|
Events and Retreats - 2019
We are excited to be hosting the following events.* * Note that we publicise the details of our multi-day annual retreats, and take bookings, approximately 3 - 4 months prior to each retreat. Stay in touch with details as they are publicised via our regular e-newsletters (subscribe via this website, top right of each page), this website, and our Facebook page. * Please note that our retreats book out quickly, so do register early. We are unable to take bookings or expressions of interest prior to notification. * We are involved in supporting scientific research into the effects of meditation. If you'd like to be involved, our current projects are detailed at the bottom of this page. Please Note: retreats may not be suitable for those who have experienced psychosis or who are currently experiencing PTSD, acute depression or anxiety. If in doubt, please seek advice from a psychologist or psychiatrist and speak to our Retreats Manager before booking your place. AUGUST
"Inner Resource" - 4 day Silent Retreat with Jess Huon Wednesday 28th August - Sunday 1st September 2019, Kallara, Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria THIS RETREAT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED - Please email insightretreats@hotmail.com to go on the waiting list What is it to rest into an inner quality of enough-ness and natural ease? In this retreat we will engage in meditative disciplines that support us to clear the static in a telephone-like conversation with our own depth. We shine a light on noisier mind habits that disrupt this connection. A retreat gives us time to stop running, sit down and be still; to hear our own news. We will explore the way meditation practice can foster this relationship to inner resourcefulness. We are encouraged to meet ourselves as we are. We sit down and learn to meet our experience, kindly, wisely. Fresh insight and inner warmth is then given the space to arise. This can allow for a regenerative and empowering process to occur. Teachings will be grounded in Buddhist foundational practices, the teacher’s direct experience, metta heart practices, and the poetic and literary tradition. Guidance and support will be offered through meditation instruction, relaxation practices, connected movement classes, one-one interviews, group discussion, dharma talks, and meditative singing. Download Flyer Important information Please read our Retreat Information and Cancellations Policy before booking your place Venue Kallara Conference Centre, Boho South, Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria Retreat fees & bookings Single room - $500 + dana for Jess's teaching - Click here to book Shared room - $350 + dana for Jess's teaching - Click here to book Enquiries Emma - insightretreats@hotmail.com SEPTEMBER
"Forces of Support" - Day Retreat with Jess Huon Sunday 15th September 2019, 9.30am - 4.30pm, Abbotsford Convent Buddhism can sometimes conjure up an image of self-reliance as an ideal way to be. On this day we are going to be looking at the natural human need to draw on support. We will be challenging the idea of practice being an individualistic pursuit. We will be placing our practice in a wider network of support. We will be centreing on the quality of receptivity in our practice. Venue Sacred Heart Oratory, Abbotsford Convent, 1 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford, Victoria Cost $60 + dana for Jess's teaching Bookings Click here to book Enquiries Emma - insightretreats@hotmail.com "The Journey of Presence and Love" - 3 day Silent Retreat with Anton Eastick Thursday 26th September - Sunday 29th September 2019, Don Bosco Retreat Centre, Lysterfield Love and Presence are two of the core practices of Insight Meditation and each supports and balances the other. When we practice Presence by itself (aka mindfulness or bare attention), we can lean towards aloofness, coolness and a detached view of life.... presence blended with love enables us to be strong and connected. Protected and connected. Love when practiced by itself can have the unwanted effect of us not having clear boundaries... presence here in the form of strength can come in to support our good hearted intentions and help us to not only make a stand for what is important, but to keep out harm. We will spend our days in noble silence with the sitting and walking practices of Insight Meditation and other movement practices. Supported in this sacred container, we will explore Dharma teachings and practices that enable direct experience of our innate timeless freedom, while helping us open into deeper understanding, compassion and wisdom. This retreat is suited for beginners and experienced students. It will include meditation instructions, periods of silent sitting and walking meditation, practice discussions with the teachers and talks on the theme on developing presence and love in meditation practice. In addition, we will explore various aspects of these themes that can be pragmatically applied to our life off the meditation cushion. Venue Don Bosco Retreat, Lysterfield, Dandenong Ranges, Victoria Retreat fees Single room - $380 + dana for Anton's teaching Shared room - $280 + dana for Anton's teaching Bookings & Information www.thedharmapath.com.au OCTOBER
"Beginners' Meditation Course" - 6 week course with teacher Anton Eastick Mondays 7.00pm - 9.00pm, 14th October - 26th November 2019, North Fitzroy Library (except Melb Cup eve) If you are new to Meditation or looking to understand and practice mindfulness, then our 6 week course is a great place to begin. In this course you’ll learn techniques to relax and calm the body and mind, brighten your focus, bring clarity to your intentions, develop self-love and compassion, reduce stress, fear and anxiety and bring joy into your life. We'll also touch on the following core teachings of Buddhist Practice:
