Questions About Joining DH11
- Getting Started -
Now that the introductory weekends are over and the group will start in September, can I still join?
Yes. If you've already attended one or more of our introductory weekends, we encourage you to complete the application process before the group begins in September.
If you're discovering the Diamond Approach now or after the group has started, you're still welcome. During the first phase of the program, you may register for a teaching weekend without applying first. This gives you an opportunity to experience the work, meet the community, and see whether the Diamond Approach feels like a good fit before deciding whether to apply for ongoing participation.
At a certain point, the group will close to new members so that a stable field of trust and shared experience can develop. We'll communicate well in advance before that happens.
How do I know if the Diamond Approach and DH11 is right for me?
The best way to know is to experience it.
While you can read about or hear teachings of the Diamond Approach, it is fundamentally an experiential path that is best understood by having a chance to try it out. During a teaching weekend you'll have the opportunity to hear the teachings, participate in practices, experience inquiry, and get a sense of the group itself.
Many people discover that something deeply resonates with them. Others realize it isn't the right fit—and that's perfectly okay. We encourage you to come with curiosity and let your own experience guide you.
Can I bring my partner or a friend to a weekend?
Absolutely. Each person will simply need to register separately. Many students enjoy introducing friends or family members to the work while the group remains open to new participants.
- The Work -
What is inquiry?
Inquiry is the central practice of the Diamond Approach.
Rather than trying to change your experience or arrive at a predetermined answer, inquiry invites you to become curious about your present-moment experience. With openness and interest, we learn to recognize our thoughts, emotions, sensations, and deeper qualities of Being as we discover the truth about where we are in our life and in our experience now. There is no fixed answer to that question in the inquiry process, rather a continually unfolding journey of discovery and opening.
Over time, inquiry becomes a way of living that supports increasing freedom, authenticity, and understanding. It engages and explores our inner world such that each experience deepens and reveals its meaning. Over time, our experience is increasingly informed by innate qualities of our Being—love, joy, strength, will, compassion, and peace, among others—that have been hidden by unconscious beliefs and attitudes.
Along with verbal exploration, we use movement practices and breath work to engage the wisdom of the body. The openness of this approach invites us to contact our own inner guidance—to discover and fulfill our potential in our own unique timing and way.
What is the structure and cost of the teaching weekends? Will that change over time?
During the first phase of the program (2026–2027), each teaching weekend includes three sessions—Saturday during the day and Sunday morning. The cost is $160 per weekend.
As the group matures, we anticipate expanding the teaching time to support the depth and pace of the work. This may include adding a fourth session during teaching weekends and, possibly, an occasional three-day weekend. We'll make these decisions based on what best serves both the group and the unfolding of the teaching, and we'll communicate any changes well in advance.
Any future fee increases will reflect additional teaching time, along with modest annual adjustments to keep pace with inflation and program costs.
What about private sessions and small groups?
Private sessions range in cost from $100-$130 per session. Most students meet with their private teacher every two to four weeks, although the frequency is determined collaboratively between you and your teacher. If you would like a free mini-session with a teacher to get a taste of private work, you can email CADH11@ridhwan.org to request one.
Small groups will begin after the large group closes to new members, which we anticipate will be in late 2028 or 2029. These groups will meet 8-10 times a year, typically include 12–15 students and are led by a Diamond Approach teacher. There is a separate cost of $45 for the small group meetings.
We expect to offer small groups in the East Bay, San Francisco, and Marin. For students traveling longer distances, a Saturday evening group may also be offered. (For a more detailed description of Large Group, Small Group and Private Sessions, see About the Path)
Can I meet with any Diamond Approach teacher for private sessions?
If you already have an ongoing relationship with a Diamond Approach teacher, you're welcome to continue working with them. Otherwise, we'll assign you a private teacher in your area as part of the application process.
Why does this work require such a significant commitment?
We recognize that this is a meaningful commitment of both time and energy.
Over many years of teaching, we've found that lasting transformation requires a significant commitment to oneself in a way that challenges the habitual patterns of the ego self, standards and norms of ordinary society and the conditioning of our families/history. This is supported by continuity—returning to the work regularly, practicing inquiry, receiving individual support, and engaging authentically within an ongoing community of like-minded souls.
