preferences such as being housed with others of the same gender, snoring, or CPAP use. Additional aid is offered for BIPOC participants, young adults, and those with greater financial need, and past Hemera Foundation Fellowship recipients may use any in-house scholarship option.