A 7 Day In Person Retreat in Victoria, B.C.
July 5-11, 2026
Earthspring Sanctuary Retreat Centre
Victoria, BC
Led by
Lisa Genki Gibson Sensei
Brooke Teisui McNamara Sensei
Rob Daishin McNamara Sensei
Brian Butsudō Turner Sensei
This retreat is a collaboration of Dragon Moon Zen and Dragon Lake Zen.
Against the backdrop of forests and mountains, rocks and ponds, this week-long retreat is an invitation to slow down, reconnect, and rest into the ancient and vast wisdom that is always available through meditation, embodiment, nature practice and relational connection. We will anchor our attention in the elements and explore how we are not separate from the nourishing earth, energizing wind, vital fire and soothing water. Together, we’ll play in the web of our human and more-than-human connections, and listen for the gifts that want to move through us.
Coming home to this moment opens us to the boundless field of interconnection with all things. We begin to see that we are more than our habits and fixations, more than our fears and anxieties. We can fall apart, and be whole and complete. Our hearts may break open in response to the suffering of the world - and, we learn to trust our simple act of bearing witness and the natural response that arises from this attunement.
We will learn to draw on a deeper dimension of ourselves, one that is not limited by time and space, as a reliable source of nourishment and strength. We see that we are none other than the mountains and waters, already awake and fulfilling our function. Resourced from this place, we can engage more wholeheartedly with ourselves, each other and the world around us. Awakened mind is always available and compassionate action is our natural response.
The Mountains and Rivers Retreat will be taught by a team of four fully transmitted Zen teachers (Senseis) that span a diverse range of gifts and interests leading to a panoramic view of how to experience and engage Reality directly as it is in this moment.
There will be times of silence and times of heartfelt conversation—moments of stillness and creative movement. Together, we’ll reconnect with ourselves and weave a sense of community. Through aliveness practices such as writing, movement, and playful engagement (accessible to all levels), we’ll open to new perspectives and spontaneous expression.
We’ll expand and refine our ways of being to embody more truth, beauty, play, and genuine goodness. Supported by the elegant simplicity of a traditional Zen practice space, set against a vast forest wilderness, we will be inspired and supported by the land and the waters around us.
Location
The retreat will take place at Earthspring Sanctuary Retreat Centre located within a large nature sanctuary on southern Vancouver Island, accessible to the city of Victoria, airport and ferries and adjacent to the Gowlland Tod Provincial Park. In this quiet area of forests, streams and open hilltops, groups and individuals can find refuge from worldly stresses and opportunities which support the experience of coming back home to ourselves.
Earthspring’s sanctuary complex includes a meeting space, kitchen, dining room and large deck. There are also a variety of accommodation options including self-contained cabins in a forested refuge, private rooms, dorms and camping. The land offers an extensive trail network and outdoor spaces for contemplation and ceremonial gatherings from multiple traditions.
Participants are encouraged to stay at the Retreat Centre, or somewhere nearby for the duration of the retreat.
Schedule
This multi-day retreat will have a consistent schedule throughout the week, allowing us to drop into a supportive and engaging container to awaken our minds, hearts and bodies. We will start each morning at 6:30am with seated and walking meditation, followed by the morning service.
The remainder of the days consist of community meetings, nature practice, interpersonal practice, creative expression, work practice and embodiment, all interspersed with the foundational practice of seated meditation Private interview (dokusan) will be available during some of the sitting periods. Dokusan is a chance to ask questions and/or receive personalized instruction from a teacher. There is personal time built into the schedule every morning and afternoon. We will eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together. The day will include both periods of silence and periods of intentional conversation. The evenings will end at 8:30pm.
The retreat will begin at 6pm on Sunday, July 5. Participants are encouraged to arrive between 4-5:30pm to allow enough time to settle in before the retreat begins promptly at 6pm. The retreat will end at 12pm on Saturday, July 11.
