Welcome the New Year with Compassion, Connection, and Ease

Welcome the New Year with Compassion, Connection, and Ease is a daylong meditation retreat for the first morning of the year, led by Sylvia Boorstein, PhD, a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. It is a Buddhist and mindfulness gathering for anyone who wants to begin the year with kindness toward themselves and others, and it is held online by Zoom, with an on-land registration option also offered. Beginners and experienced meditators are equally welcome.

Sylvia teaches alongside Brahmani Liebman and Barbara Bogatin, the team that has made this an annual, much-loved New Year gathering at Spirit Rock.

What to Expect

The program runs from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm Pacific Time, about three and a half hours. It blends teaching, stillness, movement and music, and the mood is comforting and uplifting rather than intensive.

The teachings draw on "This is What I Know," Sylvia's list of reflections from 50 years of practice and teaching. Themes include being the principal beneficiary of our own goodwill, meeting each moment with compassion, and cultivating a relaxed, expansive mind so the heart can absorb life's shocks and release tension. Rooted in impermanence and our deep interrelatedness, the morning looks toward the new year with resilience and tender care.

The time includes Dharma reflections, meditation periods, storytelling, guided mindful movement and live cello music, all shared in community.

About Sylvia Boorstein, PhD

Sylvia Boorstein has taught Dharma and mindfulness meditation since 1985. She is a founding Spirit Rock teacher, a psychologist, and a mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She is known for emphasizing daily life as a mindfulness practice, and for treating informed citizenship and social activism as part of spiritual maturation. She is the author of several books.

About Brahmani Liebman

Brahmani Liebman is a Kripalu yoga teacher, a trainer and a mindful movement teacher. She guides the movement portion of the morning, offering a way to settle into the body between periods of sitting and listening.

About Barbara Bogatin

Barbara Bogatin is a cellist with the San Francisco Symphony and a mindfulness educator. She performs live cello music during the program, bringing her musicianship into the meditative setting.

Before You Go

No prior meditation experience is necessary. The program is open to all levels, and it is listed in English and Spanish.

Registration includes the teachings, guided meditation periods, mindful movement, live cello music, storytelling and community time, along with unlimited access to the recording. The recording becomes available roughly ten days after the program, which is helpful if you cannot attend live or wish to return to the material.

Pricing is on a sliding scale that helps support the teachers, Spirit Rock and fellow practitioners who need to pay less. Scholarship rates are available for BIPOC, Mudita/Karuna and young adult participants. For the online program, no one is turned away for lack of funds, as space allows. Please register for only one format, online or on-land. Registration closes on the morning of the program, and a waiting list is created if it fills early.