"The Tassajara Firefighter Retreat is the most meaningful thing that fire has led me to. It has helped me recover from the toll that life experiences and working fire has had on me. This experience has helped me to feel balanced and whole. I would highly recommend this retreat."
~ Retreat participant, 2022-2023

San Francisco Zen Center offered a 9-day mindfulness-based retreat for Wildland Firefighters at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center from December 29, 2023 to January 6, 2024. SFZC has sponsored two previous retreats that have been life-changing for the participants. These retreats are a way to support our first responders, who have played a crucial role in protecting our forests from numerous fires that have become more frequent and fierce in recent summers.

The intensity and longevity of these wildfires has been taking a toll on firefighters and their families, who carry the trauma of the destruction they witness and of the loss of colleagues who have died fighting the fires.

Comments from firefighters after the retreat:

"Going to [Tassajara] was a life-changing experience for me. I really appreciated being surrounded by like-minded firefighters who truly understand the struggles we each face, both on and off of the line. I found people I could empathize with, I found healing, and I found practices I can use in everyday life to benefit my mental health."

"I hope this [yearly] retreat continues and I will be actively sharing the tools, resources, and my takeaways with the wildland firefighter community whenever I have the opportunity."