Accommodation & Pricing
The Mountains and Waters Retreat is taking place at the Earthspring Sanctuary Retreat Centre. There are a variety of accommodation options available at the retreat centre. Participants are encouraged to stay at Earthspring or somewhere close by as the retreat days begin early in the morning and end late at night.
Please note that the retreat cost is separate from the accommodation costs. There is an early bird and tiered pricing available for the retreat pricing. There are no discounts for the accommodation as our costs reflect the actual cost of the accommodations.
Space is limited and there is a lot of interest in the retreat, so please register at your earliest convenience.
Retreat Pricing
Please note all prices are in Canadian dollars.
Our tiered pricing is designed to make our offerings accessible to all, regardless of financial circumstances.
Standard Rate: Please select the mid-price if you are financially stable.
Supporter Rate: If you are able to contribute more and support others’ participation, please consider the higher rate.
Reduced Rate: Choose the lower rate if you are a student, from a country with a lower exchange rate, or have limited financial means.
We invite you to choose the option that best reflects your current situation, so your contribution feels both generous and sustainable.
Early bird deadline: May 15, 2026
Final registration deadline: June 26, 2026
Earlybird pricing (CDN):
Standard Rate: $1399
Supporter Rate: $1599
Reduced Rate: $1199
Regular pricing (CDN):
Standard Rate: $1599
Supporter Rate: $1799
Reduced Rate: $1399
Accommodation Pricing
The pricing below reflects the cost for the full length of the retreat, in Canadian dollars. Bedding is provided in the lodge and cabins. You will need to bring your own camping equipment if you stay in a tent or RV.
LODGE
Private Room with En-suite (Queen Bed) - $650
Dormitory (single bed) with shared bathroom - $420
CABINS
New Dawn Cabin (Queen bed with kitchenette, composting toilet, running water) - $650
Higher Ground Cabin (Queen bed, pullout couch, kitchenette, composting toilet, running water) - $800
Tree House (Bunkbed) - $520
CAMPING
Tent Camping (per tent) with shared bathroom - $300
RV Camping - $360
YOUR TEACHERS
The retreat is co-hosted by four fully transmitted Zen teachers (Senseis) that span a diverse range of gifts and interests that they bring to life throughout their insight, teachings and offerings.
“The synthesis of multiple perspectives is always greater than their sum. The self/team which is knowledgeable about many worlds has great wisdom in each of them.” - Forest Landry
Lisa Genki Gibson Sensei has been practicing with Diane Musho Hamilton Roshi in the Soto Zen lineage since 2008 and received Dharma transmission in 2023. As a Zen teacher and committed student of reality, she is passionate about the potency of Zen practice to deepen our expression of wisdom, compassion and joy in everyday life. Based in Vancouver, Canada with her family on the unceded ancestral lands and waters of the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Wauthuth Nations, Lisa works as a coach, facilitator and educator, to support the wholehearted engagement of a more just, caring and sustainable world.
Brooke Teisui McNamara Sensei is a Zen teacher, lineage holder, and poet. She has practiced as a student of Diane Musho Hamilton Roshi since 2010, receiving monk ordination in 2012 and Dharma Transmission in 2023. Prior to 2010, she was a student of nondual teacher and poet, Dorothy S. Hunt. Brooke has published two books of poems: Bury the Seed and Feed Your Vow, and has taught at Naropa University in Yoga Studies and CU Boulder in Dance. She holds an MFA, and teaches in-person and online courses and retreats to facilitate the awakening of innate wisdom, compassion, artistry, and play. She lives with her husband and two sons in Boulder, CO.
Robert Daishin McNamara Sensei is a transmitted Zen teacher, advisor, consultant and executive coach. He is the author of three books, most recently Powerful Listening. He is a co-founder of the advisory and consulting firm Delta Developmental. Rob serves on faculty at the Ivey School of Business’ LIFT Advanced Coaching Program, Real LIFE Programs and is a former Harvard University Teaching Fellow teaching adult development at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. McNamara currently advises, trains, and coaches executives and teams addressing organizational viability risks. Rob’s passion supports leaders to better navigate complex organizational and civilizational challenges vital to current and future institutional capabilities.
