There is no cost for classes, events or retreats at IMC. Donations are welcome. No pre-registration is required unless otherwise stated.
IMC offers a number of different avenues to learn and practice mindfulness meditation. Classes range from a single, one-hour session to a five-week course exploring and practicing mindfulness. Also, a six-week mindfulness course is offered online and a few times a year a single, longer class on mindfulness is offered on a Saturday. In addition, a regular session on loving-kindness meditation is offered weekly. Students are welcome to take any course and to take courses in any sequence. Many students report that attending a number of different courses or the same course repeatedly is supportive for establishing a meditation practice. For the most up-to-date schedule of classes please see the IMC Calendar.
HAPPY HOUR: PRACTICING LOVING-KINDNESS
Wednesdays in the early evening, 6:00 – 7:00 pm, with Diana Clark and Nikki Mirghafori
Join us as for an hour of gladdening the mind and heart! We will practice and discuss the teachings on loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. In these weekly offerings we will explore gentle and gradual cultivation and expansion of these heart practices, which are known to be both supportive for a mindfulness practice and transformative in their own right. Our hour together will start with a brief introduction to the week’s topic, followed by a 30-minute guided meditation and conclude with discussion and a question and answer period. No pre-registration necessary.
ONE-HOUR BASIC MINDFULNESS MEDITATION INSTRUCTION
Taught by experienced meditators, this drop-in class teaches the basic elements of mindfulness meditation. The small class size often provides opportunities to ask individualized questions about beginning a meditation practice. Many people find it helpful to attend this class more than once. No pre-registration necessary.
Every Thursday, 6:15 – 7:15 pm
First Monday of each month, 6:15 – 7:15 pm
First Thursday of each month, 10:45 – 11:45 am
FIVE-WEEK INTRODUCTION TO MINDFULNESS MEDITATION
The basic instruction in mindfulness meditation is taught sequentially in this 5-week course. The course starts with mindfulness of breathing, followed by mindfulness of the body, emotions and thinking and concludes with a discussion on concentration and the application of mindfulness in daily life.
This course is taught several times a year by Gil Fronsdal and senior students. The frequency of the course offering and the exact dates vary each year, but in general, it starts in January, April or May, July, and October. The course dates will be announced in the IMC newsletter and can be found on the IMC calendar. In addition, when Gil Fronsdal teaches the course, the course is recorded and made available on audiodharma.org. The weekly handouts for the course are available here. No pre-registration necessary.
SIX-WEEK SELF-PACED INTRODUCTION TO MINDFULNESS MEDITATION
This self-paced course consists of the recordings and handouts from Gil Fronsdal’s six-week Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation course. Each time Gil Fronsdal teaches the five or six-week course, it is recorded and made available on Audiodharma.org. In addition to the recordings, transcripts are available for one particular six-week course here. The weekly handouts from the course are also available here. No pre-registration necessary.
ONE-DAY INTRODUCTION TO MINDFULNESS MEDITATION DAYLONG
Once or twice a year we offer an all-day introduction to mindfulness meditation on a Saturday. The retreat format allows for a number of meditation sessions in a single day which provides an opportunity to learn how to apply the instructions. For people who have gone through the 5-week introductory series, the daylong is a great way to review the instructions and experience the benefits of a full day of practicing them. Please see the calendar for dates. No pre-registration necessary.
FOUR-WEEK BEGINNERS PRACTICE GROUP
For beginners who have taken an introductory mindfulness meditation class and would like to take the next step in building and supporting their practice. This is a 4-week series on developing mindfulness practice with a 20-minute meditation, review of basic instruction and introduction to further teachings that support mindfulness practice. Please see the calendar for dates. No pre-registration necessary.