Rather than seeing the commitment as simply a requirement, we view it as part of what makes the work so powerful. It creates the conditions for students to discover themselves beyond habitual patterns and increasingly live from their essential nature.
- Participation -
What happens if I miss a weekend?
We ask students to prioritize attending weekends whenever possible. Being together in person strengthens the shared field of the group, and many aspects of the teaching and inquiry are most fully received through direct participation.
At the same time, we understand that illness, family needs, and unexpected life events sometimes make attendance impossible.
All teaching weekends are recorded. If you miss a weekend, we ask that you listen to the recordings and meet with an inquiry partner to do the exercises that accompanied the teachings before the next weekend. This will allow you to stay current with the material, which increasingly builds from one weekend to the next.
Because DH11 is an ongoing program rather than a series of individual workshops, tuition is due on time whether or not you attend a particular weekend. Your tuition includes access to the recordings, allowing you to stay connected with the teaching whenever you're unable to attend in person.
What if I'm quiet or shy? Do I have to speak in the group?
Not at all.
There is time for questions and sharing during each teaching session, but participation is always voluntary. Some students enjoy speaking early on, while others prefer simply to listen.
Many people find that as trust develops and the group field deepens, sharing begins to feel more natural and meaningful. Others continue to participate primarily through listening. Both are completely welcome.
What are the guidelines and culture of the group?
We believe the quality of the teaching depends not only on what happens during inquiry, but also on the atmosphere we create together.
We ask students to approach the work with sincerity, confidentiality, curiosity, and respect for one another's process. Our intention is to cultivate a community where each person feels safe to be authentic, explore deeply, and learn from one another.
You can read our complete Community Guidelines here.
- Registration & Financial Support -
When do I register for each weekend? Is there a late fee?
Registration opens approximately three weeks before each teaching weekend and closes the day before the retreat begins.
We ask everyone to register and submit payment on time, even if you're unable to attend, since your registration supports the planning and continuity of the program and recordings will be available afterward.
Beginning in 2027, registrations received after the deadline will incur a $25 late fee.
Are scholarships or work-trade opportunities available?
Yes.
As the group grows, we plan to offer both work-trade opportunities and a scholarship fund to support students experiencing financial hardship.
We expect work-trade positions to become available in 2027 or early 2028. Our intention is that financial circumstances alone should not prevent someone who is truly committed to the group and the teaching from continuing in the work.
What does provisional acceptance mean?
Students are provisionally accepted until they have completed ten recent inquiry sessions with their private Diamond Approach teacher. At that point, your teacher will meet with you to discuss your experience in the work and, if appropriate, recommend you for full acceptance into the group.
This process helps ensure that students have had sufficient opportunity to experience both the group teaching and individual inquiry before making a longer-term commitment. This way a student has the opportunity to feel whether this particular path resonates and makes sense at this time in their life.
Is childcare available?
Yes. We are in the process of launching a childcare program, which we expect to begin with the October 2026 teaching weekend. Unfortunately, we aren't able to offer childcare during the September weekend because we'll be sharing the facility with another group.
If you're interested in childcare, please fill out our brief childcare interest form and we'll keep you updated as the program develops.
Are there other opportunities available to me once I become a member of DH11?
Yes. As a member of DH11, you'll become part of the larger international Diamond Approach community, with access to a variety of opportunities and resources beyond our local teaching weekends.
These include a monthly newsletter, online affinity groups (such as parenting, ecology, and diversity), weekly meditation groups attended by students around the world, guided Diamond Body Practices that cultivate embodied presence and awareness, and an extensive library of recordings and online resources to support your ongoing spiritual journey.
As our group reaches certain milestones in the teaching, additional retreats become available, including Hameed's Winter Retreat and, later, the All-School Retreat at the Asilomar Conference Center.
Many students find that, over time, the Diamond Approach becomes much more than a series of weekends. It becomes an ongoing community of learning, friendship, and shared exploration that continues to deepen over the years.