1-week Dharma in Nature, Nature in the Dharma

August 1 - August 8, 2026

This is a 7-night Insight meditation retreat organized by Insight Retreat Center.

RETREAT FULL - Registration CLOSED, Waiting List FULL

Questions? Contact the Registrar, Soohee, at soohee@insightretreatcenter.org.

Gil Fronsdal

  • A silent Insight meditation retreat with a daily schedule of alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, instruction, dharma talks, work meditation, and practice discussions with Gil. Suitable for both beginners and experienced practitioners.

  • Gil Fronsdal is the senior guiding co-teacher at the Insight Meditation Center (IMC) in Redwood City, California and the Insight Retreat Center in Santa Cruz, California. He started Buddhist practice in 1975, and has been teaching for IMC since 1990. Gil is an authorized teacher in two traditions: the Insight Meditation lineage of Theravada Buddhism of Southeast Asia, and Japanese Soto Zen. He holds a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from Stanford. He is a husband and the father of two sons.

  • Please reach out to the retreat organizer for information specific to your retreat. Click here to review important information about attending a retreat at Big Springs. Thank you!

Serenity in a Forest Temple

August 19 - August 23, 2026

This is a 4-night, 5-day silent, self-guided meditation retreat hosted by Miyu Tamamura. Click here to view the flyer.

Registration is now open. To register, email Miyu at miyu@yuhealingarts.com.

Questions? Contact Miyu at miyu@yuhealingarts.com.

  • There is an inner silence.

    It cannot be heard by the ears, only by the heart.

    Listening to your heart, finding out who you are, is not simple. 

    It takes time for the chatter to quiet down.

    In the silence of “not doing” we begin to know what we feel.

    If we listen and hear what is being offered,

    then anything in life can be our guide.

     Listen.

    -Baba Hari Dass

    This is a silent, self-guided retreat for experienced meditators and practitioners of all spiritual traditions to deepen their practices. We will practice seated meditation together as a like-hearted community. The teachers for this retreat are Silence and Mother Nature.

    The natural beauty of the retreat center is conducive to inner reflection and healing, opening our hearts for the peace and joy that resides within us. Together, we can elevate the space and energy, not only for each participant but for the whole, supporting everyone to delve deeper into their practices.

    Is this retreat for you?

    Participants are expected to:

    — Be self-aware and be responsible for all aspects of their wellbeing during the retreat.

    — Remain silent throughout the retreat except for portions of the arrival day and the departure day.

    — Be able to sit quietly through 40-minute silent meditation sessions.

    — Understand there will be no guiding teacher or dharma talks.

    — Refrain from any breathing practices or techniques that create noise or could disturb others during meditation times together.

    This retreat is hosted by Miyu Tamamura (bio below). Each meditation session will begin and end with a few moments of gentle sounds from Miyu’s crystal singing bowls. There will be a singing bowl session each evening from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for relaxation and expansion.

    On arrival day, all participants are welcome to meet one another and enjoy conversations during the evening meal. After dinner, everyone will gather for an introduction and welcome circle. Noble silence will begin after the first evening meditation through to the last morning meditation session. There will be a closing circle after breakfast on the last day.

    Your participation in all of the sessions is optional, though you’re encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity and group cohesiveness to advance in your practice. Physical practices such as yoga, qigong, stretching and breathing exercises are welcome between the 40-minute silent meditation sessions.

    At breaks and free times, there are some wonderful walking trails to explore on the property. Quiet activities like reading, writing, contemplation, and rest are all welcome during any free time during the retreat. Please arrive on time for each meditation session and for meals as our retreat chef will serve delicious fresh food.

    Those who would like to use the meditation hall for physical practices such as yoga, qigong, stretching, etc can use the hall from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please remain silent in the meditation hall while you enjoy your practice.

    We look forward to a retreat held by a community of people with the highest intention for self discovery and a time and space to experience their love for silence and nature.

    Sincerely,

    Miyu Tamamura

    Retreat cost includes lodging, all meals and use of facilities:

    Single occupancy $1,350 per person

    Double occupancy $1,050 per person

    Tent platform $750 per person

    *20 - 30 max participants depending on the room type availability.

