Retreats

Discover a Deeper Way of Living Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center offers a retreat for almost everyone. Our schedule carries a...
  • Casita (Highest Rate) – $975.00
  • Casita (Middle Rate) – $825.00
  • Casita (Lowest Rate) – $700.00
  • Yurt (Highest Rate) – $975.00
  • Yurt (Middle Rate) – $825.00
  • Yurt (Lowest Rate) – $700.00
  • Tent Cabin (Highest Rate) – $775.00
  • Tent Cabin (Middle Rate) – $650.00
  • Tent Cabin (Lowest Rate) – $525.00
  • Hermitage (Highest Rate) – $1,875.00
  • Hermitage (Middle Rate) – $1,625.00
  • Hermitage (Lowest Rate) – $1,375.00
  • Tent Camping – $450.00

Date & Time Details: Check-in is from 3:00-5:00 on the first day of the retreat. The retreat will close mid-morning on the last day of the retreat. (Learn more)

PRICE: We offer a sliding scale structure. Prices for this retreat range from $450-$1,875 (Tent camping $450, Tent Cabins $525/$650/$775, Casita or Yurt $700/$825/$975, and Hermitage $1375/$1625/$1875). These prices do not include teacher dana and add-on items. (Learn more)

DANA: This is a dana-based retreat. (Learn more)

SHUTTLE SERVICE: Shuttle Service is available for this retreat. (Learn more)

NOBLE SILENCE: This retreat will be held in noble silence. (Learn more)

SCHOLARSHIP: All scholarship have been awarded for this retreat.

Email us about program

Being Nature: Insight Meditation and the Four Elements

With Pamela Weiss and Amana Brembry Johnson

July 14 - 19, 2025

“You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather.”

—Pema Chodron

Nature moves within us, as us, and speaks through the body. In these times of ecological crisis and deep division we have become disconnected from our innate, living wholeness. This silent meditation retreat will be rooted in teachings on the Four Elements—earth, air, fire and water. Together we will cultivate a wise, tender awareness that listens to and practices with these elemental energies. Reclaiming an intimate connection with our own bodies and the body of the earth, we will reawaken our belonging to the wide, wild world.

Our time together will include silent, stationary meditation, guided instructions, embodied movement, dharma reflections, meetings with teachers and ample time to practice within the land of Vallecitos.

All are welcome.

 

 


Cancellation Policy:

  • 45 days prior to retreat: Full refund, minus a $150 nonrefundable fee
  • 44-22 days prior to retreat: 50% refund
  • 0-21 days prior to retreat: No refund

 

 

Teachers

Pamela Weiss
Pamela Weiss is a Buddhist teacher in two traditions—Zen and Theravada. After living as a monastic at Tassajara Zen Mountain Monastery for five years, she completed comprehensive training through Spirit Rock Meditation Center to become an Insight meditation teacher. She teaches at Spirit Rock, San Francisco Zen Center and Tassajara, and is a guiding teacher at San Francisco Insight. Pamela is a pioneer in bringing Buddhist principles and practices into the workplace, and is the author of “A Bigger Sky: Awakening a Fierce Feminine Buddhism”. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, Eugene, and little dog, Grover.
Learn more about Pamela Weiss
Amana Brembry Johnson
Amana Brembry Johnson is a dedicated meditation teacher and community leader with over four decades of contemplative practice across multiple spiritual traditions. She serves as a Core Teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) in Oakland, California, and is a coordinating teacher for residential retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Amana is one of the founding teachers of EBMC’s Spiritual Teacher and Leadership (STL) Training and a former mentor for emerging mindfulness teachers through the Mindfulness Meditation Training Certification Program (MMTCP). Her work integrates spirituality, social justice, body awareness, and intuitive creativity, offering a holistic approach to individual and…
Learn more about Amana Brembry Johnson