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Events and Retreats - 2021
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Update Monday 4th January 2021: MIM has implemented a Covid-Safe Plan that is updated regularly to follow the most up-to-date government guidelines and we want to reiterate their guidance around physical distancing, mask wearing, and hygiene practices. We will be offering both online and face-to-face retreats in 2021 in line with our Covid-Safe Plan and government guidelines. We are excited to be hosting the following events.* * We publicise the details of our 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: 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. JANUARY
"Charging Up" - Online Day Retreat with Jess Huon 10am - 4.30pm, Sunday 31st January 2021, via zoom Habits can be tenacious and restrict the free movement of our mind. In practice we are learning the art of ‘unadhering’ to constrictive patterns. In this less fettered space surprising insights can leap forward. Disciplined practice and deep rest fortify energy. Let’s take refuge in our practice and what it can yield. Let’s cultivate a relaxed state and inner accomplices for our year ahead. How to set up for an online retreat Read our guidelines here before booking your place Cost $30 + dana for Jess's teaching Bookings To book click here Enquiries insightretreats@hotmail.com FEBRUARY
"Taking Your Seat" - In-Person Half Day Retreat with Robyn Gibson 1.30pm - 5pm, Saturday 13th February 2021, Ceres Learning Centre Physical posture is an integral, and ongoing, aspect of meditation practice. Establishing suitable posture is not preliminary or prior to meditation – it is a fundamental element of the practice: the way we hold our body says so much about our state of awareness. Refining posture is one way we continue to craft meditation practice throughout our lives. In this half-day workshop, we will consider the important and powerful role that posture plays in meditation, examine some of the habits we can fall into around posture, and look at practical ways to cultivate meditation postures that encourage alert relaxation, dignity and an attitude of care and kindness. The workshop will focus on periods of sitting, walking and lying down practice, interspersed with discussion and working with physical posture, props etc. Each participant will be offered guidance and support to find sitting and lying down postures that suit individual needs and that are sustainable for every body. It will suit beginning meditators, as well as experienced meditators who would like to freshen and refine their approach to posture. Venue The Learning Centre, Ceres Environment Park, Cnr Stewart and Roberts Street, East Brunswick Cost $30 + dana for Robyn's teaching Bookings To book click here Enquiries insightretreats@hotmail.com MARCH Finding Inner Resilience to Face the Climate Emergency: Online Workshop with Robyn Gibson & Suzie Brown 9.30pm - 4.30pm, Sunday 28th March 2021, via zoom ‘Are you feeling overwhelmed by the unfolding climate and ecological crisis and need some tools to help calm the effects? Perhaps you are feeling anxious about the fact that climate and ecological action has taken a back seat during the Covid-19 pandemic? Or maybe you’re an environmental activist and the work is taking a toll on your mental well-being? Do you want to find a more effective way to act in the world, without submitting to despair, or ‘switching off’ to what is happening? The alarming news and statistics about the climate crisis, ecological destruction and collapse haven’t gone away during this pandemic. These events are still impacting on our mental well-being, individually and collectively. Climate or ecological grief is affecting more and more of us in direct and indirect ways. This one-day online workshop will provide a shared space for tuning into and acknowledging our personal expressions of ecological grief. Mindfulness meditation practices will be introduced by Suzie and Robyn as a way to settle into the physical body and the present moment as places of refuge and resilience. Sitting, walking and relaxation practices will be interspersed with group discussion and a talk on the topic. How to set up for an online retreat Read our guidelines here before booking your place Cost $30 + dana for Robyn's and Suzie's teaching Bookings To book click here Enquiries insightretreats@hotmail.com "From Dukkha to Sukha" - 5-day Online Easter Retreat with Anton Eastick Wednesday Evening 31st March - Monday 5th April 2021 This retreat has been moved online because of the difficulty organising covid-safe residential retreats. When we meditate, we intend and aim towards peace, tranquility and clarity of mind. But at the same time we should recognise that meditation is the way in which we confront or meet with ourselves….and getting to know what’s there is not always good news or pleasant. One of the things that is very helpful in meditation is to be very interested in looking at our attitude, our reaction or response to pleasant and unpleasant feeling. In Buddhism, negative, painful mental states that cloud the mind and influence unwholesome actions are known as kleshas. These include but are not limited to states of mind such as anxiety, fear, anger, jealousy, unwholesome desire, depression, etc. These painful mind-states need to be understood and as Ajahn Sumedho suggested, we can then find a ‘Peaceful co-existence with the unpleasant.’ At the same time, some people who come to meditation are surprisingly resistant to pleasant feeling or opening to joy in the body. Sometimes the need to be in control can be even stronger than the movement towards inner peace and happiness. Understanding either tendency allows us a ‘peaceful co-existence’ with the middle way and for the heart to rest at ease. The path to liberation, the path to the comprehension of suffering, can only be fully followed, and suffering can only be truly understood, by a happy mind, sukha. Noble silence: Outside of time for interviews, question and answer periods and group study on the retreat theme, we invite you to commit to noble silence for the duration of the retreat. Movement Practice for all participants: There will be mindful movement practices each day. Some form of bodywork each day is highly encouraged. How to set up for an online retreat Read our guidelines here before booking your place Bookings Full Price: $120 + dana for Anton's teaching - To book click here Concession Price: $80 + dana for Anton's teaching - To book click here Enquiries 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 COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS)
MIM has a Covid Safe Plan for all our face-to-face events in line with guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services. 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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