Registration Information

Registrations for Retreat Center courses are accepted online, by mail or in person. For security reasons, we do not accept registration by email. We will return any incomplete applications, including those without sufficient deposit.

We process registrations by date received or by lottery.

If you register online, you will immediately receive an email acknowledging receipt of your application.

Whether you register by mail or online, you should receive further correspondence indicating your registration status within 2 weeks. If you do not hear from us within this time, please contact our office.

All retreatants are expected to participate in the entire course. Prior approval of both the teacher and our office is required for anyone wishing to arrive late or leave early. Once a retreat is in process, such movement is disruptive and places an additional burden on other retreatants, especially with regard to work periods. Your room cannot be guaranteed if you arrive late; the full course fee will be charged regardless of length of stay.

Please contact our office if you are chemically sensitive.

IMS strives to provide a safe, peaceful and efficient environment for meditators. It is with regret that we find, at times, the need to turn someone away. Please know that we take great care in such situations – the discernment process is thorough and always with the intention to protect the majority of those who practice here.
Wait List

If a Retreat Center course is full, you will be placed on a wait list and notified if an opening occurs. If you do not get into a course, your deposit will be refunded. Cancellation fees apply if you are confirmed into a course from the wait list and do not accept. So please notify us immediately if you decide you no longer wish to attend.

Payments

Retreat Center fees and deposits are listed here. IMS fees are on a sliding scale basis that allows you to pay according to your means. Any amount paid above the Base rate is a tax-deductible donation.

All retreats require a deposit on registering, even if you are applying for a scholarship.

Please pay by check, credit card or money order in U.S. funds, drawn on a U.S. or Canadian bank. We cannot accept foreign cash or bank drafts.

If possible, please pay the entire retreat cost on registering; this helps our operations.

You can make your check or money order payable to IMS, or include Visa or MasterCard information on the registration form.

Cancellations

If you need to cancel your Retreat Center registration, please contact us as soon as possible. Cancellation fees are: $50 if you cancel four or more weeks before a course begins; your full deposit is forfeited after that. (For any retreat with a 'You Choose' rate option, cancellation fees are: $25 if you cancel four or more weeks before a course begins and $50 after that.)

The cancellation policy for the Three-Month Retreat is more stringent.

Cancellation fees apply if you are confirmed into a course from the wait list and do not accept. So please notify us immediately if you decide you no longer wish to attend.

All cancellation fees support our Scholarship Funds.

Lotteries

Due to popularity, admission to the annual Family Retreat is by lottery. All registrations received by the deadline are included in the lottery. Those not selected by lottery, as well as any late registrations, are put on a wait list.

At the Retreat Center, anyone who has applied for a particular lottery course two or more times without getting in is eligible for automatic inclusion - however, you must notify us if this is the case, prior to the lottery deadline.

Transfers

If you wish to transfer from one retreat to another, you need to first cancel from your assigned course and then register for the new one.

One such transfer per year is allowed without a cancellation fee, provided you do so before the cancellation date. Both courses must take place within the same calendar year.

If you subsequently cancel from the course to which you have transferred, you will be charged the applicable cancellation fee—even if you cancel from a wait list. (This is the only circumstance where a wait list cancellation fee applies.)

Please read the General Information about our Retreat Center.