Joyful Ease, Your Own True Body

This retreat pairs zazen with yoga asana and pranayama—a less common structure in Soto Zen centers. The integration signals a retreat designed around the body as a legitimate site of practice, not something separate from sitting meditation. For many, this will feel more accessible than a traditional silent sesshin, especially if you carry tension or injury into retreat.

San Francisco Zen Center's Tassajara Monastery is a mountain retreat center in Big Sur country, which shapes the experience—the setting itself becomes part of the practice. The five-day format is substantial enough for the mind to settle but compressed enough that you're not committing to a full week of sesshin intensity.

The structure—zazen, teachings, yoga in a single day—requires a particular kind of attention to how your body and mind meet the practice. You're not choosing between sitting and movement; you're asked to bring the same quality of awareness to both. If you've done yoga on its own or Zen sitting on its own, this retreat asks you to watch what happens when they're deliberately woven together.

Currently waitlist only, so register and expect a wait before confirmation.