    *Registration will close as soon as all the rooms are occupied.

    Retreat Schedule:

    Day 1

    3:00 - 5:00 Arrive at Big Springs

    5:30 - 6:00 Big Springs orientation

    6:00 - 7:00 Dinner

    7:00 - 8:30 Welcome circle, questions and answers, group sit (silence begins after the group sit)

    Days 2, 3, 4

    ~3 days of Noble Silence~

    6:00 - 6:40 Meditation

    6:40 - 7:00 Break

    7:00 - 7:40 Meditation

    8:00 - 9:00 Breakfast

    9:00 - 10:00 Free time, Meditation Hall open for exercise

    10:00 - 10:40 Meditation

    10:40 - 11:00 Break

    11:00 - 11:40 Meditation

    12:00 - 1:00 Lunch

    1:00 - 3:00 Free time, Meditation Hall open for exercise

    3:00 - 4:00 Free time, Meditation Hall open for meditation only

    4:00 - 4:40 Meditation

    4:40 - 5:00 Break

    5:00 - 5:40 Meditation

    6:00 - 7:00 Dinner

    7:00 - 8:00 Sound healing meditation with the singing bowls

    Day 5

    6:00 - 6:40 Meditation

    6:40 - 7:00 Break

    7:00 - 7:40 Meditation (end of silence at 8:00)

    8:00 - 9:00 Breakfast

    9:00 - 11:00 Closing circle and last group meditation

    11:00 - 12:00  Refreshments and snacks available

    Out of the room by 11am and off the land by 1pm

    Retreat Q and A

    Q. Are there times for walking meditation besides sitting meditation?

    A. You can substitute walking meditation for sitting meditation outside of the meditation hall. Each 40-minute meditation session indicated on the retreat schedule is for sitting meditation in the meditation hall. Only sitting meditation is appropriate during the 40-minute session inside the hall. 

    Q. If difficult emotions arise or if I need assistance in my spiritual practice, is there someone on site to support me?

    A. Emotional, mental, and/or spiritual assistance will not be provided during the retreat. Often times in a sustained silence and meditative state, mental, emotional, and spiritual clarity naturally occurs. Participants are encouraged to be compassionate with themselves and others with what arises.

    Participants are expected to be responsible for all aspects of their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing during the retreat. In addition, please be aware Big Springs is far from hospitals or medical facilities. The closest hospital is about 1.5 hour away by car. If any medical emergency occurs, there is always a Big Springs staff on site during the retreat to assist the participants.

    Q. I am not sure if I call myself an experienced meditator. Are there any qualifications for this retreat?

    A. We all have different ways of practicing meditation. If you have your own meditation practice and you can sit quietly and comfortably for 40 minutes at a time, you are welcome to participate. You are encouraged to come to every sitting meditation session. If your practice includes walking meditation, you may substitute some of the sitting meditation sessions for walking meditations. This is the beauty of the self-guided retreat in which you are in charge of your own practice and do what is best for your own wellbeing.

    Q. Are eye contact and gestures permitted on this retreat?

    A. While honoring silence for yourself and others, natural eye contact and gestures are fine. We encourage everyone to remain silent and not to speak during the silent period of the retreat. If the need arises, you can communicate by writing in the most direct and minimal way possible. There will be a note pad, paper, and pen in each of the cabins. There will be Big Springs staff on site during the retreat for any housekeeping needs. Miyu will be a point person should any other needs arise during the retreat.

    We will have Q and A time after dinner on the first day so that once the silent period begins, everyone is comfortable and self-sufficient.

    Q. I would like to share a room with someone. Can you find a roommate?

    A. Yes. If there are people who would like to share a room, we will do our best to find each person a roommate (same gender). If not, we will let you know ahead of time so that you may consider a single room option.

    Q. What kind of food/meals provided during the retreat?

    A. Healthy, delicious vegetarian meals will be served at each mealtime indicated in the retreat schedule. If you have any food allergies and/or dietary restrictions, please let Miyu know so that she can relay the info to our retreat chef. You are welcome to bring your own snacks and food to supplement your needs.

  • Miyu Tamamura, born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, is a teacher, guide, healer, and artist who bridges the East and West through her 23 years of Shiatsu practice, deep listening, intuition, and heart-centered approach to truth. 

