[ON LAND] Exploring Emotional Balance

**Registration for in-person spots is now CLOSED. Online retreat registration closes April 11 Wednesday evening (visit here). Contact guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org for more.**

Weekend Retreat
[Hybrid Retreat: In-person + Online Options]

Thursday, April 11th – Sunday, April 14th
Registration closes April 7th at 11:59pm Pacific Time

This retreat is offered in-person and online. To visit and register for the online interactive retreat, visit here.

Science can tell us a lot about our emotions, but does this knowledge really help us when we’re in the midst of an argument with a loved one or feeling deep loneliness? Knowing is one thing, but really understanding ourselves from the inside is another.

“Cultivating Emotional Balance” provides exercises and practices that help us see and understand our emotions in a completely new way. CEB is an elegant blend of contemporary emotion science and contemplative mind training based in Tibetan Buddhism. This unique training provided participants with a practical and transformative understanding of their emotional life.

In this weekend retreat, we will focus on two emotions many of us struggle to deal with; anger and all its many forms, annoyance to rage; and sadness ranging from disappointment to agony.  We will use an emotion episode timeline to identify brief but powerful ingredients; the trigger that catalyzes the cascade, our felt experience of emotion in the body and mind. As well as the ways we respond externally and internally. This process can the reveal the common and old stories that color our perspective, where we hold emotions in the body, and habits of avoidance and we will explore much more. To do this meaningful exploration, we call on the ancient practices of Compassion and Equanimity, which offer exquisite antidotes to some of the hardest feelings and reveals parts of our emotional lives. Please join use for this powerful weekend of transformation.

During the retreat we will explore:

• Periods of sustained meditation and silent practice
• Guidance toward your overarching goals for living meaningfully
• Techniques for developing attention skills and discerning mindfulness
• Small group and personal reflective work mapping emotion episodes of anger and
• sadness
• Learning how to move from destructive reactivity to supportive response to our emotions with awareness

Note: This is a hybrid course with in person and live, online options available.

About Cultivating Emotional Balance

CEB was inspired by His Holiness the Dali Lama, and developed with eminent psychologist Dr Paul Ekman, Tibetan Teacher Lama Alan Wallace and second generation emotion teacher Dr Eve Ekman. Using insights and methods drawn from both Western psychology and Tibetan Buddhist contemplative practices, CEB asks us to investigate our inner life in order to improve out outer life and build emotional awareness, intelligence and resilience.

This class is taught by emotional researcher, meditation teacher and senior CEB teacher Dr. Eve Ekman and Ryan Redman, CEB Senior teacher, meditation teacher and Founder of Flourish Foundation.

Learn more about CEB

Give it a try! Eve offers a sample exercise from the program, the Handshake Practice:

Cost:

*retreat fees include Teacher compensation, plus accommodations and meals for on-land participants. 

Single room with private bath $1125

Single room with shared bath $950

Double room with shared bath $800

   

Accommodations:

The Center consists of several single-story buildings and cabins for dining, meditation and sleeping. Our residence cabins are large furnished and comfortable with 3-4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, living rooms, a full kitchen and decks outside in nature for shared use. Our residential cabins and rooms are simply furnished with a balance of comfort and simplicity. All beds are twin, and all bedding is provided by the center.

The Meditation Hall:

Our beautiful meditation hall is a large room that accommodates most meditation and movement retreats. We have supplies for most participants, but guests are always welcome to bring their own supplies (not required). Guests can typically expect to have access to a zabutan (large cushion), zafu (small cushion), yoga mat, blocks, a meditation chair, a blanket and a selection of other yoga and meditation props with limited supplies. If you’re unsure, please contact us or visit our welcome guide for more details.

Meals:

The Center provides fresh, healthy meals made with seasonal and organic ingredients to support a nourishing time in retreat. Meals begin with dinner on arrival evening through to breakfast on departure morning. For this retreat, meals will be offered to support meditation retreat practice with a simple medium breakfast, hearty lunch, and light dinner (typically soup and salad). All meals will be vegetarian, and we accommodate most major dietary restrictions. Snacks will be available in the dining hall 24/7, including teas and coffees. The Center has refrigerators in the cabins and dining area for guests to store their own snacks – please bring any foods that might support your time here.

Work Meditation: This retreat will include a daily work meditation service period, or “yogi jobs”, around 30-minutes a day. This is an opportunity to practice in service of community and bring your practice into daily roles at the center. If you have mobility or health concerns please reach out and we will find alternative accommodations.  More details and a sign up sheet will be shared at registration.

Planning your trip: If you are booking a flight for your trip our recommendation is to search for flights to the Ontario Airport (ONT) whenever possible. If your travel plans require you to land at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) we highly recommend arriving at least one day prior to your arrival at BBRC for retreat. Registration opens on Arrival day from 2:00pm – 4:00pm. Most retreats close by noon or later on departure day so please allow yourself adequate time for travel to the airport. Please visit our Getting to Big Bear page on our website for more detailed travel recommendations.

Ride-share: Ride-sharing / Carpooling is highly encouraged, and is one of the most convenient ways to travel to Big Bear Retreat Center. For this retreat we have set up a self-organized ride-share page that you can visit at anytime before, we will send email reminders closer to the retreat.  Visit the ride-share page

Covid Policies: For this retreat we are requiring proof of a negative rapid test on arrival. Masking is optional, but subject to change.

Guests are asked, when possible, to bring their own rapid tests. Tests will be provided by the center by request only.

For any questions please contact guestservices@bigbearretreatcenter.org or visit our website bigbearretreatcenter.org

Cancellation Policy: Please visit our website for more on the cancellation policy for this retreat- bigbearretreatcenter.org/cancellation-policy