Brian Butsudō Turner Sensei has been practicing Zen in the White Plum branch of the Soto lineage for over fifteen years. He received monk ordination in 2012 and Dharma Transmission in 2023 from Diane Musho Hamilton Roshi. He does his best to present the Dharma with warmth, humor and pragmatism. Butsudō loves the forms and rituals of Zen practice provided they are inhabited with intention and relaxation. He lives in Erie with his wife and daughter and has two adult children. Brian has a Ph.D. in physics and currently works as an engineer in an optics manufacturing company.
Register
Dragon Moon Zen uses Zeffy for course registration, a free service provided to charitable organizations such as ours. Pricing is in Canadian dollars.
On checkout, you will be asked to make a voluntary contribution to support Zeffy: note that this optional contribution goes directly to Zeffy, not to Dragon Lake Zen.
Please choose the retreat price that works for your current financial context. For those who can pay more, all higher funds received will help create practice opportunities for participants of lower financial means.
Need accommodation? You can choose from a variety of accommodation types in the form below, from private cabins to shared dorms to camping.
Retreat and Accommodation are offered as separate items. You can pay via credit card or e-transfer. To pay via e-transfer, choose the "CHEQUE" option on the payment page and you'll receive instructions. Send your e-transfer to dragonmoonzen@gmail.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Earthspring Sanctuary Retreat Centre is located outside of Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island. From Victoria, the retreat centre is approximately 30 minutes drive. From Vancouver, guests will take a ferry from the Tsawwassen terminal to Schwartz Bay terminal, and then drive approximately 35 minutes to arrive at the centre.
For guests flying in, they will fly to Victoria International Airport and drive approximately 30 minutes to the venue. We will provide more specific directions to registered participants closer to the retreat dates, and will support carpooling to ensure an easy arrival at the venue. There is no public transit to the venue. Please reach out with questions about travel to dragonmoonzen@gmail.com.
Please plan to arrive before the start of the retreat (5pm registration on Sunday, July 5) and stay through the end of the retreat (12pm on July 11). In other words, please ensure your travel plans will allow you to participate in the entire retreat.
7 days of programming in Zen practice and aliveness practice with 4 transmitted Zen teachers and trained/ certified facilitators (Sunday, July 5 at 5pm through Saturday, July 11 at 12pm)
Breakfast lunch and dinner starting with dinner on the opening evening of the retreat. The last meal will be breakfast on the final day of the retreat.
Coffee, tea, and snacks each morning and afternoon.
Use of our venue common space and gardens for gathering and relaxing (during retreat hours)
If you are staying at the venue, accommodation rates cover the cost of your stay for the 6 nights of the retreat.
Guests are responsible for purchasing travel medical insurance and cancellation insurance which are strongly recommended. Purchasing travel insurance helps to mitigate any unexpected circumstances such as medical issues prior to traveling or while traveling, last minute flight cancellations or personal issues that might affect your trip.
All participants are required to sign a health & liability waiver in order to attend this retreat. This will be provided after registration and before arrival to retreat.
If you need to cancel, 50% refund will be provided before June 20, 2026. No refunds will be issued after June 20th. No refunds will be given for failure to attend or complete the retreat.
All participants travelling from out-of-town are encouraged to purchase travel insurance. Please explore your options to purchase a premium policy with a Cancel For Any Reason contingency. Group travel bookings are not protected so it is the individual’s responsibility to protect their own investment.
Two partial scholarships are available for participants with financial constraints, who are willing to contribute through work-trade. Preference will be given to BIPOC and current students. Please email dragonmoonzen@gmail.com to express interest in a partial scholarship.