The Power of Connection:
A New Year’s Daylong Retreat
taught by Dalila Bothwell, Rae Houseman, & Alison Cohen
January 11, 2026, from 11-5 pm ET
Online via Zoom
One Moment At A Time Retreats
January 2026 Offering
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.
~ Past One Moment at a Time Retreat Participant
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.
~ Past One Moment at a Time Retreat Participant
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.
~ Past One Moment at a Time Retreat Participant
What is this retreat about?
In the midst of a widespread sense of disconnection and fear, there is no better time to come together and practice, especially at the beginning of a new year.
What if we thought of mindfulness practice as “connectfulness” practice? The truth is that at its heart, mindfulness is all about connection: connection to the body, connection to our emotional lives, connection to intuition, connection to compassionate awareness, connection to each other.
In this daylong retreat, we will gently cultivate more consistent connection through mindfulness meditation and also engage in reflection and visioning about the year ahead through guided reflection and journaling.
This retreat will not focus on cultivating new year's resolutions in a typical sense; instead, we will engage in inquiries about how we want to meet life and live it with greater presence, intentionality, and care.
Supported by sangha (a community of supportive practitioners), we will come together to connect to and tend to our bodies, hearts, and minds with care, and in doing so access inner wisdom about how to proceed.
All are welcome, regardless of your prior level of meditation experience. Please bring something to write with and write on.
What is the flow of the retreat?
This is the approximate schedule—it may change slightly.
11-12:15 pm EDT: Welcoming ourselves to retreat
12:15-12:30 pm: Applied Mindfulness period (aka a break)
12:30-1:15 pm: Teaching and Meditation Period 1
1:15-1:45 pm: Instructions & Walking Practice
1:45-2:05 pm: Question & Response
2:05-2:30 pm: Applied mindfulness period (aka a break)
2:30-3:15 pm: Teaching and Meditation Period 2
3:15-3:30 pm: Walking Practice Period
3:30-4 pm: Shorter teaching and Meditation Period 3
4-4:15 pm: Question & Response
4:15-5 pm: Communal closing
Cost & Registration
This retreat is being offered on a tiered sliding scale. Please choose the rate that best fits your circumstances.
Sustainer Rate: $125 (Register here)
the standard cost of participating in this retreat
Giver Rate: $150 (Register here)
the standard cost + a generous contribution of $25 to support those who need supported rates
Supported Rate: $80 (Register here)
a reduced rate
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
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This meditation retreat is for anyone who wants to deepen their practice of meditation in the context of a supportive community as a new year begins. Whether this is your first meditation retreat or your fiftieth, we're looking forward to co-creating a compassionate communal space. All are welcome.
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Yes! We encourage you to read “Guidelines for a Successful Online Retreat,” compiled by the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP).
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Yes, it will just start later in the day and end right before you head to bed, ot perhaps a bit past your typical bedtime :). We would love to have you join us!
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If you cancel your registration more than two weeks before the retreat begins, meaning prior to December 28, 2025, you will be refunded your full registration fee minus a $5 administrative 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.
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Yes, there will be the option 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.
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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, Rae Houseman, and Alison Cohen 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!
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.
Rae Houseman (Retreat Teacher)
Rae is passionate about integrating mindfulness into daily life. They believe moving toward an embodied practice is what supports growth and happiness. They find patience and humor to be of great benefit when learning to observe the habits and tendencies of the heart/mind.
Rae has practiced extensively in both the Insight Meditation tradition and the Vajrayana tradition, and finds the interweaving of these two approaches to be complementary of a deeply compassionate and discerning practice. They hold a Masters degree in Somatic Psychology and they are a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. Learn more about Rae at www.raehouseman.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 currently teaches in Tara Brach’s A Year of Courageous Loving program and has mentored in the global Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP). 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.