Winter Solstice Retreat: Embracing the Dark, Inviting the Light

This residential silent meditation retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, gathers practitioners around the winter solstice for five nights of Insight meditation, lovingkindness practice and Qigong. It is led by Oren Jay Sofer, devon hase and Yong Oh, with Kimi Mojica teaching movement, Fernmarie Rodriguez as teacher in training, and Heather Sundberg teaching online. The theme is the turn of the season: opening to the dark, including difficulty and challenge, and opening to the returning light of joy, wisdom and love.

What to Expect

The retreat is designed to help you center yourself during the holidays and the approach of the New Year. Teachers guide you in quieting the mind, grounding in the body, opening the heart, and using inquiry to bring energy to practice. Complete meditation instructions are given, so the retreat suits those who want to be shown the practice from the ground up as well as those with a long-standing sit.

It begins on a Friday with an arrival window from 2:30 to 4:30 PM, check-in and room assignment, then an evening orientation and opening sitting. Saturday through Tuesday are given to silent practice: stillness and movement meditation, daily lovingkindness practice, daily Qigong, evening talks and practice discussions. Meals are taken in silence. On Wednesday, the retreat closes with a Winter Solstice ceremony, a final sitting and closing remarks, and departure at 11:00 AM.

Silence holds throughout, except for teacher-led Q&A, small groups and other practice meetings with the teachers.

The Teachers

Oren Jay Sofer teaches meditation internationally and is a leader in Nonviolent Communication. He holds a degree in comparative religion from Columbia University and is the author of Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication and Your Heart Was Made for This.

devon hase has practiced in the Insight and Vajrayana traditions since discovering meditation in 2000, and has spent about four years in silent practice cumulatively. She spent a decade bringing mindfulness to high school and college classrooms and now teaches at the Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock and other centers. Her style is friendly and conversational, with an emphasis on relational practice and the natural world. She co-authored How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Buddhist Survival Guide for Modern Life.

Yong Oh is a core teacher at the Durango Dharma Center and at Sacred Mountain Saṅgha. Yong has a particular interest in nature Dharma, devotional expression, and supporting caregivers and communities of color in the Dharma.

Heather Sundberg has taught insight meditation since 1999 and completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training. She has studied with senior teachers in the Insight and Vajrayana traditions for three decades and has completed 3.5 accumulated years of retreat. Her teaching emphasizes embodiment, heart practice and emptiness-awareness practices. She teaches online.

Kimi Mojica leads the movement teaching. Born on the unceded Ohlone lands of Yelamu (San Francisco) and now based in Huchiun (Oakland), Kimi is part of a Kajukenbo martial arts community and learns from plant allies.

Fernmarie Rodriguez, a teacher in training, holds degrees in Physics, Mechanical Engineering and Human-Centered Design. After fifteen years at Microsoft, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and NASA, she turned toward the "inner universe," traveling on a global pilgrimage where she learned meditation and heart-opening healing practices.

The Setting

The retreat takes place at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. Of its 80 rooms, most are single occupancy and 16 are doubles. Single rooms are guaranteed at the higher rates of the sliding scale, and otherwise are first offered to those with serious medical needs. All meals are vegetarian. Transportation to and from the center is not included.

Before You Go

All experience levels are welcome, though preparation is recommended. Newcomers are encouraged to attend two to three daylong programs before a residential retreat, and prior retreat experience is strongly recommended. The retreat is taught in English.

Included are meals, overnight accommodation, meditation instruction, the daily practices, evening talks, small groups and the solstice ceremony. Teacher dana is not included; at the end of the retreat there is an invitation to offer dana to the teachers and to Spirit Rock. Registration is on a sliding scale, with scholarships available, and a payment plan is offered.

Participants live closely together, so those who are ill are asked to stay home. Masks and vaccination proof are not required.