Practice Plain and Simple 

Please join Sylvia Boorstein and Larry Yang in weaving the Buddha’s Teachings of our spiritual path throughout our practice into the specifics of family, relationships, livelihood, and Life. The intention is to bring the Dharma into our everyday, moment-to-moment experience. Our retreat will include contemplative meditation as we practice in periods of guided sitting, walking, and mindful eating. There will also be time for interaction, discussion, and questions to support the deepening of practice.

Open to all levels of meditation experience with a special invitation to beginners. Come to settle your mind and heart, and see what you discover! You do not have to call yourself a Buddhist to benefit from meditation.

Please bring a packed lunch.  ICD does have a refrigerator and a microwave available for use. In anticipation of Fall temperatures in Palm Springs, if you would like to have your lunch outside please bring a mat or beach towel.

Our Teachers:  

 Sylvia Boorstein has been teaching Dharma and mindfulness meditation since 1985. She is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center, a psychotherapist, wife, mother and grandmother. She is particularly interested in emphasizing daily life as mindfulness practice and including informed citizenship and social activism as integral to spiritual maturation. Her 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.”

Larry Yang leads meditation retreats nationally and has an interest in making the wisdom teachings of the Dharma accessible for Communities of Color and LGBTQI communities. Larry Yang is a Founding Teacher of Insight Community of the Desert (ICD) and East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) in Oakland. He is on the Teachers’ Council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Larry is trained as a psychotherapist and has spent 6 months as a Buddhist monk in Thailand. He was one of the Grand Marshals of this year’s SF Pride Parade honoring the theme of “Racial and Economic Justice.” He considers retreat practice, family practice, livelihood practice, and householder practice all integral to a spiritual path towards Freedom.