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December 1st-6th, 5-day Silent Retreat at Asilomar Retreat Space

December 1st-6th, 5-day Silent Retreat at Asilomar Retreat Space

Regular price $895.00 USD
Regular price Sale price $895.00 USD
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5-day In Person Silent Retreat with Steve Hickman and Aimee Eckhardt at Asilomar Retreat Space, Pacific Grove, California.

December 1-6, 2024

Join us at the scenic Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds for our 2024 5-day In Person Silent Retreat. Asilomar sits nestled along the shoreline of the brilliant blue Pacific, serving as a tranquil oceanfront retreat cradled by towering pine forests, pristine sand dunes and the dramatic, rocky coastline of the Monterey Peninsula in California.

CMSC’s retreats are based on the research and teachings of Drs. Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer, the co-developers of the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Program, as well as ancient wisdom practices from several traditions. The retreats offer an opportunity to renew and deepen our practice within an environment enhanced by silence. Retreats are led by experienced teachers who have been invited by CMSC to teach their retreats. CMSC’s retreats also serve as an opportunity for MSC teachers to continue to build their affect tolerance and equanimity so that they may hold their steady seat while teaching MSC.

MSC Teachers receive a $100 discount, please email professionaltraining@centerformsc.org to request code prior to purchase.

Please Note: Registration cost does not include the cost of accommodations, a link to book separately will be sent after registration. Cost of rooms: Double Room - $207.95, Single Room - $297.50

Your Retreat Leaders:

Steve Hickman and Aimee Eckhardt are both Certified Teachers of Mindful Self-Compassion: highly experienced in teaching both online and in-person.

About Steve:

  • Clinical Psychologist by training
  • Retired Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
  • Founding Director of the UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness
  • Co-developed the Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher Training program (both in-person and live online versions) with colleague Michelle Becker
  • Participated in the training of over 1,000 MSC teachers worldwide
  • Certified teacher and trainer of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

About Aimee:

  • Certified Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Teacher
  • Founder of the Community for Deepening Practice (CDP), where she and her team have devoted the last near-decade to teaching people to meet their lives with ever-deepening compassion
  • Actively teaches LOMSC for the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion
  • Her work and wellbeing are supported by her 24-year meditation practice, her family of teachers (both living and dead), her ongoing studies at the Upaya Zen Center, and the stunning land near where she lives in Colorado
  • Teaching style is warm, accessible, and creative, rooted in deep respect for the universal desire to be loved exactly as we are
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  • Overview

    CMSC’s retreats are based on the research and teachings of Drs. Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer, the co-developers of the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) Program, as well as ancient wisdom practices from several traditions. The retreats offer an opportunity to renew and deepen our practice within an environment enhanced by silence. CMSC retreats are offered in three time zones (Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa, and Australia/Asia) to appeal to a global audience. The retreats are led by experienced teachers who have been invited by CMSC to teach their retreats. CMSC’s retreats also serve as an opportunity for MSC teachers to continue to build their affect tolerance and equanimity so that they may hold their steady seat while teaching MSC.

  • Benefits of 5-Day Silent Retreat

    A silent retreat is a vital way to go inward and nourish our personal meditation practice. It is life-enhancing for everyone who attends (virtual or in-person) and particularly important for those who work with mindfulness-based interventions. Silent retreats offer long-term benefits and a way to be in community with other human beings, honoring the varying degrees of our diverse backgrounds and lived experience. Our attention during this retreat will be on how we can build our resilience and enhance our capacity to meet our challenges with equanimity, strength, and compassionate awareness.

  • CMSC-Sponsored Silent Retreats

    This retreat is open to:

    Anyone who wishes to train to teach MSC, MBSR, and similar programs. This retreat meets the teacher training prerequisite of most mindfulness-based teacher training programs including those from CMSC, USCD, and Brown University.

    Anyone who is already teaching such courses and would like the opportunity to deepen their personal practices in an environment that many teachers have called restorative. We strongly encourage all MSC and MBSR teachers to participate in retreats on a regular basis.

    Any graduates of MSC, MBSR, and similar courses who do not aspire to teach but wish to deepen and strengthen their practices.

    The practices in this retreat are inspired by, and drawn from, the MSC and MBSR programs. Participants will engage in full days of mindfulness and compassion meditation practices, including periods of sitting, walking, and gentle yoga. There will be some instructional and inspirational talks as well as opportunities to meet with the teachers in small groups to explore any questions that arise. There is also time set aside each day for self-care and for informal practices.

