The Buddha's offering is not a theory about being, but the actual felt experience of being in your life. That is its liberating power.
Phillip Moffitt, MA
Residential Retreat Teacher
Phillip Moffitt is a Buddhist meditation teacher and writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He served as Co-Guiding Teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center from 2010 to 2018. Phillip is the creator of the Naturally Arising practice method and the honorary co-founder of the online retreat center Dharma Ground.
Phillip is also the founder and president of Life Balance Institute, a nonprofit organization offering programs focused on helping people develop the inner skills needed to live with clarity and intention—especially during major life transitions.
He is the author of three books: Dancing with Life: Buddhist Insights for Finding Meaning and Joy in the Face of Suffering; Emotional Chaos to Clarity; and Awakening through the Nine Bodies.
Phillip Moffitt's Upcoming Programs
Short Program | Online
Saturday, September 19 | 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Discovering Your Hidden Demands: A Day of Recognition and Letting Go
True liberation rarely arrives through achieving some grand state. More often, it comes quietly through recognizing and releasing "hidden demands."
Hidden demands are subtle, often unconscious expectations about how our experience should be. They arise from a wish to feel safe and to thrive, yet they work against us. When we cling to our expectations, we contract and suffer.
Through guided meditations, short talks, and personal exploration, you'll have the opportunity to discover and work with your own hidden demands.
Phillip Moffitt
Training | Online | Dharma Institute
October 1 - May 27, 2027 | 8 Session | 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
The Art of Dancing with Life: A Transformative, Relational Path of Practice
The Art of Dancing with Life: A Transformative, Relational Path of Practice is an immersive 8-month online journey hosted by Spirit Rock. This course is designed to help you move beyond the cycle of reactivity and "self-improvement" toward a radical inner shift in how you relate to existence.
Guided by expert teachers Phillip Moffitt, Alex Haley, and Ying Chen, you will explore the Twelve Insight Practices of the Four Noble Truths. The curriculum emphasizes a living inquiry through direct experience, teaching you to meet life’s challenges, joys, and sorrows with depth, aliveness, and a sense of ease.
Short Program | Online
Saturday, November 21 | 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
A Day of Forgiveness: Cultivating Compassion, Mindfulness, and Emotional Resilience
6 CE Credits. Forgiveness is one of the most healing—and challenging—practices we can undertake. This daylong offers a compassionate path toward acceptance and inner freedom. Through guided meditations, teachings, and reflection, we'll explore forgiveness as a skillful, heart-centered practice—cultivating lovingkindness, compassion, and mindful acknowledgment to loosen the grip of painful memories. You are welcome to bring whatever you're carrying: remorse, grief, anger, guilt, or sorrow. The day includes teachings, sitting and walking meditation, and a forgiveness ceremony. All are welcome–no meditation experience needed.
Phillip Moffitt
Retreat | On-Land
June 6 - June 14, 2027 | Sunday - Monday | 8 nights
Naturally Arising Samādhi (Concentration)
Registration Open. This retreat supports the natural unfolding of samādhi (concentration) as an innate capacity of the mind-heart that emerges when the conditions are gently aligned. Rather than striving to achieve concentration, we cultivate a grounded presence that allows the mind to become collected and unified through direct, embodied experience. As the mind stabilizes, a natural joy and contentment emerge—qualities that can become trustworthy companions on the path of insight.
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Phillip Moffitt through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.