Registration closed: Northern California New Year’s Teen Retreat
December 28th, 2022 – January 1st, 2023
Black Mountain Retreat Center in Cazadero, CA
Please review our COVID-19 Policy before applying.
Be loved + accepted for who you are
Welcome to a community where there’s no performance, no backlash + no negativity – you just get to be YOU. Come explore, express yourself, and learn tools to compassionately guide yourself through difficult situations in your life.
What will I learn?
Handle stress + anxiety
Learn how to calm yourself down and relax when you’re in high-stress situations. Gain tools that you can apply to school, sleep, relationships + life in general!
Find self-love
Stop trying to “fit in” and get comfortable in your own skin. This is a safe space where people love being themselves and want to support you!
Navigate difficult emotions
Learn how to unpack and unravel difficult emotions. Be kinder to yourself + understand how your mind works. Gain tools to get yourself unstuck when you feel overwhelmed.
Who’s teaching?
Our world-class teachers allow you to be fully flawed and authentic – just like them! We’re here to support you, every step of the way.

Anthony Maes

Anthony “T” Maes found mindfulness during college when struggling with addiction, and it saved his life. He has practiced mindfulness meditation since 2003 including many weeklong and monthlong silent retreats. He’s been teaching teens in mindfulness retreats and weekly class formats since 2009 for various organizations including Spirit Rock and IBME. On retreat he enjoys teaching emotional intelligence, diversity and inclusion, relational mindfulness, multi-racial liberation, and acrobalance. He is a teacher and coordinator of the weekly Teen Sangha meditation group at East Bay Meditation Center. He has worked as a wilderness mentor for middle-school boys with Stepping Stones Project and Back To Earth. He is passionate about supporting college-aged young adults, and has founded a leadership program for “aged out” iBme alumni. “T” graduated from UC Berkeley in 2004, completed the yearlong Commit2Dharma program at East Bay Meditation Center in 2011, and is currently part of the Community Dharma Leaders training at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.

B. Anderson

Bea Anderson (they/them/theirs) has been working as a meditator and transformative justice space holder for over six years. Bea calls up the traditions, legacies, and medicine of their southern Black American, Jamaican Maroon, and Choctaw ancestry as their healing arts praxis.
In 2008, Bea began training as a Buddhist dharma teacher, community organizer, and music therapist. Later, in 2019, they became a somatic healing therapy practitioner offering a private practice supporting individuals, families, and organizations internationally.
Bea Anderson was a founding member of Harriet’s Apothecary, a healing collective that envisions a world where Black, Indigenous, and People of color have the power, healing, and safety needed to live the lives we desire for ourselves and our communities. Bea currently acts as the founder and director of Song of The Spirit Institute, an international online learning environment supporting the sustainability, health, and well-being of Indigenous peoples, culture, and lands across the globe.

Devon Sangster Rath

Devon Sangster Rath has been practicing mindfulness since 1997. She graduated with her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. Since that time she has worked with teens in many different capacities. Currently she works part time for Mindful Schools as a guiding teacher for their yearlong teacher training program and full time as a Social Worker in a public high school in San Francisco. There, she teaches mindfulness to both students and staff. Devon identifies as a queer woman and is heartfelt about the power of mindfulness practice to increase peace and freedom for all.

Lawrence Schuessler Assistant Teacher

Bio coming soon!
Suggested Age
15 to 19 years
Cost
Sliding scale.
Learn More.
Duration
5 days, 4 nights
Application Deadline
December 15, midnight
Dates
Starts: December 28, 2022
Ends: January 1, 2023
COVID-19 Policy

What happens on retreat?
Meditation
Learn mindfulness practices such as breath + body awareness + mindful walking. Beginners welcome!
Workshops
Explore activities like painting, improv, and writing poetry. Pick + choose what interests you, or lead a workshop yourself!
Dance Party
Dance + get weird without worrying about what other people think of you at our online dance party.
Small Groups
Laugh, get vulnerable and play games like “sweet seat” to connect more deeply with a small group of teens.
Wisdom Talks
Cuddle up with a blanket! Listen to talks about relationships, emotions + applying mindfulness to daily life.
Yoga
Move + release through guided daily yoga practice.

“iBme helped me grow to be the kind of person who I am, which is a person who’s calm and centered and has the skills to just breathe in moments where it feels like I’m not able to breathe and life is going by so fast.”
– Betye A.N., teen
Why go on retreat?
Feel More Connected
We’ll offer your teen tools to open their heart + connect more deeply with themselves – and with you!
Help Them Find Their Tribe
Let your teen develop meaningful relationships in a community where they’ll be accepted for who they are.
Take the stress off
You don’t have to provide for every aspect of your kid’s mental + emotional well-being. Let us do the work!
Peace of Mind
Worry less, knowing your teen has a support system.
Make Meaningful Relationships
You always have a friend at iBme! Connect with people in a safe, welcoming space where you don’t have to “fit in” to be loved.
Find Your Center
Gain tools to calm yourself down, even in high-stress situations.
Make Happiness Easier
Learn how to release tension, pain + self-judgment so you can feel light inside.
Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin
Love + accept yourself exactly as you are.
Interested?
Enter your name and email to get more details & reminders for future retreats.
Is iBme for me?
This retreat is for you if you…
- Want to connect deeply with other caring, playful people. Dorks welcome!
- Are interested in knowing yourself more deeply
- Are willing to try something new
This retreat is not for you if you…
- Your parents are forcing you to come
- You’re struggling with serious mental health issues
- You’re doing this instead of going to therapy

“I used to struggle a lot with who I was and trying to fit in. iBme helped me become a lot more accepting not only of myself, but of others. Everybody’s so accepting and caring – really open and willing to share. You always have a friend at iBme.”
– Nikita M., Teen Retreat Alumni