Confidence, Compassion, Wisdom & Joy

Women's Summer Solstice Meditation Retreat

Begins: June 20, 2027

Come settle into the natural world and enjoy 6 days and 5 nights at Whispertree Retreat in Boonville, California in the heart of the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County. Gorgeous accommodations, a swimming pond, and six miles of trails on 650-acres weave through the beauty and solitude of rolling oak hills and open meadows.

Gather with a caring community of women for a peaceful summertime retreat, a beautiful and nourishing time of expanded light and long days. Time in retreat opens a space to renew and reclaim one's innate strength and confidence, respect and trust, compassion, wisdom, and joy. Join us!

Dates:
Sunday to Friday
June 20 - June 25, 2027
Whispertree Retreat
Boonville, CA

Drawing on the perspectives of Buddhist practice, everyday mindfulness, and the wisdom of the natural world, our silent retreat includes meditation throughout the day, mindful movement, small group practice discussions, and daily dharma talks. This silent retreat includes ample time for swimming in the pond, enjoying a hot tub, taking a hike, quiet reflection, and deep relaxation.

Our practice spaces include the gorgeous light-filled yurt, the peaceful outdoor amphitheater, and the expansive indoor barn. Walking from the various lodgings to our meeting spaces requires a 10 - 15 minute walk on a well-maintained trail or a gravel road, and includes a gentle hill. A shuttle is provided for those with walking limitations.

A variety of elegantly appointed accommodations are available at Whispertree Retreat. Whether staying in the Toll House, Barn, Tent Cabins, Bell Tents, the spaces are designed with attention to aesthetic beauty and connection to the land.

Indoor accommodations include private single rooms with private bathrooms, private single rooms with shared bathrooms, and shared bedrooms with shared bathrooms. If you prefer to be outdoors, you can bring your own gear and camp. Or choose from spacious fully furnished luxury tent cabins or glamping tents, each set on wooden platform decks, with an awning covered porch, electricity, and heated beds. Each spacious tent is great for two and plenty spacious for one. All outdoor lodging uses shared bathroom facilities.  Choose your lodging preference with registration.

Each day our catered vegetarian meals will be nutritious, varied and carefully designed to support contemplative retreat practice. There are kitchens in each accommodation that you're welcome to use anytime if you'd like to bring any favorite items.

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.

Noble Silence:
Noble silence is an essential and central aspect of our retreat. By refraining from speaking and verbal communication, each person commits to and participates in creating a nourishing, safe, peaceful, and spacious atmosphere in which our personal and collective contemplative practices can flourish.

In a modern world that is filled with constant noise, stimulation, and screens, silence can become its own kind of respite and medicine. What makes this silence noble is not restraint for its own sake, but the space it opens: a chance to drop beneath the noise and into the inner knowing that's always been there, quieted by constant input. The mind and nervous system, so often taxed by the pace and stimulation of modern life, find room here to settle, to rest, and to be.

Silence is a practice and an expression of generosity. By giving each other the gift of our own silence, a deep sense of connection and belonging with ourselves and each other can emerge. The trusted silence becomes fertile ground. It invites a more intimate experience of one’s inner landscape supported by the richness of the outer natural landscape, our Earth, where discovered wisdom, love and vitality can grow.

Practicing noble silence is a rare and precious opportunity and you’re not alone. We understand this can be challenging and will support and guide you through the experience. Please consider if this is appropriate for you before registering for this retreat.

The Women's Summer Solstice Meditation Retreat is open to all female-identified people, both beginning and seasoned practitioners, and is a safe and inclusive space. We welcome everyone, including LGBTQIA+, and those of any background over the age of 18.

In support of our contemplative practice and our time together, this retreat will be free from alcohol and recreational drugs.

DATES:
Sunday to Friday
June 20 - 25, 2027
Arrive Sunday, 5:00pm
Retreat Ends Friday, 11:00am

FEES:  $1,775 to $2,775, All Inclusive*
$1,775 - Bring Your Own Gear & Camp, Shared Bathroom - 2 spots available
$1,975 - Shared Bell Tent, Shared Bathroom  - full
$2,225 - Private Bell Tent, Shared Bathroom - full
$2,375 - Private Tent Cabin, Shared Bathroom - full
$2,425 - Shared Barn, 3 - Person Bedroom, Shared Bathroom - 1 spot available
$2,525 - Barn, Private Room, Shared Bathroom - full
$2,625 - Toll House Private Room, Ensuite Bathroom - full
$2,775 - Deluxe Toll House Private King Suite w/ Private Screen Porch, Ensuite Bathroom, Single Occupancy - full

Deposit: $350 to reserve your spot
Balance is payable by May 10, 2027

All financial assistance has been awareded for this retreat. 

*At the conclusion of the retreat there will be the opportunity to offer gratuity for our chefs, as well as contributing to the the Pacific Mindfulness Community Scholarship Fund. This is entirely voluntary, greatly appreciated, and not a requirement.

Cancelation policy

LOCATION:
Whispertree Retreat
12378 Boonville Road
Boonville, CA 95415

The Teaching Team

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, personal mentoring, and trauma sensitive professional programs. Drawing from the teachings of the Buddha and secular mindfulness, Heidi teaches regularly for many organizations including Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Insight Meditation Community of Colorado, Sangha Live, and Pacific Mindfulness.

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. Heidi is known for her grounded, down-to-earth humor and presence. Based in Colorado, Heidi also has a background in nursing and over 35 years in small business leadership.

Laurie Cousins is a mindfulness teacher and integrative wellbeing consultant based in Los Angeles. For over fifteen years, she has guided individuals, families, educators, and organizations through private sessions, classes, retreats, trainings, and experiential programs that cultivate healing, resilience, and connection. Mentored by Susan Kaiser Greenland and Diana Winston of UCLA Mindful, pioneers in secular mindfulness, Laurie brings trauma-responsive, evidence-based mindfulness practices to families, schools, communities, and leaders. She teaches with UCLA Mindful and Pacific Mindfulness. Deeply inspired by the healing power of nature, Laurie integrates nature-based learning and experiential work with wolves through Wolf Connection to cultivate self-awareness, belonging, and wellbeing. Her work bridges secular mindfulness, spiritual wisdom, and the natural world, helping people reconnect to their innate capacity for insight, self-love, and embodied wholeness.