    Miyu’s commitment to transformation and healing is the very energy that plays her orchestra of Alchemy Crystal Singing Bowls, returning us to the silence within. Miyu has been teaching the monthly program of Sound Healing Meditation at Mountain Stream Meditation Center in Nevada City, California since 2019, as well as collaborating with various yoga, Qigong and meditation teachers, musicians and artists holding retreats, workshops and concerts in U.S. and Japan.

    Miyu graduated from Kyoto University of Art with a bachelor’s degree in modern art before she moved to the U.S. in 2000. A Certified Shiatsu Therapist of 23 years, Miyu’s practice is deep listening, holding healing space for one to integrate and harmonize all aspects of self.

    Miyu established YU Healing Arts with her husband in Nevada City, California in 2000. The clinic is dedicated to the healing arts, including Sound Healing and Shiatsu Therapy, Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine.

    Miyu’s eclectic background and experiential approach to truth and Japanese heritage are infused in all her practices and artistic expressions.

  • Please reach out to the retreat organizer for information specific to your retreat. Click here to review important information about attending a retreat at Big Springs. Thank you!

The Luminous Mind: Awareness that Feels, Feeling that Knows

August 30 - September 6, 2026

John Travis & Adam Stonebraker

This is a 7-night retreat organized by Mountain Stream Meditation.

Registration is now open. Click here to visit Mountain Stream Meditation’s website for more information and to register.

Questions? Contact Lauren at Lauren@mtstream.org.

  • In the Thai Forest tradition, the mind is described as naturally luminous — clear, awake, and radiant by nature. When we settle deeply into awareness, we discover something warm at its core: a knowing that feels, and a feeling that knows.

    This seven-day silent retreat invites practitioners to explore the intimate relationship between awareness and heart. Through still and moving meditation, dharma reflections and instructions, and individual meetings with teachers, we will investigate how clarity and compassion arise together — not as two separate practices, but as two expressions of the same luminous mind.

    Held in the quiet beauty of the Sierra Nevada, this retreat offers the conditions for genuine stillness and deep inquiry. Whatever your practice background, you are welcome here.

    Below are a few details regarding this retreat. More information is provided after registration.

    Retreat Registration Fees are due upon registration (includes $300 non-refundable deposit)

    • Single Room: $1,925 - $2,450 for Food, Lodging & Retreat

    • Shared Room: $1,225 - $1,575 for Food, Lodging & Retreat

    • Tent Platform: $735 - $1,050 for Food, Lodging & Retreat

    **Please consider paying at the highest rate that you can afford. Your generosity supports Mountain Stream, staff, and fellow practitioners.
    Full Scholarships are offered on a limited basis and depend on how much we have in our scholarship fund. For questions and/or more information about scholarships or accommodations, contact Lauren@mtstream.org.

    Cancellation Policy: A $300 non-refundable deposit is included in the retreat fee.
    If you cancel before July 1, a full refund is issued (minus $300 deposit).
    If you cancel by August 10th, a 50% refund is issued.
    If cancellation occurs August 11th or later, and no one is found to take your place, the registration fee is nonrefundable and your registration will go toward covering the cost to sponsor the retreat. If a replacement is found, you will receive a partial refund of 50%.

    Prior residential retreat experience is helpful, but not required. Insight (Vipassana) residential retreats are for practitioners interested in deepening their meditation practice, and through their own experience, learn more about the Buddha’s teachings. The retreat will consist of alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation, Dharma talks and Q & A.

    Donations for Teacher & Staff: In keeping with the Buddhist practice of generosity (dana), there will be an opportunity to offer dana (donation) to our teacher, retreat manager, and bodhi chef. All of whom are not being compensated for their efforts in supporting the retreat.

    Registration required: To register, please visit https://square.link/u/OXX7zIJZ

  • John Travis Bio: The Founding Teacher of Mountain Stream Meditation, John M. Travis, has been a student of meditation since 1969 and teaching since 1986. He studied in Asia with senior teachers of both Vipassana and Tibetan traditions and completed a four-year teacher training with Jack Kornfield. His vision and teaching have been very important in the growth and development of Buddhism and meditation in the Northern Sierra Nevada region.

