In-Person 5-Day Silent Retreat at Sedona Mago | March 21, 2027

The point of mindfulness meditation is not simply to train the mind, but to engage the heart in all its heart tones–lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. In this 5-day retreat we will explore the heart quality of compassion. Compassion is often described as a quality of heart that “quivers” in the face of suffering. Yet it is perhaps more accurate to say that it is a whole-body attitude of heart-mind that opens to pain or disturbance and intentionally ministers to the suffering that is present. We are delighted to welcome our beloved colleague and internationally renowned Mindful Self-Compassion teacher and CMSC co-founder, Chris Germer, PhD, who will join acclaimed meditation teachers Bill Morgan, PsyD, and Susan Morgan, CNS, for a special 5-day retreat devoted to deepening mindfulness and compassion. Together, Chris, Bill, and Susan will lay the foundational groundwork for mindfulness practice to grow, flourish, and support greater ease and well-being. They will offer ways of bringing compassion forward to deepen and stabilize this essential quality of heart and extend it toward ourselves, others, and the world. This course provides a safe, nurturing container in which to explore these practices There will be daily mindfulness meditation instruction and several hours of structured practice each day. Dharma talks and teachings will be woven throughout, in combination with dyadic or small group discussion and exercises. The rest of the time we will observe silence, including during meals, to facilitate a deeper contemplative experience. This is a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in a lovely spiritual environment and work closely with leaders in the growing field of mindfulness meditation and compassion. Every effort will be made by the teachers to give each participant a delightful, meaningful retreat experience. Please Note: Registration cost does not include the cost of accommodations, a link to book separately will be sent after registration. Your Retreat Leaders: Chris Germer, PhD is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry (part-time) at Harvard Medical School. He co-developed the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program with Kristin Neff in 2010, and since then MSC has been taught in 30 languages in over 60 countries. They co-authored three books on MSC: The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout, and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program. He is also the author of Self-Compassion for Shame and The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion. Dr. Germer is a founding faculty member of the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, Harvard Medical School at the Cambridge Health Alliance, and also the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. He co-edited two influential volumes on therapy, Mindfulness and Psychotherapy and Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy. Currently, Chris spends most of his time lecturing and leading workshops around the world on mindfulness and self-compassion. and he maintains a small clinical practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Bill Morgan, PsyD is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Cambridge, MA, specializing in meditation consultation and guidance.He is the author of The Meditator's Dilemma: An Innovative Approach to Overcoming Obstacles and Revitalizing Your Practice. He is an Advisory Board and faculty member of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. Bill has participated in many intensive meditation retreats in the past 50 years. For 25 years, together with his partner Susan, they lead mindfulness retreats for psychotherapists and caregivers, and more recently lead the Daily Sit and Online Householder Retreats for the general public. Making practice meaningful and enjoyable are core to his teachings. Susan Morgan, CNS is a psychotherapist in Cambridge, MA, specializing in meditation consultation. She is a contributing author to Mindfulness and Psychotherapy. She has a longstanding meditation practice, which includes a four-year meditation retreat at the Forest Refuge, along with yearly three months of retreat. For 25 years she has been leading retreats for caregivers. Since the pandemic, she and her partner Bill continue to lead the Daily Sit, an online practice group offering short Dharma Talks, guided meditations and community connection tailored to the householder life. She identifies as a lay monastic, and sees her life and practice as a bridge between the contemplative and secular paths. Integrating mindfulness into daily life is core to her teaching along with lovingkindness and mindfulness of the body. Registration Closes Sunday, March 14th.