Calming the Mind
Annie Nugent & Winnie Nazarko
Wednesday, April 7 – Sunday, April 11
Meeting format (During program sessions, you will be able to see and hear the teacher, as well as other program participants, and they will be able to see and hear you).
We live in a time of discord and instability, where it is difficult to find ground. The world, and our lives, are always in motion.
Despite this, there can still be balance and ease in the midst of it all. With practice, we can be grounded and calm despite circumstances.
This retreat will help us re-group, steady ourselves, and connect with our hearts. We will invite equanimity by practicing insight meditation with a metta flavor, opening to a balance of clarity and kindness.
The experienced teachers of this retreat frequently guide practice at the Forest Refuge, and are core members of the annual Three-Month Retreat team.
Prerequisites:
Participants are required to have completed at least two previous residential meditation retreats of seven days or longer.
Fees:
For this course, sliding scale fees are $200, $260, $325, or $500. We also offer a scholarship fee of $100, and no-fee enrollment for those who request a fee-waiver. Our “Pay What You Can Afford” system supports the cultivation of a dynamic and inclusive community and contributes to the health and vibrancy of the sangha. Select the rate of your choice when you register. Email imsonline@dharma.org for more information or to request a no-fee enrollment.
A note on dana (generosity)
Most IMS teachers—like insight teachers around the world—rely on the generosity of students for their livelihood, and receive no compensation from course fees. All IMS online teachers receive a modest dana advance from IMS to guarantee a minimum level of financial support. (Click here to learn more about the dana practice.) There will be an opportunity to offer a contribution to your teacher at the end of this course.
REGISTER HERE
Daily Schedule – all times listed in Eastern Time (ET):
Note: all sessions will be recorded and posted so you can view it later if you miss one.
Wednesday, April 7
10 – 11 am – Opening, Refuges & Precepts, Sitting – Annie & Winnie
1:30 – 2:30 pm – Instructions, Sitting – Annie
4 – 5 pm – Dharma Talk, Sitting – Winnie
Thursday, April 8
10 – 11 am – Instructions, Sitting – Winnie
1:30 – 2:30 pm – Q&A, Metta, Sitting – Winnie
4 – 5 pm – Dharma Talk, Sitting – Annie
Friday, April 9
10 – 11 am – Instructions, Sitting – Annie
1:30 – 2:30 pm – Q&A, Metta, Sitting – Annie
4 – 5 pm – Dharma Talk, Sitting – Winnie
Saturday, April 10
10 – 11 am – Instructions, Sitting – Winnie
1:30 – 2:30 pm – Q&A, Metta, Sitting – Winnie
4 – 5 pm – Dharma Talk, Sitting – Annie
Sunday, April 11
10 – 11 am – Instructions, Sitting – Annie
1:30 – 2:30 pm – Closing Talk, Refuges & Precepts, Sitting, Metta – Annie & Winnie
REGISTER HERE
Teacher Bios
Annie Nugent has been practicing since 1979 and was resident teacher at IMS from 1999 to 2003. Since that time she been teaching in America, including the annual 3 month retreat and at The Forest Refuge. Her teaching style aims to reveal how all aspects of our lives can be used to help us come to a clear and direct understanding of the Truth of the way things are, thus bringing freedom from suffering.
Winnie Nazarko attended her first meditation retreat in 1981, after a co-worker convinced her that it would be interesting. And it was interesting, just not in the way she expected. After that long weekend with Stephen and Andrea Levine, she knew she had touched something deeply truthful, although she couldn’t quite describe it. It did, however, seem to do with transparency of being, equanimity, and lack of fear.
This was the beginning of a period of intensive dharma search and practice, bringing her into connection with many outstanding teachers. Among these have been Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Steve Armstrong, Kamala Masters, and Jack Kornfield. From their diversity of teaching styles, she came to appreciate the very individual ways the Dharma is expressed through the prism of specific personalities and life experiences. While the truth is universal, the expression of that truth is personal and uses the language of direct experience.
Winnie’s own orientation to practice is rooted in a background of human service work and the desire to relieve human suffering. After years of work with issues of violence, and hunger, it became apparent that the largest single impediment to collective human progress is the level of development of the average human mind.
In 1998, she was asked to teach the Dharma by Joseph Goldstein. She does so to help people open their full potential, in the interest of their own happiness and well-being and for the benefit of others who their lives affect.
Winnie’s teachings are rooted in the Eight Fold Path taught by the Buddha, with particular emphasis on aligning motivation with the student’s highest and wisest aspiration. Letting go (renunciation) and self-compassion are taught as essential, foundational attitudes supporting practice. Meditation instructions draw on a variety of approaches, and emphasize grounding, embodiment, and equanimity which can be carried into daily life. When appropriate, students are given customized instructions which work with the actual experiences they are having, rather than insisting one method of practice works in all cases. The emphasis is on “skillful means”, understanding that students come to meditation from many different circumstances and experiences.
Guidelines For Your Home Retreat
