Registration opens for Practice Period Participants: Feb 21 – Mar 21
Waitlist Open to All: Mar 7 – Mar 21
Dear Everyday Zen Sangha,
This spring, we will again have the chance to sit together for seven days, in person and online, waking with the bell and following the call of the han.
Sesshin will start at 4:00 pm Sunday, May 18, and end at noon Saturday, May 24, 2026 (Pacific Time).
The in-person sangha will meet at Villa Maria del Mar in Santa Cruz — a beautiful retreat center overlooking Monterey Bay, with accessible rooms and private bathrooms. The virtual sangha will meet online through Zoom.
Zoketsu Norman Fischer will lead the Sesshin. Ryú Gen Myō Ei Tracy Grubbs (Dragon Eye, Inconceivable Shadow Image) is our Shuso (Head Student).
As always, sesshin serves as a shared space of intensive practice as Practice Period draws to a close.
While you do not need to be participating in Practice Period to join us at this Sesshin, Practice Period participants will have the opportunity to register first, beginning February 21, with registration opening to all on March 7.
Information on the registration dates and process; accommodations and fees for in-person participants; guidelines for participation in-person and online; and a sample daily schedule can be found below. For in-person participants, there is also preliminary information on arrival and departure at Villa Maria del Mar.
Additional details for in-person participants will be provided in a ‘Welcome’ email before the start of the sesshin. Information for online participants will be available in March.
We look forward to sharing this precious time for practice with you.
— Norman and the Everyday Zen Sesshin Team
Josetsu, Catching a Catfish with a Gourd, ink on paper, Muromachi Period (15th Century). Kyoto National Museum via Wikimedia Foundation.
Schedule
Daily Schedule
A core instruction for Sesshin participants is to follow the daily schedule as fully as their health and circumstances allow. A PDF of the schedule is provided at the link below.
Guidelines
Guidelines on Participation
Sesshin is an intensive multi-day silent retreat. The following guidelines express our intention to practice together with a strong seriousness of purpose:
Registration
How to Register for In-Person Sesshin
Practice Period Participants: Feb 21 – Mar 21
Waitlist Open to All: Mar 7 – Mar 21
Unfortunately, all available spaces at Villa Maria del Mar have been filled, though this is subject to change over the next few weeks.
We have opened a waitlist and encourage those hoping to attend in person to sign up. Spaces may become available over the coming weeks as plans change, and our registrars will contact you directly if one does.
Online participants: Details for online participation will be available here in March.
In-Person Participants
Accommodations & Meals
Villa Maria del Mar is a beautiful retreat center overlooking Monterey Bay, located at 21918 East Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz, CA, offering comfortable rooms with ensuite, private bathrooms in most rooms. For more information on the facility, please visit the Villa Maria del Mar website.
If you would like to choose your roommate, please make arrangements with your preferred roommate before you register. You will be asked to note this on a Sesshin Participant Questionnaire. Couples who are attending together can request a room with a full-size bed rather than two twin beds if they prefer.
The Participant Questionnaire includes an option to request a single room. Due to the limited number of single rooms available, priority will be given to people who need a single room for either health-related reasons or their practice role at the Sesshin. The registrars will carefully review these requests. There’s no need to contact the registrars directly, as all room arrangements will be handled through this process.
Vegetarian meals are included, beginning with a buffet dinner the first evening and lunch on the day of departure. Guests with special dietary needs or practices are asked to bring their own supplemental food, as Villa Maria del Mar is unable to accommodate individual dietary requests. A refrigerator will be available for this.
We will not be eating oryoki style meals this year.
In-Person Fees
Fees for the in-person sesshin cover the direct costs of room and board at Villa Maria del Mar and are therefore not tax-deductible. Full payment is required at the time of registration.
- Double rooms: $970 per person
Arrangements for a specific roommate can be made during registration - Single rooms: $1,330
A limited number will be available
Credit card transactions incur a small processing fee to cover bank charges to Everyday Zen. If you prefer to not incur this fee, select the option to pay by check on checkout.
Cancellation Policy
A full refund, minus a $100 nonrefundable processing fee, will be offered for cancellations made on or before April 13. After April 13, a refund (minus the $100 processing fee) will only be issued if we are able to rebook the space with another guest from the waitlist. Refunds will be processed once the new guest’s payment is confirmed.
If you register with the intention of attending only if a single room is available and are not offered a single room, the $100 processing fee will be waived.
Thank you for your understanding.
Arrival Info
- Check-in: Sunday, May 18, 4 pm. Unfortunately, early arrivals cannot be accommodated.
- Sesshin ends: Saturday, May 24, 12 pm (Guests may remain on site through 2 pm)
Online Participants
Overview
As with any sesshin, in signing up to join the sesshin online via Zoom, you are making a commitment to follow the schedule and the guidelines of the Inos.
Online participants follow the same schedule as the in-person sangha, but meals, walking meditation, and work practice will be taken offline.
In the spirit of sesshin, we ask that Zoom participants take care of themselves and manage sesshin links and resources for themselves as much as they can.
Online participation is offered by donation with a suggested donation of $150. Please give what you can to support Norman and his teachings and the increased costs to Everyday Zen of offering this sesshin online via Zoom.
Information on registration will be made available in March.
Dana
Support Everyday Zen
Registration does not include dana (donation) for Norman’s teaching or the cost to Everyday Zen of offering this sesshin. We encourage you to make an additional donation to the Everyday Zen Foundation. There will also be an opportunity to give dana to Norman at the in-person retreat.
For online participants, joining the sesshin is by donation. The suggested donation is $150, depending on your circumstances.
Dana for practice discussion with senior teachers during sesshin can be arranged directly with senior teachers.
Thank you!
Thank you for your interest in our upcoming sesshin.
For questions about registration, please contact the Registrars (registrars@everydayzen.org). For technical support, contact the Web/Communications Coordinator (world@everydayzen.org).
