Insight and Resilience
With Victoria Cary and Pawan Bareja
July 26 - August 2, 2026
In the midst of life’s constant demands, it’s easy to lose touch with what truly supports us and what frees our heart from being caught in suffering. This week-long Insight retreat is an invitation to gently turn inward, guided by kind awareness and curiosity.
Together, we’ll explore the Buddha’s teachings that reconnect us with our innate resilience, strength, clarity, and peace. Rather than turning away from our experience, we’ll practice meeting it fully, uncovering the simple truth of living in harmony with the way things are.
Held in the nurturing land of Vallecitos, this silent retreat offers us a space to step out of the habit of constant doing and rediscover the quiet power of simply being—present, open, and grounded.
Guidance will be offered in Insight Meditation and the Brahma Viharas, supported through sitting, standing, walking, and lying down practices. The retreat also includes daily Dharma talks and individual or small group practice meetings. To support a quiet and contemplative environment, the retreat will be held in noble silence. This retreat is appropriate for beginners and advanced practitioners alike. Everyone is welcome!
Cancellation Policy:
- 45 days prior to retreat: Full refund, minus a $150 nonrefundable fee
- 44-22 days prior to retreat: 50% refund
- 0-21 days prior to retreat: No refund
Teachers
Victoria Cary has been practicing Insight Meditation and studying the Dharma since 2006. In 2017 she completed Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leader program and went on to become a fully empowered Dharma Teacher. In 2016 she co-founded the San Francisco People of Color Insight Sangha and continues as one of the core teachers. She is a San Francisco Bay Area Native. She left her workplace of 20 years in 2017 to deepen into the Dharma. Since then she has spent time in and out of intensive silent meditation practice, including a 3-month retreat at IMS, 6-week amd 3-month retreats at…
Learn more about Victoria Cary
Pawan Bareja, PhD has practiced Vipassana meditation since 2001. She is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Teacher Training, a Buddhist Ritual Minister and a Community Dharma Leader at Spirit Rock. She has served as a board member of Braided Wisdom and on the Dhamma Dena Teacher Council. She has a keen interest in empowering students with practices to resolve their stress and trauma using mindfulness, Buddhist psychology and neuroscience. She is the author of Reignite Your Power: Resolving Trauma Using Mindfulness and has taught this material at Spirit Rock, San Francisco Insight, EBMC, and Esalen. In her private practice…
Learn more about Pawan Bareja