Rest, Renewal, and Liberation: A Women's Meditation Retreat

Rest, Renewal, and Liberation is a silent meditation retreat for women at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. It is held for six nights in the Insight (Vipassana) tradition and draws on Foundational Buddhist teachings that lift up women from a range of lineages. It is open to those who identify as women, and to non-binary people who feel nourished in spaces centering women. Erin Selover, Kate Johnson, Victoria Cary and Erin Treat lead the teaching, with movement teacher Monica Magtoto.

The retreat begins from a simple observation: when ease and well-being come first, attention tends to become natural and even joyful. The first days are given to deep rest, so that mindful attention can arise from within rather than being forced. The teachings are offered in the spirit of individual and collective liberation.

What to Expect

Arrival is in the afternoon of the first day, with orientation, settling in, dinner and the first practice sessions. The following days are full days of silent meditation, with teacher-led instruction, movement and somatic sessions, and meals together. The retreat is held in silence except for teacher-led Q&A, small groups and other practice meetings. It closes on the final morning with practice, a closing ceremony and time for integration, and people depart by 11:00 AM.

The sittings take place in the Upper Meditation Hall, a space with decades of collective stillness behind it.

The retreat holds an aspiration of an even balance of BIPOC and non-BIPOC participants. To support that, half of the spaces are held for BIPOC retreatants until the registration cutoff, after which any unfilled spots open to everyone.

Your Teachers

Erin Selover, LMFT is a Dharma teacher with more than 25 years of Buddhist training. She co-stewards a meditation community that integrates the Celtic Wheel of the Year, Buddhism, gift economics and distributive governance, and she is a member of the Nonviolent Global Liberation practice community. She also works as a Spiritual Strategist with individuals.

Kate Johnson, MA is a meditation teacher, facilitator, writer and mother. Her classes and retreats bring together relational spirituality, social justice, somatics and creativity, and she consults with organizations committed to equity and sustainability. She is the author of Radical Friendship.

Victoria Cary loves the Dhamma and is drawn to helping people integrate it into everyday life. Her teaching investigates the complexity of human experience while holding plenty of space for kindness.

Erin Treat has practiced Buddhist meditation for nearly 30 years and is the guiding teacher of Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center in northern New Mexico. A long-time student of the Diamond Approach, she teaches both the practical and the profound, from a heart grounded in respect for mystery and the many faces of awakening.

Monica Magtoto, E-RYT, leads the movement sessions. She is an artist, yoga instructor, energy worker, curanderismo practitioner and tarot reader based in San Francisco. Her work weaves lifelong studies of energy and movement with curanderismo, spirituality and her art.

The Setting

Spirit Rock Meditation Center is in Woodacre, in Marin County. Rooms are single or double occupancy, and most are single; only 16 of the 80 rooms are doubles. A limited number of guaranteed single rooms are available, and the remaining singles are first prioritized for people with serious medical needs. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are prepared on site. Those who live nearby can attend as retreat commuters, taking all meals and using a shared daytime resting area while arranging their own lodging.

Before You Go

This retreat is designed for people with some meditation experience. Commuters must have completed at least one prior weeklong silent residential retreat in Insight meditation. Newer meditators are encouraged to start with two or three daylong programs, then shorter retreats of four to five nights, before attempting six nights. The retreat is taught in English, and the group is limited to 80.

Lodging, meals, instruction, movement practices and use of the retreat facilities are included. Teacher dana is not included; an invitation to offer it to the teachers and to Spirit Rock comes at the end of the retreat. Transportation, personal items and toiletries are your own to arrange. Pricing is on a sliding scale, with several scholarship categories and payment plans available.