Description
On this LGBTQIA+ Retreat during the Pride Month of June, we come together to celebrate and delight in our communities, and in the courage of our hearts to be who we truly are. We come together to practice turning inward, caring for ourselves, each other, and all that matters in our lives. Courage of the heart teaches us that each moment of our precious LGBTQIA+ lives is an opportunity to cultivate inner clarity, ease, and freedom.
During this weekend together, we will explore the Buddha’s foundational teachings of kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. Known as the Brahma Viharas, or Divine Homes, these inner qualities of heart and mind can be cultivated amidst all the conditions and events of our lives, the delightful, the difficult, the uncertain. The Brahma Viharas can help us face the many difficulties of our world in a more skillful, spacious way. This is an extraordinary way of living our lives, here and now.
This retreat is an invitation to explore and nurture what already lies in each of our hearts. For while the Brahma Viharas are natural human capacities, when cultivated they can support us when most needed. Over the course of the program, each of us will be invited to make kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity the home of our hearts. We will develop these inner qualities in our formal meditation practice and investigate them together in dialogue. These teachings are so needed for our LGBTQIA+ communities!
All LGBTQIA+ people are warmly welcome whether these teachings are brand new for you or not. People who have practiced the Brahma Viharas before are encouraged to participate and discover how they grow more profound as we practice together within our LGBTQIA+ community.
Attending an in-person retreat
- Masks may be required; this is determined on a program-by-program basis—see the program description above for more information.
- Please arrive at least 20 minutes early to check in and find a comfortable place in the meditation hall. Retreats are held in silence. Please power off your cell phone, smartwatch, and other electronic devices for the retreat.
- Parking at CIMC is limited; we suggest you take public transportation to the Center whenever possible. We provide vegetarian meals at day-long, weekend, and multi-day retreats. We are unable to accommodate special dietary needs, however. If you have dietary restrictions, we invite you to bring your own vegetarian meal. Please note that nuts may be used in our kitchen.
- The meditation halls do not allow food and beverages, including water.
- We strongly recommend you dress in layers since the temperature in the meditation hall varies throughout the day. The hall thermostat is set to a comfortable temperature range; however, it’s best to have a range of clothing options, as individual preferences for warmth or coolness differ widely and cannot be accommodated.
- Please leave your shoes on the shoe shelves on the first floor and keep your valuables with you.
- CIMC provides zafus (round cushions), zabutons (large mats), meditation benches, blankets, and chairs. At the end of the program, we request that participants brush off their zabutons and plump up their zafus. All other items should be returned neatly to where they belong.
- CIMC is a refuge. Out of compassion for those with chemical sensitivities, please avoid using scented products—lotions, deodorant, after-shave, hair products, perfume, clothes laundered with scented detergent, or dryer sheets—before you come to the Center.
- Retreat Meal Dana: In keeping with tradition, we invite you to sponsor a retreat meal as a simple and meaningful act of generosity. You can share a dedication of your generosity, perhaps to someone in your life, a special occasion, or an aspiration. Please contact the office for more information on offering Meal Dana for this retreat.
Attending an online retreat
- Sitting a retreat at home and online is undoubtedly different from coming to a meditation center. Tending to your comfort and giving yourself a quiet, private sitting and walking space (if possible, in your environment) will help keep your attention focused and support your practice and learning. Plan to bring as much simplicity and ease to your day as possible. The retreat schedule is structured to support your well-being and training with regular breaks and time for mindful movement.
- We will use Zoom for this retreat. Before your retreat begins, be sure to download Zoom and familiarize yourself with using the program, including the chat feature. Specifics about how we will use Zoom during your retreat will be covered initially; however, we cannot provide technical support.
- We ask that you treat our virtual meditation hall as if we were together in person, in the same room. The teachers and other yogis benefit significantly from your full presence and careful attention.
- Join each session of the retreat a few minutes early. This will support the teachers and your fellow retreatants.
- Please maintain noble silence as much as possible for the duration of the retreat and take any necessary steps to limit external distractions such as incoming emails, texts, or other interruptions to maintain the integrity of our practice together.
- Close all programs on your computer other than Zoom and turn off all notifications on your devices.
- Ideally, power off phones and smartwatches for the entire time scheduled for the retreat each day. Please don’t check your devices during breaks. We suggest you put an “away” message on your email and voicemail and leave your devices in another room during your retreat hours.
- Please keep your video on during our time together as much as possible. This supports a sense of connectedness and sangha.
- You will receive a welcome email from CIMC that includes the Zoom link, retreat schedule, and further information a day or two before your retreat.