    Adam Stonebraker Bio: Adam Stonebraker has been dedicated to Buddhist practice and meditation since 1999 and serves as the Guiding Teacher for Mountain Stream Meditation in Nevada City, CA. Since 2010, he has been sharing the Buddha’s teachings with diverse audiences locally and internationally. His approach is deeply influenced by the Thai Forest Tradition, the Bodhisattva path, and the transformative power of meditation.

    ​Adam has been mentored closely by Kittisaro & Thanissara as a retreat and meditation teacher in the lineage of Ajahn Chah and the Kuan Yin Dharmas as taught by Master Hsuan Hua. His teaching emphasizes trust in one’s innate wisdom, the cultivation of an open heart, and an embodied understanding of interdependence. While his primary focus is on Buddhism and meditation, his background in yoga and somatic practice informs his approach to embodied awareness and the integration of insight with daily life. Deeply attuned to the natural world, he draws inspiration from its rhythms and resilience as a source of practice and insight.

    Adam has studied with a wide range of teachers, including Kittisaro & Thanissara, Sarah & Ty Powers, Zen Master Dae Gak, and Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche. In 2019, he earned a Master’s degree in Mindfulness Studies from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is currently in the four-year Spirit Rock/IMS teacher training, further deepening his commitment to sharing the Dharma. Since 2020, his teaching and practice have been exclusively dedicated to Buddhism and meditation.​​ To learn more about Adam, visit, www.mtstream.org/adam-stonebraker

  • Please reach out to the retreat organizer for information specific to your retreat. Click here to review important information about attending a retreat at Big Springs. Thank you!

Nourish Your Creative Soul

September 11 - September 13, 2026

Rebecca Seary & Azriel LaMarca

This is a weekend retreat hosted by Rebecca Seary & Azriel LaMarca. Click here to view the flyer.

Registration is now open. Click here to register.

Questions? Contact Azriel at azriel.lamarca@gmail.com.

  • Listen for the spacious permission to deepen into your own creative discovery. 

    Held within the wild beauty of Big Springs Retreat Center, we will focus our attention on the body, our connection, and how creativity feeds the soul. We explore what happens when we bring our awareness inward into sensation, and we venture out into nature, listening for the reciprocal breath of that relationship. With tuned awareness, we open the door to creative exploration, collective inspiration, and renewal.

    Through centering embodiment practices, morning Pilates, movement play and dancing, soulful singing, somatic explorations in nature, free writing and kinesthetic drawing, we awaken our untamed creative voice. What does it feel like to bring something to life? What does it take to clear the way for this to happen?

    Whether you desire to move and express with more freedom, connect to your own rhythm or a current of mystery, or simply long to escape to the mountains, we welcome you. This weekend journey includes group activity and exploration as well time to be in your own process, both in the Meeting Hall and outside on the land. This retreat invites us to nourish ourselves with delicious seasonal cuisine, give in to the spaciousness of the Sierras, and gather in the warmth of our shared humanity.

  • Rebecca Seary is a somatic counselor, Pilates instructor, and group ritual facilitator with a background in transpersonal psychology and group therapy. She studied Transpersonal Psychology and Group Therapy at Clearmind International in Canada and has completed specialized training in somatic attachment therapy and somatic trauma healing, as well as grief ritual training with Francis Weller. With over a decade of experience teaching mat Pilates, Rebecca brings a grounded, embodied presence to her work. Drawing on professional training, her own personal work, and a deep curiosity for the human experience, she leads groups into holistic awareness, attunement, movement, and connection. 

    Azriel LaMarca is a dancer, teacher and performer. She has taught modern dance and creative movement for over twenty years. She is inspired by the connection between inner sensing and outer expression, constantly seeking the place where the two merge in a dance. Azriel is a 2024 graduate of the Teacher Training program at Tamalpa Institute, where she was trained in movement-based, expressive arts therapy by Daria Halprin. As a somatic movement educator, she guides participants into deeper listening to the body where movement and creative expression become a way through to more knowing, healing, and joy. 