    Silent retreats are designed to support participants in:

    • Nurturing a deeper and more embodied meditation practice.
    • Developing greater awareness and compassion for what it means to be fully human.
    • Discovering practices that can enrich and support our lives well beyond the time of the retreat.
    • Coping with the stresses and challenges of life.
    • Embracing who we are and releasing harsh judgments, self-criticism, and shame.
    • Opening to experiences of calmness, clarity, insight, kindness, acceptance, and love.
    • Preparing oneself to teach and (especially important for teachers) allowing yourself to be a student of the practices.
    • Benefitting from the richness that arises from practicing mindfulness and self-compassion in a safe and supportive community and with experienced
  • Live Retreats

    Program Details

    When we choose a 5-day  in-person silent retreat, much of our time will be spent engaged in sitting and walking meditation with periods of mindful movement. The retreat teachers will also offer daily talks and individual meetings, as well as highlight the foundations of MSC. Please clear your schedule of all other obligations for the silent retreat days.

    If you are attending the retreat as a teacher training prerequisite, you will need to attend all sessions, except in cases of emergencies.

    CMSC Retreat Standards For Teacher Training

    Here are CMSC’s Retreat Standards that fulfill the retreat requirement towards Teacher Training in MSC:

    • A retreat must be at least 5 full days in length.
    • A retreat is to be led by teachers (not a self-guided retreat). At least one of the teachers must have been trained in leading retreats.
    • Retreat must include at least 7-8 hours of dedicated formal meditation practice time per day. This would mainly consist of sitting meditation alternating with periods of movement practice such as walking meditation and/or mindful yoga. Loving Kindness meditations and guided body scans can also be included.
    • Informal practice is quite valuable, too, (such as yogi jobs at a meditation center or mindful cooking/cleaning at home), but such informal practices would be in addition to the 7-8 hours of formal practice.
    • Participants are to be in silence for the full retreat except for brief periods when they might meet with the retreat teacher privately or in small groups.
    • The focus of the retreat practices is the cultivation of mindfulness and compassion.
    • Reading and writing during the retreat are discouraged in most situations, except for perhaps journaling. Rather, a continuity of practice (formal and informal) is encouraged.
    • If the retreat is held at a retreat center, then the use of cell phones and other Internet connected devices is strongly discouraged.
    • If the retreat is online, participants will be using the Internet for Zoom, but other apps such as email and web browsers should be turned off for the duration of the retreat. The use of additional electronic devices is strongly discouraged (unless required for emergencies and health reasons). Also, retreats at home will require some advance planning (and significant discipline and commitment during the retreat) to ensure that relationships at home and work-related communications do not interfere with the retreat practices and focus.

FAQs & Important Information

If I'm unable to attend, can I request a refund?

All monies paid for the Registration will be refunded in full (less a $25 administrative fee) if a refund request is received 14 or more days before the Program begins.

If a refund request is received between 13 days and 48 hours before the Program begins, a $200 administrative fee will be applied. Any requests 48 hours or less before the Program begins is non refundable.

Refund Policy for Accomodations at Retreat Center:
A full refund, less a service charge of $100 per person is given for cancellations received by October 31, 2024. Regrettably, no refunds can be made for cancellations received on or after November 1, 2024.

Important Info: Mindful Self-Compassion is not a substitute for Therapy

Our programs are designed to teach participants the tools needed to develop and cultivate a mindfulness and self-compassion practice.

It is not a substitute for mental health care, personal therapy or medical treatment.


Personal safety and emotional wellbeing are the foundation of self-compassion training and you are primarily responsible for your own safety.

Teachers and facilitators are not expected or able to provide medical and/or psychological care. Course experiences may bring up challenging memories or feelings.

If you have a history with a serious mental health condition or other concerns you think may impact your ability to take this course, please contact CMSC or your healthcare professional to determine if this course is right for you. Your personal contact information may be used in the event the teacher or facilitator reasonably determines a need to call emergency services on your behalf.

Important Info: Productive Participation in Courses & Workshops

Participation is at the discretion of the teachers and facilitators at all times.

If, in the opinion of the teachers and facilitators, you are unable to participate productively and appropriately in the course or workshop you have registered for, you may be asked to discontinue.

Decisions of removal are to ensure CMSC provides the safest space possible for our participants and teachers. Please see our refund policy regarding necessary participant removal.

How do I book my room accommodations?

Once you register for the course you will be sent a confirmation email with the link to purchase your room.

Double Room - $207.95

Single Room - $297.50