Each week we will explore one of these core teachings. You’ll also learn and practice simple but extremely effective meditation techniques that will give you a strong foundation for developing your own meditation practice. The theory and the practice together provide very clear and practical ways to help you in your daily life. Download Flyer Venue Bargoonga Nganjin, North Fitzroy Library, 182 St Georges Road, North Fitzroy Retreat fees $125 + dana for Anton's teaching Bookings Click here to book Enquiries Emma - insightretreats@hotmail.com "Open Heart, Open Mind" - Annual Silent Retreat with Carol Perry & Angela McGee Friday 18th October - Friday 25th October 2019, Kallara, Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria THIS RETREAT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED - Please email insightretreats@hotmail.com to go on the waiting list This is the retreat that inspired the formation of Melbourne Insight Meditation. Carol Perry has 40 years experience in the Insight tradition, and is a senior teacher with Melbourne Insight Meditation. In 1972 Carol co-founded a rural community in northern NSW where she continues to live and grow. Carol is a long time social activist on ecological and social justice issues and is passionate about supporting cohesive and harmonious community in all its forms. She is a Hakomi Therapist with a private practice in Lismore NSW and teaches Communicating Mindfully workshops for the sangha and social activists. Angela McGee is a Dharma teacher in the tradition of Insight Meditation. She teaches regularly with Melbourne Insight Meditation Group and teaches retreats in Australia and Bali. Angela is keen to explore how the Dharma teachings can open our hearts, guide our day to day lives and deepen our connection to all of life. She is a psychotherapist in private practice in Melbourne and has also taught Yoga for 25 years in the tradition of Krishnamacharya. Download Flyer Venue Kallara Conference Centre, Boho South, Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria Important information Please read our Retreat Information and Cancellations Policy before booking your place. Retreat fees & bookings Single room - $790 + dana for Carol & Angela's teaching - Click here to book Shared room - $650 + dana for Carol & Angela's teaching - Click here to book Enquiries Emma - insightretreats@hotmail.com NOVEMBER
"Earth in Mind" - A Nature-based Silent Retreat with Robyn Gibson and Rupert Marques Friday 15th November - Tuesday 19th November 2019, Camp Eureka, Yarra Junction, Victoria "Mindfulness must be engaged. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. Otherwise, what is the use of seeing?" Thich Nhat Hanh We live in a time where the marriage of outer engagement and inner understanding is an essential feature of the movement toward an enlivening and equitable human presence on this earth. This retreat is an opportunity to explore this through slowing down and settling into a rhythm and quality of presence that supports us in remembering what is important, what nourishes us and allows us to more freely bring ourselves to this life. Supported by our relationship with the wider natural world, we will combine nature-based practice with contemplative practice, exploring the mutuality of these ways of deepening presence. Meditation instruction based on the four foundations of mindfulness, dharma talks, and guided relaxation will be offered, as well as opportunity for group inquiry and individual interviews with teachers. In support of deepening this exploration, the majority of the retreat will be held in silence, interspersed with periods of shared inquiry. Three threads of practice – individual contemplative practice, community inquiry and connection with the land – will serve as the foundation through which to explore a number of themes, including Belonging, Engagement and Reciprocity. To live in these times with the enormity of the problems we collectively face is at once both a challenge and a privilege; to live when so much is in the balance and yet so much is possible. This retreat is offered as support and inspiration for our collective engagement, well-being and even our flourishing in the midst of these times. Download flyer Venue Camp Eureka, Yarra Junction, Victoria Important information Please read our Retreat Information and Cancellations Policy before booking your place Retreat fees & bookings $420 + dana for Robyn & Rupert's teaching - Click here to book The MIM Supported Place Fund Our Supported Place fund assists people living with financial difficulty, and who are unable to meet the full costs of a retreat. The fund is financed by donations from other retreat participants, cancellation fees and any MIM surpluses. A Supported Place is granted via an application process. Currently, a Supported Place attracts a 30% discount off the advertised retreat cost (shared room). One or two supported places are available per retreat. If you are keen to attend an MIM retreat and are unable to financially cover the retreat cost, please email Emma on the address below. Enquiries Emma - insightretreats@hotmail.com DECEMBER "In Your Own Seat" - Urban Day Retreat with Jess Huon Saturday 21st December 2019, 9.30am - 4.30pm, Abbotsford Convent No mountain top. No monastery. No private get away. No Bali bliss. No mystical location. No idealized space. No exotic other space. No greener grass. Being here. Heroes and heroines, after slaying dragons, are often called home. Despite the allure of far flung places, where adventures can sing sweeter, they are asked to return and till their own soils with their hard won knowledge. After many years of wandering and teaching, the Buddha’s father called out to him - like a lily yearning for the sun. The Buddha had to face his familiars and their expectations of the person he once was with his new depth. He had to bring the goods home. How do we maintain congruence with what we’ve grown into in settings that reflect what we once were? What tables will we be sitting on in the silly season? In this day of practice we will be cultivating a home in ourselves and a way to be more at home wherever we might find ourselves. Venue Sacred Heart Oratory, Abbotsford Convent, 1 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford, Victoria Cost $60 + dana for Jess's teaching Bookings Click here to book Enquiries Emma - insightretreats@hotmail.com THE MIM SUPPORTED PLACE FUND Our Supported Place fund assists people living with financial difficulty, and who are unable to meet the full costs of a retreat. The fund is financed by donations from other retreat participants, cancellation fees and any MIM surpluses. A Supported Place is granted via an application process. Currently, a Supported Place attracts a 30% discount off the advertised retreat cost (shared room). One or two supported places are available per retreat. If you are keen to attend an MIM retreat but are unable to financially cover the retreat cost, please email Emma on insightretreats@hotmail.com RESEARCH PROJECTS Would you like to participate in a Research Study? MIM is currently supporting a research study on the effect of meditation on the brain. If you'd like to be involved please contact the Researcher directly. The University of Melbourne A research team from the Melbourne School of Psychological Science is conducting a study investigating the characteristics of individuals who are engaging in intensive contemplative practice. Participation involves completing an online questionnaire, before and after you go into a silent retreat. If you would like to learn more about the study, contact Dr Nicholas Van Dam |
|