    Rebecca and Azriel are both longtime locals in the Yuba Watershed. They teach and lead workshops at Vessel, a movement and healing space in downtown Nevada City. Learn more about their offerings at https://www.vesselnevadacity.com/

  • Please reach out to the retreat organizer for information specific to your retreat. Click here to review important information about attending a retreat at Big Springs. Thank you!

Listening. Intimacy. Nature: Opening to the Dharma of Reciprocity

September 15 - September 20, 2026

This is a 5-night Earth Awareness Community Retreat sponsored by the BESS Family Foundation and organized and hosted by Big Springs Garden Retreat Center.

Applications are now closed.

Please note that we are experiencing spam filter issues. Applicants: please check your spam folders for communication or email Angela at info@bigspringsretreat.org. Thank you, and we apologize for the technical difficulties.

Attendance at this Earth Awareness retreat is free, other than a $150 refundable deposit due at registration. The deposit will be refunded if you cancel by Tuesday, August 25, 2026 (three weeks before the retreat). No refunds will be issued after this date. Travel and other costs are the responsibility of participants.

All Are Welcome

This retreat is designed for and welcoming to a diverse population. With the intention to dissolve all barriers that perpetuate the suffering of separation, prejudice, and discrimination we are dedicated to the inclusion of all races, classes, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, abilities, cultures, ethnicities, and other social identities.

Questions? Contact Angela at info@bigspringsretreat.org.

Kirsten Rudestam & Yong Oh

  • What happens when listening becomes a form of devotion? How does attention become a gift, an offering, and a way of participating in the more-than-human world? In this retreat, we explore how nature re-opens us into the dharma as an inherently relational path—a practice not of private attainment but of intimacy and reciprocity with the living world. Through meditation, nature attunement, and relational practices, we shift from practicing for “ourselves” to practicing “with” all beings. We will cultivate spaciousness and deep listening as sacred forms of reciprocity, learning to attune to the subtle, wordless teachings arising from land, the weather, the body, and silence. Inspired by the principle of kalyāṇa—the presence of beauty — we welcome both the doorway of dukkha and the doorway of awe, wonder, and tenderness as teachers of the heart. This retreat invites us to slow down, allow, and remember our belonging in the web of life—not as separate individuals but as co-participants in a wider unfolding.

    Attendance at this Earth Awareness retreat is free, other than a $150 refundable deposit due at registration. The deposit will be refunded if you cancel by Tuesday, August 25, 2026 (three weeks before the retreat). No refunds will be issued after this date. Travel and other costs are the responsibility of participants.

    All Are Welcome

    This retreat is designed for and welcoming to a diverse population. With the intention to dissolve all barriers that perpetuate the suffering of separation, prejudice, and discrimination we are dedicated to the inclusion of all races, classes, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, abilities, cultures, ethnicities, and other social identities.

    Questions? Contact Angela at info@bigspringsretreat.org.

  • Kirsten Rudestam

    A dedicated meditation practitioner since 1997, Kirsten has been authorized and trained to teach in the Theravādan tradition by her mentors, Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella. Kirsten holds a PhD in environmental sociology, is a trained vision fast guide through the School of Lost Borders, and is a facilitator of Joanna Macy’s “Work That Reconnects.” She believes that practices of (re)connection are vital for cultivating the resilience needed to face ecological loss and embrace our inherent interdependence. She has been teaching meditation in the Theravādan tradition since 2002, and co-founded and co-teaches the Sati Center’s Buddhist Eco-Chaplaincy Training Program.

    Yong Oh

    Yong is a core meditation teacher at the Durango Dharma Center and for Sacred Mountain Sangha, and is a visiting teacher for other community centers across North America. He teaches retreats at the Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Big Bear Retreat Center, and Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center, and others. He is a graduate of the IMS Retreat Teacher Training, Nature Dharma Retreat Teacher Training, SMS Dharmapala training, Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders program, and is a member of the 2023-2024 Eco-Advisory Group sponsored by the Bess Foundation. 

    Yong is also a retired acupuncturist, is passionate about Nature and Dharma - practicing with and in nature - and has particular interests in devotional expression, supporting caregivers, delving into just how radical the Buddha's teachings are for our times, and offering teachings to communities of color in the Dharma. His teaching schedule is available at www.yongoh.com

  • Please reach out to the retreat organizer for information specific to your retreat. Click here to review important information about attending a retreat at Big Springs. Thank you!

