Empowering Womxn: Compassion Training

October 9th- 11th, 2026

Apply Here

Arrival: Friday, October 9th, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Departure: Sunday, October 11th, 12:30 PM

Tuition:
Gracious support from the Lenz Foundation allows this to be a tuition-free program.

All lodging options can be booked for $500 (standard) or $250 (subsidized).

Please indicate on your application if you require a scholarship. We are committed to providing scholarships to any and all BIPOC applicants.

Meals & drinks included
Inc. V, VG, GF

Add extra nights at 50% off

Tuition:

Support from the Lenz Foundation allows this to be a tuition-free program.

All lodging options can be booked for $500 (standard) or $250 (subsidized).

Meals & drinks included
Inc. V, VG, GF

Add extra nights at 50% off

About the Retreat

How do we bring a compassionate presence and response to a world in turmoil and suffering? This training is a deep dive into Buddhist compassion practices and the theory and science behind them. We will explore the building blocks for practicing and teaching compassion and discuss moving from practice to community service through compassion in action.

This training is tailored specifically to womxn*—inclusive of cis-gender, non-binary, and trans femme—to reflect on how to embody compassion for self and others beyond a patriarchal framework. How can we cultivate a courageous and compassionate heart at a time when empathy is deemed a weakness and war, discrimination, and incarceration are on the rise?

In person participants will receive training in how to guide these compassion practices and form a Compassion Circle that practices together and engages in community volunteer and service opportunities. Applicants should be on the meditation instructor path in their respective tradition. 

Online or In Person Options:

If you’d prefer to join online, you are invited to deepen in compassion practice through the three talks and guided practices over the weekend. This includes self-compassion, the Four Immeasurables (loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity), and Tonglen (“Sending and Taking”).

These talks will be offered on Saturday from 9:00 am – 10:00 am and 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm, and Sunday morning from 9:00 am – 10:00 am (all times Mountain Time). The cost to join online is $75 for the weekend.

An application is not required for online registration. Please click here to register for the online sessions.

The in-person training offers a skill set and building blocks to guide compassion practices and engage in compassion in action. Only by cultivating an open heart and the capacity for compassionate presence can we live in service and transform self and society. 

Our updated toolkit for guiding compassion practices includes:

  • self-care and self-compassion as the foundation for community service
  • trauma informed guidelines for presenting the Four Immeasurables and Tonglen
  • Buddhist theory of equalizing/exchanging self and other as linked to contemporary psychological views of common humanity, selective empathy, and perspective taking
  • exercises in cultivating compassionate presence and empathetic listening
  • unlearning social conditioning for womxn around care and compassion
  • exploration of an authentically compassionate response

Join us to walk the talk and become a bodhisattva in the marketplace, leading a small group in compassion practice and action. As the culmination of the training, you’ll be given a sample template for a compassion practice/service day to offer in your local community. 

These tools will deepen your ability to develop a compassionate presence and response from a place of ease and simplicity without demand and entanglement. This can enhance your ability to engage in community service in a way that is liberative for all.  

What to Expect

Our teaching team will model a dialogic approach to teaching. We’ll engage the principles of interactive pedagogy, cultural humility, and trauma sensitivity. 

During the training, you’ll have the opportunity to:

  • engage in embodiment practices and small group dialogue
  • practice attunement and deep listening 
  • present and guide compassion practices
  • integrate practice with compassion in action
  • receive supportive feedback 

This training is intended to help participants blossom in your own capacities and authentically connect with yourself as you guide contemplative practices such as compassion. We’ll offer you the tools and language to present the dharma in an updated way that aligns with social justice and fosters confidence in womxn at a time of resurgent patriarchy. 

Who is this retreat for?

This training is for new or aspiring meditation instructors and dharma teachers, and we encourage younger practitioners to apply. We welcome womxn—inclusive of cis-gender, non-binary, and trans femme—from any and all Buddhist traditions. 

Applicants need to have a strong grounding in meditation practice including a minimum of one week or ten days of solitary or group retreat and a foundation in basic Buddhist teachings. Dedication to service in this world and/or the Bodhisattva Vow are strongly encouraged. 

Please fill out this application form by the suggested deadline of August 30th. Participants will be accepted on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply early to secure your place. 

Click here to apply. 

Due to support from the Lenz Foundation, the tuition is waived, and the only program cost is lodging: $500 standard, $250 discounted. On the application, you are welcome to indicate if you need a scholarship. We are committed to offering scholarships to any and all BIPOC applicants. 

Restricted to 25 participants in person.

* To define womxn:

  • cis-gender: individuals designated female at birth who currently identify as women
  • non-binary: gender fluid, outside the male/female binary
  • trans femme: individuals assigned male at birth, but with a feminine identity and/or gender expression 

Retreat Faculty

Carla Burns

Carla Burns is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Naropa University, where she leads the MA Contemplative Psychotherapy residential retreat programs. She also consults for the Center for the Advancement of Contemplative Education, designing and facilitating programs and trainings, and contributes to Naropa’s Compassion Initiative. Specializing in the integration of corporeal, elemental, and spatial knowledge, [...]

Holly Gayley

Holly Gayley is a scholar and translator of Buddhist literature in contemporary Tibet and associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her research explores gender and sexuality in Buddhist tantra, literature by and about Tibetan and Himalayan women, ethical reform in contemporary Tibet, and theorizing translation, both literary and cultural, in the transmission of Buddhist [...]

Lodging

We have several accommodations to choose from during checkout.
All options include our healthy meals and drinks. Inc V, VG, GF.

Dormitories
Rooms with beds for up to 7-8 people. Gender-segregated with men in their own dorm and women in another. The dorms use a shared bathroom down the hall, which is also equipped with shower stalls.

Monk Rooms
A cost-effective option for participants looking for indoor, solitary lodging, but who don’t mind using a shared bathroom or are looking for a more affordable retreat solution. These rooms are in the same hall as the Ridgen Dormitories, but offer more privacy than the dorms. In addition to a bed, bedding, a private room and closet, the monk rooms also have a large window and a desk and desk chair for added comfort.

Single and Double Rooms
The perfect choice for a retreat where you want both your own space and your own bathroom. Each room offers a little more space, a dresser and closet, and a 3/4s bathroom (toilet, sink, and shower, no bathtub) attached to each room.

Apply Here