Join us for our upcoming online silent retreat!

May 14 - 19, 2024

We are offering this unique opportunity to engage in a silent retreat, from the comfort of your own home. Beth Mulligan and Hugh O'Neill, both Certified MSC Teachers, will be holding the retreat virtually. They will guide you through the retreat just as they would in person, while you can stay healthy, safe and sleep in your own bed. There will be full days of mindfulness and compassion meditation practice, walking meditation, Mindful Movement, talks, teachings, and opportunities to meet in small groups once during the retreat.

Who Should Attend: This silent retreat is open to any individuals who would like to further develop their mindfulness meditation practice. Some experience with Mindfulness and Loving Kindness meditation is expected and recommended. In addition, it is for those already teaching or interested in teaching Mindful Self-Compassion, and other mindfulness-based programs (MBP) such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.

$100 off for all levels of MSC Teachers: Please email [email protected] for purchase link and code prior to registering as we are unable to provide equivalent refunds for missed discounts.

Register

Retreat Details

Daily Schedule:

May 14th | 4:00pm - 6:00pm PT

May 15-18th | 6:30am-5:30pm PT

May 19th | 6:30am-12pm PT

Attendance -

Retreat participants are expected to fully attend all sessions. Please do not attend this retreat if you cannot clear your calendar of all other obligations. We would love for you to be able to devote yourself fully to the experience that will be unfolding for you. 

If you are attending the retreat as a teacher training prerequisite, you will need to attend all sessions, except for medical emergencies, weather-related outages, and other unexpected issues on a case by case basis.


Silent retreats allow participants to:

  • Feel more grounded and centered
  • Experience greater calm and clarity
  • Deepen a connection to their heart-centeredness
  • Increase personal presence
  • Savor their authentic self


Keeping Silence -

Please treat this retreat as a residential retreat as much as possible and make any necessary accommodations before the retreat begins (e.g., please take care of all your grocery shopping prior to the retreat week and make sure that there are no meetings scheduled in your calendar for this week). Please consider ways of organizing your time and space so that there is as little external stimuli as possible to help you be fully present and open to your retreat experience. 

During the silent retreat, please refrain from using email, phone, television, reading and writing, as well as other ways of communicating during the retreat. This is your time! And we would like to invite you to honor the time and space you have created for yourself--a true gift to yourself.


Fees -

There is an investment of $650 in tuition fee. All Trained and Certified MSC Teachers can receive a $100 discount (please email [email protected] for discount link). Please do not register before you receive that discount code, as we are unable to provide equivalent refunds for missed discounts.

Scholarships -

A limited number of partial scholarships are available. You can apply for a scholarship using the Scholarship Application. 


Cancellation -

A $100 USD non-refundable cancellation fee will be subtracted from the paid registration fee. Payments (less the $100 USD non-refundable cancellation fee) will be refunded if participants notify by email at least 14 days prior to the start of the retreat. If such a notification is not received or received after the 14 days, no refund is issued, except on compassionate grounds.

For any refund requests, please fill out the refund form here.

A minimum number of 15 registrants is required to offer the retreat. Please note that in the unlikely event that the retreat is canceled, CMSC is responsible only for a full refund of the registration fee and not for any miscellaneous expenses.


The Online Silent Retreat meets the pre-requisite requirements for MSC Teacher Training, as well as the requirements for teacher training  at the Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute, University of California at San Diego, and Brown University Center for Mindfulness. 

If you have any questions regarding this retreat, please email  [email protected].

Pricing options

  • $650.00

    (For MSC Teachers $100 discount, contact CMSC prior to registering)

    Register

Meet Your Retreat Instructors!

Beth Mulligan

Certified MSC Teacher

Beth Mulligan, PA-C is a certified MBSR teacher, teacher trainer, and adjunct faculty through the UMASS Center for Mindfulness. She has been teaching MBSR for over a decade to diverse populations; from the critically ill, to non-profit organizations, the underserved, educators, and corporate leaders. She currently teaches at the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at UCI and Insight LA. Beth teaches the 10-week and nine-day practicum for teachers in training nationally and internationally. Beth is a certified Mindful Self Compassion teacher and teacher trainer and does international training for the Center for Mindful Self Compassion. Beth has a background in primary care medicine as a Board Certified Physician Assistant having graduated Magna cum Laude from Duke University and has practiced medicine for over thirty years. She is a long time student of Charles Tenshin Fletcher, Roshi at Yokoji Zen Mountain Center where she has lived in residence. Beth is the Guiding Dharma teacher at Insight Community of the Desert and is a certified yoga instructor.

Hugh O’Neill

Certified MBSR Teacher

Hugh O’Neill is an experienced mindfulness and compassion teacher and retreat leader , for over 25 years. He was born and raised in Dublin Ireland where his career was in journalism, broadcast news with the BBC and producing documentaries. This led him to the USA where he continued on this path. Eventually he found this was not fulfilling on the level he wanted to live. He went on to live in a Zen Monastery in Southern California. There, he met Beth Mulligan, certified MBSR/ MSC teacher, teacher trainer, retreat leader and mentor, and discovered the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, with whom he trained, going on to become a certified MBSR teacher. Beth and Hugh began teaching together in 2006. Hugh has taught MBSR and meditation to many different populations , from inner city clinics and non-profits, to fortune 500 companies. He was the lead teacher in NIH funded research; teaching mindfulness and compassion to families dealing with developmentally delayed children particularly on the autism spectrum for 9 years. He is an MSC graduate and has co-taught many MSC retreats. Hugh is known for his kindness, warmth, humor and intelligence. His background in the news business gives him a broad perspective, and understanding of the pain of the world as well as growing up in a colonized country informs his sensitivity to people in the US who have been and feel marginalized.

FAQ

  • Where can I find the scholarship or refund policy?

    Please refer to our public policies here: https://centerformsc.org/cmsc-policies/

  • Will I be taxed on my registration?

    ​​Information on sales tax collection that may affect your purchases of courses through CMSC: In accordance with Marketplace Facilitator/Provider laws, CMSC is now required to collect and remit sales tax on sales in some areas of the United States and Canada. This is required even as we are a registered non-profit. What does this mean for you? It means that when you purchase a course with CMSC in some states or provinces ( U.S. & Canada), the sales tax will be automatically calculated and collected at the time of checkout. This ensures compliance with tax regulations in your area. If you have any questions or concerns about this change, please don't hesitate to reach out to our customer support team: [email protected].

  • What would be grounds for participant removal?

    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 continue to participate productively in the course, 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.

  • What are the parameters of participation?

    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.