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Events and Retreats - 2020
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Update Tuesday 17th March 2020: The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) situation continues to evolve rapidly. MIM has been following the coronavirus (COVID-19) updates from the government closely and we want to reiterate their guidance around physical distancing. As such, our committee has made the decision to move our weekly sits and retreats to an online platform, Zoom. 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. MAY
"My Year of Living Mindfully" - Online Fim Premiere Wednesday 27th May - Wednesday 3rd June 2020 Melbourne Insight Meditation is proud to present the online premiere of the award-winning documentary about mindfulness and mental health, My Year of Living Mindfully. In a world-first experiment, journalist Shannon Harvey went in search of answers to the mental health crisis and recruited a team of scientists to put mindfulness meditation to the test. But after a 30,000 kilometre journey from the bright lights of Manhattan to the dusty refugee camps of the Middle East, what begins as a self-experiment, transforms into a life-changing experience. See for yourself why the film was awarded Cinequest’s Thrive Award for being “the most inspiring and life-affirming film.” Following the film there is an exclusive Q&A between director Shannon Harvey in conversation with Senior Insight teacher Patrick Kearney, moderated by MIM co-founder Suzie Brown. The film is FREE to stream for 7 days until 3 June and we kindly ask for a dana donation to MIM to help cover all the administrative time that is gone into setting this up. Donate to MIM via paypal: www.paypal.me/mimdonation WATCH THE FILM NOW JUNE "A virtual retreat with Patrick Kearney" - 3 or 9 Day Online Retreat Friday 5th June - Sunday 14th June via Zoom The Buddha says that mindfulness practice (satipatthana) is meant to be lived. It is not a special, esoteric spiritual practice that we occasionally visit. It is a way of life founded on mindfulness, the felt continuity of awareness through our everyday activities, and clear understanding, the wisdom that arises from that awareness. How can we measure our progress in mindfulness practice? In the way that we live our ordinary lives. We will be practising mindfulness at home in the midst of the daily duties and distractions that a residential retreat is designed to avoid. This can be seen as a disadvantage, as we cannot escape our everyday entanglements, or as an advantage, as we have an opportunity to practise mindfulness in the midst of our ordinary lives. Sometimes retreat participants raise doubts about how their retreat experiences relate to life in the “real world.” In a virtual retreat this question does not arise, as the retreat itself happens in the real world, the world of our everyday struggles, joys and sorrows. In this retreat you get to choose for yourself how you will engage with the practice. You may set everything else aside and focus on formal practice, just as you would in a residential retreat. You may simply participate in the formal sessions provided by the virtual retreat structure and spend the rest of your time practising mindfulness in everyday activities. You may choose a path between these two. The choice is yours. The daily schedule will include: a practice workshop which will progressively introduce different aspects of mindfulness practice; group sittings; group discussions (over the first three days); individual interviews (after the first three days); and a dharma talk which will present a wider understanding of mindfulness practice and its place in the Buddha’s teaching. The retreat will begin at 5pm Friday 5th June. Each subsequent day will begin at 9:30 a.m. and end at 8:30 p.m. An optional yoga session will be provided at 8:30 a.m. as an entry into the day. Everyone is strongly urged to do some kind of bodywork each day to cultivate mindfulness immersed in body (kāyagatā sati). Venue Online via zoom Cost 9 days: $270 + dana for Patrick's teaching 3 days: $100 + dana for Patrick's teaching Bookings 9 days: to book click here 3 days: to book click here Enquiries insightretreats@hotmail.com JULY Online Day Retreat with Jess Huon Sunday 26th July via Zoom Details coming soon 2020 Retreats for your diary*
Friday 16th October - Friday 23rd October 2020 - Silent Retreat with Carol Perry & Angela McGee, Kallara Friday 4th December - Tuesday 8th December Silent Retreat with Jess Huon, Amberley Centre Sunday 13th December - Urban Day Retreat with Jess Huon, Abbotsford Convent *Bookings open 3-4 months before each retreat. 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 COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS) UPDATE: Monday 23rd March 2020:
MIM has been following the coronavirus (COVID-19) updates from the government closely and we want to reiterate their guidance around physical distancing. All our sits and retreats will now run online. We have also changed our cancellation policy in-light of this to offer full refunds for our workshops and retreats that were originally planned to be offered face to face. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us on melbourneinsightmeditation@gmail.com to discuss them. Our dharma practice is very important during this time to acknowledge our feelings, see clearly and take practical steps, whilst also remaining calm. |
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