Heartsmile Training (HST) is an experiential program designed to awaken participants to the wholeness of this very moment, just as it is, through a loving smile. By focusing on the innate feelings of love and compassion deep within our body and mind, it guides participants to experience their original state of warmth and openness. This is a contemporary meditation practice that brings forth the positive emotions of body and mind — freeing us from anxiety and suffering — and allows the full sense of presence inherent within us to naturally emerge.

Heartsmile Training is rooted in traditional loving-kindness and compassion meditation, and has been developed through research in modern psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience, with its practical effectiveness continuing to be verified.

Centered on the core meditation of awakening to wholeness through a loving smile, the program is accompanied by a variety of supporting practices that help prepare the body and deepen the main practice:

Gratitude & Love Movement — sharing gratitude and love through gentle hand gestures

Deep Fascia Body Scan(Lying Down) — awakening interoceptive awareness through alert relaxation

Gratitude & Acceptance Meditation — offering deep gratitude to oneself and accepting things as they are

Sound Meditation — allowing wholeness to emerge from the silent, open space of sound resonance

These and other supporting practices are woven together throughout the three days.

Beginning with the 38th Heartsmile Training 2-Night 3-Day Intensive Retreat, the program will be co-facilitated by Heartsmilers who are actively sharing Heartsmile Training in communities near and far. Why not take this time to let Heartsmile Training bring warmth, openness, and a loving smile to your body and mind?

Who This Is For

Those curious about loving-kindness and compassion meditation

Those who wish to cultivate positive emotions through intensive practice and find freedom from anxiety and suffering

Those seeking personal development and growth

Those experiencing mental or emotional difficulties in daily life

Date & Time

April 17 (Fri) – 19 (Sun), 2026 | 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

(This program is a commuter-style retreat with no overnight accommodation provided. Participants who require lodging are asked to make their own reservations.)

Venue

Thal Mah Sah

3505 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019

Facilitator

Heart Smiler in Training — Ko, Sarah

Sarah has built an extensive career in the mental health field since 2011, and has been practicing as a Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) since 2016. She currently serves as the Director of Together Mental Health Clinic in Los Angeles, and holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from UCLA, where her research focused on suicide prevention education for the Korean American community. She is committed to bringing compassionate healing to the frontlines of care — including mobile psychiatric services for underserved homeless populations, inpatient psychiatric units, and geriatric care facilities.

As President of the Southern California Korean American Nurses Association (2023–2026), she leads meditation programs for fellow healthcare professionals. She also founded Education for Korean American Youth, a nonprofit dedicated to the next generation of Korean American youth, through which she regularly runs children's meditation camps. As a certified MBSR and MBCT Level 1 instructor and a practitioner of Korean Seon (Zen) meditation and Heartsmile Training, she is devoted to integrating Korea's traditional tea culture and meditation with modern psychiatric healing for a deeper, more holistic path to recovery.

She is the author of Complete Guide to Becoming a U.S. Nurse Practitioner, How to Become a Nurse Practitioner in the US, and Surviving as a U.S. Nurse (co-authored).

Capacity

20 participants

Registration

Create an account at heartsmile.org, complete the application form, and submit payment to confirm your registration.

Participation Fee

General: $500.00

Early Bird: $400.00 (20% discount — registration and payment must be completed by Thursday, April 2, two weeks prior)

Payment

Zelle to ginakjung@gmail.com (Account holder: Geumgang-hoe)

*Please note: payment account information differs for each course. Always verify before sending payment!

Cancellation & Refund Policy

Cancellations and refunds will not be accepted from 7 days before the start of the program (Friday, April 10) onward. Please plan accordingly.

Certificate of Completion

A certificate of completion will be issued to participants who attend 90% or more of the practice sessions.

Only those who have completed this course are eligible to proceed to the next level.

This course is recognized as fulfilling the required completion hours for certification by the Korea Meditation Instructor Association.

(The Basic Course counts for 24 hours.)

What to Bring

Comfortable clothing and footwear suitable for sitting and movement

Day 2 Walking Meditation: comfortable walking shoes, clothing, and a hat

Please bring your own reusable cup or tumbler in support of environmental sustainability

Any personal medications you may need, and a pen or notebook

If you have a wristwatch, please bring it — we encourage digital balancing during the retreat

Digital Balancing

To support effective practice, mobile phone use will be restricted and phones will be collected during the retreat period. Please wrap up any important matters beforehand, and allow yourself to fully rest — body and mind — with Heartsmile Training for all three days.

Inquiries

Heartsmiler Ko, Sarah | 1-213-434-1450​