May 25-29, 2024 (four nights)
with Sydney Reece & Mary Stancavage
At Big Bear Retreat Center
We’re excited to announce that our annual women’s retreat is back at the beautiful Big Bear Retreat Center in Big Bear, CA, and we’ve moved the dates to May. We are looking forward to being in community with you.
The Path to Equanimity
Equanimity is one of the beautiful qualities of the heart and is an essential part of the path to liberation–and happiness. Often confused with indifference, equanimity, instead, is being fully engaged.
It allows us to be in balance with the world, and the particular pushes and pulls of our lives as women. What gets in the way of being present for each moment? What gets in the way of compassion and acceptance of reality as it is? Equanimity is the invitation to be intimate with our experience regardless of what it is or what we think it should be.
This retreat offers not only the opportunity to spend time with and make space for that which is challenging, but allows us to develop a relationship with our experience that is both compassionate and wise. Give yourself the gift to practice equanimity, grow wisdom and deep compassion, and meet yourself (and your life) right where you are.
There will be periods of sitting and walking meditation, with instructions and daily dharma talks held in a safe container of loving kindness. There will be an opportunity for affinity and break out groups. Retreats offer the opportunity to move deeply into our experience and know the poignancy of the human condition and the capacity of the heart. This form of practice supports our deepest intention to be free. Join us for what promises to be a wonderful experience. This retreat will be held in noble silence
We use an inclusive definition of “woman” and “female” and we welcome trans women, genderqueer women, and non-binary people who are significantly female-identified. Attendees only need to identify as women in a way that’s significant to them.
More info about what to expect and what to bring to BBRC is found HERE.
COST
The retreat fees cover the accommodations and three meals a day with additional snacks available in the dining hall which is open 24/7. Coffee is served daily. Each residence cabin has 3-4 rooms, sharing bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. Every building offers outdoor decks to enjoy the natural environment and trails throughout the land (and adjacent national forest) for nature walks. All the linens, towels, bed sheets, blankets and pillows are provided by BBRC. The cooks and staff work for BBRC are paid however teachers are not compensated for the retreat and offer the teachings freely. They receive dana as an expression of gratitude. There will be an opportunity at the end of the retreat to learn more about the practice of dana (generosity) for both the teachers and the retreat manager. A deposit of $175 is required to reserve your space. Full payment is due at the beginning of May – you will be billed.
PRICING OPTIONS
| Triple Shared Room | $645 |
| Double Shared Room | $730 |
| Single Room Shared Bath | $815 |
| Single Room Private Bath | $945 |
At this time there are some scholarship funds available. If you need support to attend, please let us know. If you would like to contribute to a scholarship fund, you can do so HERE
Sydney Reece, M.Ed., is an international educator in social justice advocacy and a meditation teacher specializing in addiction and trauma resilience. She has over 20 years of experience supporting adults, formerly incarcerated individuals, and homeless youth, as well as the health professionals who serve them. Over the last 8 years, she has worked in school districts, nonprofits, meditation centers and universities; building access to mindfulness meditation practices. Sydney educates on understanding internal systems of oppression and self-regulation based in insight meditation practices. She is particularly attuned to the subtleties of diversity dynamics and needs of women and People of Color. While teaching abroad for the Chambre de Commerce Orlèans, France and the Education Nationale; Sydney taught cross cultural negotiations and effective communications helping students and executives bridge cultural misunderstandings in times of crisis and conflict. Contact sydneyreece7@gmail.com for more information.
Mary Stancavage has practiced meditation, yoga, and cultivated a spiritual practice for over 35 years and in 2009 was empowered to teach Buddhadharma. Mary is based in the Los Angeles area and teaches classes, retreats and does individual mentoring both locally and internationally. She has taught mindfulness at recovery centers, has co-facilitated Year-to-Live groups since 2008, and has had a weekly dharma class for over a decade. Her Morning Meditation group has met daily at 7am PT since March 2020. Mary is part of the Guiding Teachers Council at Insight Community of the Desert and a founding teacher at Meditation Coalition. Mary completed the Buddhist Chaplaincy Program at the Sati Center and served as volunteer chaplain at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. She also served as Executive Director of the Mind Body Awareness Project from 2016 to 2018. In taking the practice off the cushion, Mary is honored to serve on the board of CLUE: Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice. Along with teaching, she continues to investigate what it means to live with an undefended heart. Fun fact: Mary has a Masters Degree from UCLA and worked as an archaeologist in Syria. More info can be found at her website, marystancavage.org