This meditation retreat provides a supportive online environment, virtual community and teacher support for an at-home immersive meditation practice. A way to support our inner sense of well-being in these challenging COVID-19 times.
This retreat was originally scheduled to include Memorial Day, a day of remembrance in the U.S. The ancient Buddhist word Sati, often translated as mindfulness, has the notion of remembering at its root. During this retreat, we’ll practice remembering to come home to the body and the heart in the present moment to allow the mind and heart to settle. We’ll practice remembering the wholeness that exists within us even when we may feel fragmented, and we’ll practice remembering the innate capacity of the heart, to connect with a sense of freedom, joy, ease and well-being – a capacity important to remember – and which resources us – when times are difficult.
We aim to simplify life for a few days, putting aside the usual responsibilities and distractions as much as is feasible and to turn inward. We will alternate periods of sitting meditation and walking meditation, chanting, Qi-Gong, mindful eating, dharma talks, and rest. There will be daily instruction and guidance, periods where participants should be on camera, and periods of self-practice where a virtual meditation hall will be available.
As a special offering on this retreat, we’ll have a daily morning session of chanting and bowing. This devotional practice is another dharma doorway that has been around throughout history but has largely been forgotten in the Western insight meditation communities. These practices help us remember and connect with the part of our heart that can rest at ease with the sounds of the world using gestures of humility and respect which naturally tenderize the heart, along with the vibrational energy of ancient mantras and oral teachings and visual imagery.
Qi-Gong is an ancient energy cultivation and healing practice. The gentle yet potent movements support our practice by opening the energy channels in the body, balancing the energies, soothing the body and mind and putting one in a state that activates the body’s own innate capacity for healing on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels.
The retreat is open to experienced practitioners as well as those newer to meditation.
Schedule
The retreat opening session will begin at 4:00pm (Pacific Daylight Time) on Friday May 22nd and end at 6:00pm on Sunday May 24th. All participants should attend with “camera on.”
For May 23rd and May 24th, the schedule will be as shown below. Periods highlighted in blue and with an asterisk are periods where participants should be in attendance with their camera on. During periods of self-practice there will be a virtual meditation hall available to create a sense of community and reinforce the fact that we’re practicing together.
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Daily Schedule All times are Pacific Daylight Time |
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7:30am – 9:00am |
Chanting, bowing, sit and instructions* |
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9:00am – 10:30am |
Self-Practice. Suggested schedule: 9:00 to 9:45 Walking Meditation 9:45 to 10:30 Sitting Meditation |
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10:30-12:00 |
Mindful eating instructions* and Meal Break & Rest or more self-practice |
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12:00-12:30 |
Guided meditation period* |
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12:30-1:15 |
Qi-gong* |
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1:15-4:00 |
Self-practice: Suggested Schedule: 1:15 to 2:00 Sitting Meditation 2:00 to 2:30 Walking Meditation 2:30 to 3:15 Sitting Meditation 3:15 to 4:00 Walking Meditation |
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4:00-6:00 |
Dharma Talk / Q&A / Sit* |
*We are asking participants in this retreat to commit to all items on the schedule that are marked with an asterisk (*) and as many of the other practice sessions as your circumstances allow.
Dana/Donations: The fee for the retreat goes to support InsightLA, which has been severely financially impacted due to the closure of its centers. This revenue will help pay our employees to continue offering programming and supporting the community. It also allows the teachers to continue their dharma work and support students in these much needed times. There will be an opportunity to contribute at the end of the retreat to the teachers.
Financial Support and Payment Plans: There is a limited amount of financial support available for those in financial hardship. We will do our best to offer as much as possible to all who request it. In order to do so, we rely on people to commit to paying at the highest level they can afford. Instructions: please click Register, then select either People of Color, Marginalized Groups, or For All Others in Need of Financial Support, then select your desired payment amount.
If you would like to set up a payment plan please email support@insightla.org with the number of payments and the payment amount (ie: 5 monthly payments of $70).
