Fernmarie Rodriguez (Teacher in Training)
Residential Retreat Teacher in Training
Fernmarie Rodriguez began her journey as a passionate explorer of the outer universe, inspiring her to pursue a B.S. in Theoretical Physics, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and an M.S. in Human-Centered Design. She went on to accumulate over 15 years of corporate experience at Microsoft, Skype, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and NASA.
Despite her external success, Fernmarie realized that true, lasting happiness couldn’t be found through achievements alone. Determined to find deeper fulfillment, she shifted her focus to the art of cultivating meaningful relationships—an endeavor she found more complex than any academic pursuit. After years of struggle and a sense of defeat, she invoked the universe for guidance, which led to a pivotal insight. As a physicist and engineer accustomed to seeking truth through academia and attempting to fix relationships through logic, one moment of clarity shattered the intellectual barriers she had once placed between herself and the rest of reality.
This marked the beginning of a transformative inner journey. As she redirected her attention toward the inner universe, Fernmarie began to understand and release deep-rooted fears, relational insecurities, and mental-emotional patterns that had left her feeling unfulfilled, even amidst worldly success. This shift inspired her to leave her engineering career to embark on a global pilgrimage, where she learned how to cultivate inner peace, lovingkindness, self-compassion, forgiveness, balance, and joy through meditation and heart-opening practices.
Today, Fernmarie feels blessed by the support and inspiration her daughter and family have brought into her life. She is deeply grateful for the opportunity to leverage her diverse background in service to the awakening of human consciousness. Fernmarie shares her insights through her Intentional Evolution program and is honored to be part of the 2025-2028 Insight Meditation (Vipassana) Teacher Training Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA, and the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA.
Fernmarie Rodriguez (Teacher in Training)'s Upcoming Programs
Retreat | On-Land
September 27 - October 2, 2026 | Sunday - Friday | 5 nights
The Dharma of Nature: Nature as Refuge, Teacher, Beloved
Spaces Still Available! Through guided nature-based meditations, together we will cultivate embodied mindfulness, deepen our connection to the earth, and awaken to the profound wisdom found in nature. Explore teachings on impermanence, interconnection, and letting go while opening to joy, awe, and inner stillness. This retreat offers a powerful refuge—nourishing the spirit, supporting resilience, and inspiring heartfelt presence in the midst of our changing world.
Mark Coleman
Victoria Cary
Kirsten Rudestam
Lissa Edmond (Teacher in Training)
Fernmarie Rodriguez (Teacher in Training)
Ramona Lisa Ortiz-Smith (Teacher in Training)
Retreat | On-Land | Hybrid
December 18 - December 23, 2026 | Friday - Wednesday | 5 nights
Winter Solstice Retreat: Embracing the Dark, Inviting the Light
Spaces Still Available! This retreat will focus on centering ourselves during the holidays, quieting our minds, grounding in our bodies, opening our hearts, and using inquiry to energize our practice. Special emphasis will be placed on opening to the darkness, including our difficulties and challenges, and opening to the coming light—to the beauty, joy, wisdom, and love within and around us. The retreat will include sitting and walking meditation, daily lovingkindness and Qigong practice, evening talks, practice discussions, and a Winter Solstice ceremony.
Oren Jay Sofer
devon hase
Yong Oh
Heather Sundberg
Kimi Mojica (Movement Teacher)
Fernmarie Rodriguez (Teacher in Training)
Retreat | Online | Hybrid
December 18 - December 23, 2026 | Friday - Wednesday
Winter Solstice Retreat: Embracing the Dark, Inviting the Light
Spaces Still Available! Throughout this retreat, we will focus on centering ourselves at the time of the holidays and the New Year. Together we will quiet our minds, ground our bodies, open our hearts, and use inquiry to help energize our practice. Special emphasis will be placed on opening to the darkness, including to our difficulties and challenges, and opening to the coming light, which includes the beauty, joy, wisdom, and love within and around us.
Oren Jay Sofer
devon hase
Yong Oh
Heather Sundberg
Kimi Mojica (Movement Teacher)
Fernmarie Rodriguez (Teacher in Training)
Retreat | Online
December 18 - December 23, 2026 | Friday - Wednesday | Self-paced@Home Retreat
Winter Solstice Retreat: Embracing the Dark, Inviting the Light
Spaces Still Available! This retreat will focus on centering ourselves during the holidays, quieting our minds, grounding in our bodies, opening our hearts, and using inquiry to energize our practice. Special emphasis will be placed on opening to the darkness, including our difficulties and challenges, and opening to the coming light—to the beauty, joy, wisdom, and love within and around us. The retreat will include sitting and walking meditation, daily lovingkindness and Qigong practice, evening talks, practice discussions, and a Winter Solstice ceremony.
Oren Jay Sofer
devon hase
Yong Oh
Heather Sundberg
Kimi Mojica (Movement Teacher)
Fernmarie Rodriguez (Teacher in Training)
Retreat | On-Land
June 14 - June 18, 2027 | Monday - Friday | 4 nights
Young Adult Insight Meditation Retreat
Designed for Young Adults ages 18-32 years. Registration Open. Join us to practice silent mindfulness meditation with a community of kind, sincere peers. Give yourself a break from constant overstimulation and external demands as we create a supportive space for cultivating greater calm, spaciousness, and presence. Together we will explore the ancient practices of guided and silent sitting, walking, and heart meditations, along with movement, teacher meetings, and Dharma talks. Over the course of the week, we will extend these practices until the entire day is one of steady, continuous awareness.
Matthew Brensilver
Cara Lai
Vinny Ferraro
Hakim Tafari (Movement Teacher)
Fernmarie Rodriguez (Teacher in Training)