Sierra Nevada Nature Journaling Retreat

October 13 - October 18, 2026

John Muir Laws & Kate Rutter with Special Guest Rob Wade

This is a 5-night retreat organized by Wild Wonder Foundation.

Registration is now open. Click here to visit the Wild Wonder website for more information and to register.

  • Join us for a joyful, restorative, and rejuvenating retreat at the beautiful Big Springs Garden Retreat Center in Sierra City, CA. Through nature journaling, mindfulness exercises, and sensory awareness, we will wander, explore, and sketch the beauty of the Sierra Nevada in the fall season.

    Please review the detailed information on the Wild Wonder website before you register, including teacher bios, ticket price options, and cancellation policy.

  • John Muir Laws

    A principal leader and innovator of the worldwide nature journaling movement, John Muir Laws (a.k.a. Jack) is an award-winning naturalist, artist, author, scientist, and educator who has dedicated four decades of his life to connecting people to nature through art and science. The co-founder of Wild Wonder Foundation, Jack is the author of several books, including the Laws Guide to the Sierra Nevada, Sierra Birds, Sierra Wildflowers, and the Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling. Jack earned a BS in Conservation and Resource Studies from UC Berkeley, a MS in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana at Missoula, and a certificate in Science Communication from UC Santa Cruz. Jack’s website is https://johnmuirlaws.com/

    Kate Rutter is an avid nature journaler, urban naturalist, and educator from Emeryville, California, who enlivens nature-human connection through observation, experimentation, and sketching. She invites people to make creative connections with the world around them through documented curiosity and wonder. A lifelong sketcher with an experimental and rambunctious visual practice, Kate teaches online workshops, leads sketching excursions and retreats, and hosts nature journaling events in gardens, parks, and nurseries. Kate is the author/illustrator of Bay Area Botanical, is one of the illustrators of the zine, Your Quick Start Guide to Nature Journaling, and the creator of the zine, 7 Ways to Connect with Nature. Kate holds a B.A. in Studio Art from Wellesley College and serves on the board of the Wild Wonder Foundation. Kate Rutter’s website is https://intelleto.com.

    Rob Wade is a place-based educator working in the Upper Feather River region of California’s northern Sierra Nevada. As the Outdoor Education and Science Coordinator for the Plumas County Office of Education (PCOE) since 1995, he has designed, developed and implemented successful and sustainable K-12 outdoor education programs in the region, built upon strategic partnership with more than 32 agencies and organizations. Rob earned a BS from the University of California-Berkeley in Conservation & Resource Studies and an MA from the School of Education at the University of San Francisco. In addition to his regional work in California, Rob is a national facilitator and consultant supporting K-12 program development. Rob is the 2017 recipient of the Excellence in Environmental Education Award, presented by the California Environmental Education Foundation and a 2020 recipient of the Environmental Law Institute’s National Wetland Award. Read Rob’s essay about teaching Nature Journaling.

  • You will find general information from Big Springs under the heading Our Retreats. Please refer to Description of Retreat section for detailed information about this retreat. You may reach out to the retreat organizer if you have any questions. Thank you!

Indigenous Mindfulness Coalition Annual Retreat

November 4 - November 8, 2026

This is a 4-night retreat organized by the Indigenous Mindfulness Coalition.

Click here to visit the Indigenous Mindfulness Coalition website for more information.

  • Each year, the Indigenous Mindfulness Coalition brings together relatives, leaders, and practitioners from across Turtle Island to gather in community. These moments remind us that healing is not meant to happen alone—it is rooted in connection, shared experience, and collective care. Our retreat is a space where relationships are strengthened, knowledge is exchanged, and culture is lived together. Community is not just part of our work—it is the foundation of everything we do. Previous retreats have been held at Santa Fe, Los Angeles, and Noepe (Martha’s Vinyard).

  • You will find general information from Big Springs under the heading Our Retreats. Please refer to Description of Retreat section for detailed information about this retreat. You may reach out to the retreat organizer if you have any questions. Thank you!