Daylong Retreat, in-person/hybrid at IWM in Eastworks
Beginner Retreat
with Manny Mansbach and Bernadine Mellis
Saturday, October 7, 2023; 10:00am-4:00pm
This offering is in-person only.
Suggested donation: $35-$65 registration + teacher donation* (we encourage you to consider giving teacher dana equal to or greater than what you gave for registration)*
Description: This daylong retreat will be a gentle and welcoming introduction to mindfulness, kindness, and other Insight Meditation basics, for beginners or those who would like a refresher. The day will consist of talks, short periods of guided meditation, mindful movement, and group discussion, as well as provide assistance with the basics of posture, how to meditate, working with obstacles to meditation, and practicing meditation in daily life. Participants will also receive an introduction to some of the core teachings of the Buddha. Students are invited to suspend ideals and beliefs about what meditation ought to look like in order to discover the simple and powerful benefits of meditation practice!
IN-PERSON LOCATION: IWM at Eastworks, 116 Pleasant St, Easthampton, MA
Chairs and cushions available.
Please bring your own covered water bottle.
COVID Protocols (if the protocols change, IWM will inform all registrants):
• Masks optional
• If you have COVID concerns (new symptoms or think you've been exposed), please stay home and join us via Zoom.
• Field Control Trio Plus portable air purifier will be running (H13 HEPA with an ultraviolet light component)
Manny Mansbach has been practicing Insight Meditation since 1980. He is a graduate of Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Community Dharma Leader Program, and has decades of experience as a mindfulness-based psychotherapist working with couples, a teacher of therapists in training, and a social activist. Manny is committed to helping people remember and express their basic goodness, and to gain confidence in the beauty and power of the Buddha’s teachings of profound understanding and boundless kindness. He is passionate about integrating the wise speech teachings of the Buddha with western-based practices of skillful communication. For Manny's website visit mannymansbach.com.
Bernadine Mellis (Teacher-in-Training) recently completed the True North Insight Community Meditation Teacher Mentorship Program and is now participating in another long term Buddhist training, the Dharmapala program through Sacred Mountain Sangha. She is also a part-time student in the Buddhist Ministry Initiative at Harvard Divinity School. She co-facilitates White & Awakening in the Dharma and leads The Sure Heart; (a group for children and families) at Insight Western Mass, where she has also been involved as a Board Member and a member of the Beloved Community Builders Committee. Alongside her path in the Theravadin Insight lineage, Bernadine has been engaged in Pagan earth-based spiritual practices, working closely with her mentor on that path for many years. She is a filmmaker and a mother.
*In keeping with the Buddhist tradition of dana (generosity), the suggested registration amounts for our classes and retreats do not include any payment for the teacher. The teachers are paid entirely out of the students' generosity. Please consider giving a donation to the teacher in order to support their ability to continue to share the dharma. We encourage you to consider teacher dana equal to or greater than the amount you gave for registration. You may give a donation at the time of registration and/or give later donations through our teacher dana link or in-person at the course/retreat. Everyone is welcome to all of our offerings regardless of ability to donate.
You can give online, in-person, or send checks to Insight Western Mass, 116 Pleasant Street, Suite 242, Easthampton, MA 01027. FYI: we check for mail once per week.
