Rooted and Rising Silent Meditation Retreat:

Grounding in the Heart Practices Amidst it All

taught by OMAT Teachers Dalila Bothwell & Alison Cohen

July 15, 2026, 1 pm ET - July 19, 1 pm ET — Online via Zoom

A Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP) Approved Retreat

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One Moment At A Time (OMAT) Retreats

Third Annual Online Summer Retreat Offering

Register here
Register here

What is this (mostly) silent meditation retreat about?

It is not an easy time to be human. What do we resource in amidst it all? And how can we carve out time to wisely root in ancient wisdom that will help us rise to meet this moment in skillful, connective ways?

Multi-day retreat practice offers this opportunity. In this particular retreat, we will deepen our embodied, experiential understanding of the Four Qualities of Heart, known in Buddhism as the Brahmaviharas. This is a profound gift we can offer ourselves and this brutaful (brutal + beautiful) world.

This retreat will be a 21st-century dive into these heart qualities: lovingkindness (metta), compassion (karuna), appreciative or sympathetic joy (mudita), and equanimity (upekkha).

Through teachings, guided meditation, whole group opportunities for questions, small group check-ins, and some optional singing, our time together will provide the opportunity to explore the profound, transformative relationship between equanimity and each of the other qualities of heart. Why? In her book Lovingkindness, Sharon Salzberg offers this explanation:

"Equanimity is the spacious stillness of mind that provides the ground for the boundless nature of the other three qualities [lovingkindness, compassion, and sympathetic joy]. This radiant calm enables us to ride the waves of our experience without getting lost in our reactions.

The foundation of equanimity is reflecting on what are called, in Buddhist teachings, the eight vicissitudes, or eight worldly conditions.

Recognizing and accepting [these conditions] provides the largest possible context for developing lovingkindness, compassion, and sympathetic joy."

We warmly welcome you to join us for the third annual One Moment At A Time (OMAT) Multi-Day Silent Retreat. May our time together inspire, uplift, and support us in finding our way through this era with as much grounded, nourishing heartfulness as we can access.

*Important note*: As in past years, if you are not completing this retreat as part of your MMTCP journey, you have the option of participating in it as an integrated-into-life retreatant—instead of the full retreat immersion experience, you’ll attend the sessions that you’re able to and weave the retreat experience into your typical daily life. We do ask that you attend the small group you are assigned to and at least 3 other meditation sessions each day. Guided meditations and talks will be recorded.

What is the flow of Rooted and Rising?

This is the approximate schedule—it may change slightly. If you need to attend a multi-day retreat to fulfill the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP) pre-requisites, this meets all the requirements.

As you will see in the schedule, there will be two guided meditation sits every day: one will be a guided heart practice, and the other will be a guided foundations of mindfulness meditation practice.

Kind Words from past OMAT retreat participants

  • Thank you so much for the beautiful retreat, just on time. I look forward to sitting, singing, learning, walking, and being together again soon.

  • This was a very meaningful retreat for me at a particularly difficult time. I so appreciate the patience and compassion of the teachers. I am deeply grateful for their sincerity, devotion and generosity of spirit, and their thoughtful, skillful and authentic leadership.

  • I am so profoundly moved and life now has a different flavor: I feel softer and more connected to myself and others.

  • One of the things I appreciated most from the retreat was seeing radical gentleness in action. I love Tara Brach's book, Radical Acceptance, but I often struggled with putting the wisdom therein into practice. Even though I loved everything in that book and desired to live the way she teaches, there was still an internal block I struggled with somehow. I think a missing piece was being gentle with myself. At this retreat, I saw everything handled with such gentleness. I learned so much. The gentle language. The gentle attitudes. The gentle holding. The gentle spaces created. The gentle love and support offered and received. And to see gentleness being lived was so inspirational. It really impacted me.

  • I thank you for providing such a safe and wise place for me - there is no way I could've accessed and held this on my own.

Cost & Registration

This retreat is being offered on a tiered sliding scale. Please choose the rate that best fits your circumstances. If you want to attend, we will do our best to ensure that you’re able to, regardless of financial circumstances.

Sustainer Rate: $475: Register here.

  • the standard cost of participating in this retreat

Giver Rate: $500: Register here.

  • the standard cost + a generous contribution of $25 to support those who need reduced rates

Supported Rate: $400: Register here.

