Safety 

We work to protect the safety of all students. We reserve the right to remove any student from any class, sitting group, retreat, or any event if the student is disruptive to the safe learning environment we maintain for all.

Cancellation & Refunds

We reserve the right to cancel a class or event due to low enrollment or other circumstances which would make the event non-viable. If InsightLA cancels an event you’ve registered for, you will be offered a full refund. If an event has to be postponed for any reason, you will have the option to either receive a full refund or transfer your registration to the same event at the new, future date.

Donations are not refundable.
 

 

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  • Location Mary & Joseph Retreat Center
  • Experience Levels All
  • This class is a donation based class. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
  • Date Starts Friday, September 5, 2025
    Ends Friday, September 12, 2025

    7 nights

Refund and Event Policies

This retreat is offered on a Dana pay-what-you-can- basis.
Please see the “Cost” section below for details.

Join Melissa McKay and Shaila Catherine at the serene Mary and Joseph retreat center on a hilltop in Palos Verdes for this silent meditation retreat.  The retreat will emphasize a balance of mindfulness, concentration, and investigation. Instructions will encourage mindfulness of breath, body, and mind to enhance the potential for liberating insight. Meditation instructions, consultations with the teachers, and daily dharma teachings make this retreat suitable for both new and experienced practitioners. By cultivating a calm, balanced awareness, we can dissolve any suffering that may entangle our hearts and discover our freedom in the midst life’s joys and sorrows.

What to Expect:

  • Noble Silence:  silence supports the practice not just in speech but in all external communications.
  • Intensive meditation:  days will be full with alternating periods of sitting and walking meditation and there is an opportunity to keep mindfulness in all activities of the day.
  • Guidance:  Daily discourses and private meetings with the teacher offering insights into the technique and philosophy and to support you in dealing with any obstacles that arise.
  • Solitude: Your personal space will be minimalistic, promoting focus on inward journey rather than outward distraction.

Accommodations
– Single and double room accommodations to support your focus on meditation
– Nutritious, silent, vegetarian meals served to nourish your body and mind
 Light evening meals are offered and students can opt for skipping the evening meal in the practice of taking the 8 precepts.

Cost
This retreat is offered on a Dana, pay-what-you-can basis.
We invite you to offer the highest amount you can afford. On the registration page, please select the financial support option to activate the pay-what-you-can option.
Single room – minimum donation: $450
Shared room – minimum donation: $300
Note: Once registered, please contact Alexis (alexis@insightla.org) for your room preference.

Your contribution will cover your lodging, meals, and use of the retreat space. At the end of the retreat, you will have the opportunity to offer dana directly to the teachers, in the spirit of generosity and gratitude.

 

Shaila Catherine

Shaila Catherine teaches meditation world-wide. Shaila is the founder of Bodhi Courses, an online Dhamma classroom (bodhicourses.org), and Insight Meditation South Bay, a Buddhist meditation center in Silicon Valley in California (imsb.org). She has been practicing meditation since 1980, accumulating more than nine years of silent retreat experience, and has taught internationally since 1996. Shaila studied with masters in India, Thailand,... Read more

Melissa McKay

Melissa began her path of meditation in 1998 with a small group of dedicated practitioners in Oakland, CA with her beloved, though not known, teacher named Barbara Janus who introduced her to the teachings of Sayadaw U Pandita of Burma. Her first retreat was with Sayadaw U Pandita and the profound changes she saw in... Read more

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