About our events

Each of our events is led by an experienced teacher.

All our events, unless indicated otherwise, are suitable for both beginners and experienced meditators.

The following pages may be useful:

Teachers receive no payment from London Insight apart from their travel expenses. However you are invited to make a voluntary contribution to their livelihood at events.

You can read about what your booking fee does pay for here. You can also read an explanation of our different prices.

On other pages you will find information about:

Interviews (one-to-one meetings with a teacher)
Sitting groups affiliated with London Insight

Day retreats

A day retreat is a day of meditation and mindfulness. Please visit this page to find out about the different kinds of meditation you may be invited to practise.

Most our day retreats take place at King Alfred School. Every day is slightly different, but involves a mix of:

sitting and walking meditation
instructions and other teaching
question and answer sessions

See a typical day's timetable

Day retreats are held in silence, to help everyone settle more deeply into meditation and maintain a relaxed but focussed awareness. This usually includes lunchtime and any periods when you are helping by, for instance, washing up. We ask you not to talk during the day, except when absolutely necessary for practical purposes.

Mobile phone guidelines
We ask that you turn off your phone during day retreats. If it is absolutely necessary for you to make a call, please go out of the grounds to do so. If it is absolutely necessary for you to have your phone on to receive a call, please make sure it is set to silent mode, and find a quiet corner of the grounds, away from other participants, in which to take the call. Thank you!

Hot drinks are available throughout the day.

We need help from a few participants with setting out lunch, washing up, and moving chairs during the day. This is entirely voluntary.

What to wear and what to bring to a day retreat
Comfortable clothes suitable for indoor sitting and outdoor walking meditation
A vegetarian, ready-to-eat contribution to our shared lunch
A cushion if you wish to sit on the floor (we provide chairs and mats)

Study days

Study days are led by John Peacock, who is both an academic and a practising Buddhist. He is a leading scholar of early Buddhist texts and has been teaching meditation for twenty-five years.

A day involves study and discussion of a particular text, selected by John from the early literature because of its continued relevance to us today.

Study days are highly interactive. John welcomes questions and comments throughout the day, and is happy for the discussion to turn to whatever is of most interest to participants.

There are one or two periods of guided meditation, but otherwise the day is not silent. There is a chance to get to know other participants over lunch.

No previous knowledge of Buddhist texts or philosophy is required.

John's next study day in London is on Saturday June 22 2013 and concerns the Dhammapada.

Workshops

Each of our workshops is different. They offer opportunities to engage with the insight tradition in new ways and to consider its teachings from new angles.

Typically they involve a mix of talks by a teacher, discussion, and practical exercises of some kind. There is generally some meditation, though these are not day retreats and the meditation may not be conventional sitting practice. There is usually less silence than during day retreats.

We are sorry we cannot be more specific! However the beauty of our workshops is the diversity of approaches they offer.

Weekly courses

Weekly courses usually run over five or weeks. They offer the opportunity to follow a structured programme with a single teacher and to explore Buddhist teachings. Meditation is always an important part of the course, but there will also be the opportunity to explore aspects of the Buddhist world view, and discuss the relevance of meditation to different aspects of our lives. Courses also provide an opportunity for participants to get to know one another and learn from each other as their practice develops. Participants are encouraged to attend all sessions.

Looking after yourself
When attending our events please note that you are responsible for your own physical and psychological health. For example, if you have low blood pressure you might decide to sit if the teacher announces a period of standing meditation. If you think you will need to lie down during the talks or sitting meditation due to a medical condition, please ask the teacher’s permission at the beginning of the event. Thank you.