Enjoy 5 days and 4 nights at Whispertree Retreat, (formerly Bell Valley Retreat) in Boonville, California nestled among the serene hills, oak woodlands, and open meadows in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County. Gorgeous accommodations, welcoming gathering spaces, a swimming pond, and six miles of hiking trails on 650-acres weave through the beauty and solitude of Bell Valley.
Join Heidi Bourne and Heather Lear in-person, and special guest, Sylvia Boorstein via Zoom for this heart-warming and nourishing retreat.
October 22 - 26, 2023
Whispertree Retreat
Boonville, California
Drawing on the teachings of the Buddha, our retreat focuses on cultivating the capacity to skillfully navigate our everyday lives with a steady receptive mind and a courageous wise heart. Held in peaceful noble silence throughout the retreat, our practices include foundational and transformative guidance on lovingkindness (metta), compassion, joy, and equanimity.
Each day includes meditation, daily dharma talks, the gentle mindful movement practice of qigong, small group practice discussions, along with ample time for swimming in the pond, enjoying a hot tub, taking a hike, and space for relaxation and connection.
A variety of elegantly appointed accommodations are available at Whispertree Retreat. Whether staying in the Toll House, Barn, Tent Cabins or the Bell Tents, all spaces are designed with attention to aesthetic beauty and connection to the land.
Indoor options include private indoor single rooms with private bathrooms in the Toll House, or multi-person bedrooms with shared bathrooms in the Barn.
Outdoor options include spacious fully furnished luxury Tent Cabins or glamping Bell Tents. Each are set on wooden platform decks with awning covered porches, electricity, heated twin beds and shared bathroom facilities in a large beautiful bathhouse. Both the Tent Cabins and Bell Tents are great for two people and plenty roomy for one.
Choose your lodging preference with registration.
Offered three times each day, our beautifully catered vegetarian meals will be nutritious, varied, and carefully designed to support contemplative retreat practice. Additionally, there are kitchens in each accommodation that you're welcome to use anytime if you'd like to bring any favorite items.
Everyone is welcome. This retreat is suitable for both beginning and seasoned practitioners. We hope you'll join us!
DATES:
Sunday to Thursday
October 22 - 26, 2023
Arrive Sunday, 4:00pm
Retreat Ends Thursday, 11:00am
FEES: $1,150 - $2,100, All-Inclusive
$1,150 - Bring Your Own Gear & Camp - 3 available
$1,300 - Shared Bell Tent, Shared Bathroom - 1 available
$1,450 - Private Bell Tent, Shared Bathroom - Full
$1,400 - Shared Tent Cabin, Shared Bathroom - Full
$1,550 - Private Tent Cabin, Shared Bathroom - Full
$1,600 - Barn Shared Room, Shared Bathroom
$1,750 - Private Barn Room, Shared Bathroom - Full
$1,900 - Private Toll House Room, Private Bathroom - Full
$2,100 - Deluxe Private King Suite with Private Screen Porch & Private Bathroom - Full
Limited financial assistance is available. Please apply here.
LOCATION:
Whispertree Retreat
12378 Boonville Road
Boonville, CA 95415
Whispertree Retreat is located about 2.5 hours north of San Francisco and about 3.5 hours south of Eureka in the Anderson Valley, an area within the Navarro River Watershed – a pristine, sheltered valley surrounded by verdant rolling hills.
Enjoy this beautiful Retreat Guide and video for more details.
The Teaching Team:
Sylvia Boorstein, PhD has been teaching Dharma and mindfulness meditation since 1985. She is a founding Spirit Rock teacher, a psychologist, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She is particularly interested in emphasizing daily life as a mindfulness practice and including informed citizenship and social activism as integral to spiritual maturation.
Sylvia's books include:
It’s Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness; Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There: A Mindfulness Retreat; That’s Funny, You Don’t Look Buddhist: On Being a Faithful Jew and a Passionate Buddhist; Pay Attention for Goodness’ Sake: The Buddhist Path of Kindness and Happiness Is an Inside Job: Practicing for a Joyful Life.
Heidi Bourne is a meditation teacher in the Insight Meditation tradition and is the founder and guiding teacher of Pacific Mindfulness. She has been teaching since 2005 offering classes, series courses, nature retreats, trauma-informed and resiliency-focused professional programs, and teaches regularly for Spirit Rock Meditation Center. She holds certification in mindfulness facilitation from UCLA, trauma resiliency from the Trauma Resource Institute, and is a member of the International Mindfulness Teachers Association. Heidi is especially interested in the integration of the common sense, accessible and timeless teachings of awareness, ethics, and compassion into the complexity of our everyday lives. She is known for her grounded, down-to-earth humor and presence. She has a background in nursing and has been a small business owner in Arcata, California for 35 years.
Heather Lear was born and raised with the Dharma in a family of Insight Meditation practitioners. She studies and teaches at the intersection of heart-centered Dharma, embodiment practices including Radiant Heart Qigong and community-centered racial awakening and DEIA work, and serves as the Program Manager at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Heather is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Advanced Practitioners Program, the Sati Center’s Buddhist Chaplaincy Training, Radiant Heart Qigong Teacher Training, and Awakening Joy Teacher Training. She has served on the teaching team offering the 6-month White and Awakening in Sangha program at the East Bay Meditation Center since 2019, and is currently training in Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness (TSM) and yoga with Janet Stone.
