New Year’s Young Adult Retreat

Tuition is $800.

The priority scholarship deadline has passed. We continue to welcome applications including from those who aren’t able to pay full price, in the event more scholarship funds become available. Scholarship requests can be made in the registration process.

Please note: A deposit is required to reserve a space on a retreat, and will be applied toward your tuition. The balance of the retreat tuition must be paid two weeks before the retreat start date in order to hold your spot on the retreat.

The priority scholarship deadline has passed. We continue to welcome applications including from those who aren’t able to pay full price, in the event more scholarship funds become available. Scholarship requests can be made in the registration process.

We rely on tuition fees, supplemented by donations, to cover the costs of our retreats and make it possible for all participants who want to to attend. If you can, we invite you to consider making a donation when and if it feels right.

Inward Bound welcomes and celebrates human diversity in all forms regardless of race, color, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ability, personal appearance, or religious/spiritual affiliation.

Inward Bound is committed to accessibility. This retreat welcomes participants from all racial/ethnic groups, sex and gender identities, abilities, and religions. Mindfulness creates a foundation for conversations that support understanding and deepen our connection to one another.

Inward Bound retreats feature a low ratio of retreat staff per retreat attendee, providing high-quality care, expertise, instruction, and mentoring (this is our secret sauce!)

We strongly encourage full detachment from technology. We do safely hold onto phones and other tech devices for the duration of the retreat. We also recognize that some folks may not fully be able to disconnect and may have unavoidable communication that has to happen during retreat.

We request all phones/technology to be off during silent times of the retreat. They may be used sparingly and privately (not in eyesight or earshot of others) during free times after breakfast/lunch/dinner.

Please review our COVID-19 Policy before applying.

Participants are encouraged to approach these retreats with the intention to be fully present for all small group sessions and practice periods, bar any health-related interruptions. We will not be taking attendance at the beginning of our practice periods and trust that all young adults on the retreat will be practicing as much as they can. Everyone is expected to attend the twice daily small group sessions to create group cohesion and build trust (and trust us, you won’t want to miss them!); workshop sessions each afternoon are optional but encouraged.

You can plan on about 4-6 hours of silent meditation spread throughout each day (2-3 hours in the morning, and 2-3 hours in the afternoon/evening). Don’t worry though, you won’t be expected to meditate for two hours straight! Each meditation session is about 20-30 minutes. The meditation time includes a mix of sitting meditation, walking meditation, and other mindful movement. Some form of mindful movement, such as yoga or qigong, is offered on a daily basis, usually for about an hour at a time. If you are excited to practice more meditation or more yoga, there are often workshops during the retreat that allow you to deepen your practice.

No, definitely not! While there are periods of silence during the retreat, there is a lot of time to connect and talk with other participants, such as during your small group meetings, mealtimes, workshops, and free time.

While our retreat schedule is fairly structured, there is some free time built in. There is usually about an hour of free time following each meal. If you don’t have a mindful clean-up job scheduled during that time, you are welcome to exercise, go for a hike, etc. There will be some guidelines around going for hikes and runs depending on the specific retreat location, but we are usually able to accommodate these kinds of needs.

Retreats are entirely substance-free from alcohol, THC, and any illegal substances. This policy applies to vaping and for those who have prescriptions for THC in other states. From our teacher, Travis Spencer: “Our primary goal is not to exclude but rather to promote an environment of genuine healing and restoration; we acknowledge the multifaceted reasons behind marijuana usage for emotional and mental relief.”

Marijuana use in any form is not a good fit for intensive meditation practice while being on retreat. This may not be the right time to give intensive meditation a try if you are not able or willing to go without smoking or otherwise ingesting THC. Our main concern is ensuring every participant can immerse themselves in the retreat’s offerings, given our meditation sessions’ intensity and regularity.

Also, please note: It remains illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to consume, purchase, or possess marijuana, or to attempt to consume, purchase, or possess any amount of marijuana.

Yes, provided they meet the age requirements of the retreat, friends, siblings, cousins, etc. are welcome to attend retreat together. There will be lots of time to talk, connect, and hang out with each other – during meals, free time, workshops, etc. Please be prepared, however, as friends or siblings may be assigned to different dorm rooms and different small groups. We encourage all participants to “stretch outside their comfort zones” by interacting with new people and to not only hang out with a friend or sibling for the whole retreat.

This is a really common concern! A lot of people say, “I think too much. There’s no way I can still my mind. Meditation might work for other people but it’s not for me.” If you think this, you are not alone!

The objective of meditation is not to “space out” or clear our minds until they are completely of thoughts. With practice, you may find that when you are meditating, your thoughts and emotions are still present but you won’t be so consumed by them. Meditation and mindfulness are about practicing awareness and acceptance towards ourselves, our thoughts, and strong emotions – not to make them go away.

Sometimes people hear “meditation” and “mindfulness” and they think, “It sounds like this retreat is going to be serious and silent. Why would I want to spend a week of my summer doing that?” Good news–our participants consistently share that the retreat is one of the most powerful, connected, and fun weeks of the year.

While we do meditate and learn the skills of mindfulness and compassion throughout the day, there’s also ample time to connect with new friends, explore new sides of ourselves through creative and interesting workshops, go for hikes, and just hang out together.

Additionally, a significant element of our retreats is “relational mindfulness” with small groups at the center of the experience. During small groups, you are gifted the chance to play goofy games, hear other people’s stories, and be part of a community. We have retreat “alumni” who return every year because the people they meet on retreat become their closest friends.

There is no “typical” Inward Bound participant. Our participants are a diverse group in many ways. Some are not religious, others are Buddhists, while others may identify Christian or Jewish or Muslim. Some are musicians, others are artists and theater fans, some are athletes, others are outdoorsy types. Across all of our retreats, about 50% of participants identify as LGBTQIA+, and more than half identify as being a person of color, biracial, or multiracial. Demographics also vary by region. The thread that ties all of our participants together is that we are all humans looking to de-stress, connect more with ourselves, and create community with like-minded people. We hope you will join us!