  • reduced rate for those who need it in order to participate

Please contact us at onemomentretreat@gmail.com if a payment plan (meaning installments) or a rate lower than the supported rate would allow you to participate.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • This meditation retreat is for anyone who wants to deepen their practice of meditation in the context of a supportive community. Whether this is your first meditation retreat or your fiftieth, we're looking forward to co-creating a compassionate communal space. All are welcome.

  • Yes! We encourage you to read “Guidelines for a Successful Online Retreat,” compiled by the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP).

  • Yes, it will just start later in the day and end right before you head to bed, or perhaps a bit past your typical bedtime :). We would love to have you join us! Please see the first page of the approximate schedule for more details, and feel free to reach out to us with any questions: onemomentretreat@gmail.com

  • If you cancel your registration more than one month before the retreat begins, meaning prior to June 15, you will be refunded your full registration fee minus a $25 administrative fee.

    If you cancel your registration two weeks before the retreat begins, meaning prior to July 1, you will be refunded 50% of your registration fee.

    Less than two weeks prior to the retreat, we will not be able to provide refunds since we will likely not be able to fill your spot.

  • Please note this in your registration form so that we take your attendance. You will also need to complete the online retreat commitment form provided by MMTCP. If you have any questions, please reach out: onemomentretreat@gmail.com. We’re looking forward to practicing with you!

  • Yes, and we’d love for you to join us! As in past years, if you are not completing this retreat as part of your MMTCP journey, you have the option of participating in it as an integrated-into-life retreatant—instead of the full retreat immersion experience, you’ll attend the sessions that you’re able to and weave the retreat experience into your typical daily life. We do ask that you attend the small group you are assigned to and at least 3 other meditation sessions each day. Guided meditations and talks will be recorded.

  • Definitely! We are happy to work with you to ensure you can fully participate in the retreat while honoring the practices of your religious tradition(s).

  • Yes, there will be the option (not mandatory) of giving dana. We will include the details of how to do this in the post-retreat email you’ll receive soon after the end of the retreat.

  • Thanks for asking! Please email us at onemomentretreat@gmail.com and we will respond to your email within two business days.

One Moment at a Time (OMAT) Teaching Team

Dalila Bothwell, Alison Cohen, and Rae Houseman first co-taught on the November 2020 Revolutionary Love Retreat as part of a large Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP) teaching team. The three of them kept in touch and decided to keep teaching retreats together, retreats that provide the rare opportunity to experience life one moment at a time. Their first multi-day One Moment at a Time Retreat took place in July 2024, followed by a daylong retreat series in late 2024 and another multi-day retreat in July 2025. And the journey continues!

This year’s summer retreat will be taught by Dalila and Alison, with the support of a retreat manager (to be discussed). Rae is not available to participate this summer—we will miss her!

Dalila Bothwell (Retreat Teacher)

Dalila Bothwell’s (she/her) Dharma-meditation practice lives at the intersection of love for community, land, wholeness, and 12-step recovery. The granddaughter of Claudia and Gussie Pearl, she finds refuge and hope in the liberation teachings of revolutionary lovers - from the Buddha to bell hooks.  During her nearly decade-long tenure as a director for New York Insight Meditation Center, she learned the priceless value of sangha and the role relationships play in embodying the teachings and in creating kinder human beings.

Dalila is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders Program, formally educated in nutritional science and food studies and has served with the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Insight Meditation Society, and Dharma communities throughout the US. She loves dancing furiously in her kitchen and taking long walks in the desert with her handsome pup, Brisco. Dalila believes freedom is a holistic art. Learn more about Dalila at www.dalilabothwell.com.

Alison Cohen (Retreat Teacher)

Alison Cohen (she/her), also known as Ali, loves supporting people in strengthening their capacity to connect: with themselves, with others, and with ancient and contemporary wisdom traditions. Alison’s journey to practice began as a young adult when she was desperate for guidance on how to compassionately navigate her tumultuous internal landscape, not to mention the world. On an Insight Meditation retreat, she found what she was looking for.

A former public school teacher and mindfulness program director, Alison guides Two Wings Mindfulness, which offers courses, retreats, and 1:1 support grounded in the wisdom of trauma-informed mindfulness practice. Alison also teaches in Tara Brach’s 2026 Choosing to Love program and in Buddhist, Jewish, and secular spaces. In the past, she mentored in the global Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP—2019-2025) and Tara and Jack’s Power of Awareness course. Since graduating from Harvard College and Fordham’s Graduate School of Education, Alison has trained with Mindful Schools, the UMass Center for Mindfulness (MBSR), and the International Institute for Restorative Practices, as well as under the guidance of several beloved teachers.

Retreat Manager - to be announced