Napa Valley Insight Meditation

Special Guest: Sandy Boucher
2015-10-13 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA, 94559
NVIM will host a talk by writer and meditation teacher Sandy Boucher
Sandy is the author of nine books, including Discovering Kwan Yin, Opening the Lotus: A Woman’s Guide to Buddhism and Turning the Wheel: American Women Creating the New Buddhism. Sandy has practiced, written about and taught both vipassana and writing for thirty years. She leads retreats on Dharma and Writing and co-leads the “Meditation and the Spirit of Creativity” retreat at Spirit Rock.

Thursday Morning Meditation
2015-10-08 02:00 - 03:00, 2015-10-01 02:00 - 03:00, 2015-09-24 02:00 - 03:00, 2015-09-17 02:00 - 03:00, 2015-09-10 02:00 - 03:00, 2015-09-03 02:00 - 03:00, 2015-08-27 02:00 - 03:00, 2015-08-20 02:00 - 03:00 and 5 more dates | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA, 94559
For those interested in supporting their morning practice, we invite you to join us on Thursday mornings for silent meditation. The meditation will begin promptly at 9 am in Universalist Unitarian Fellowship sanctuary.
There will be a 30 minute silent meditation period, followed by a short 10 – 20 minute period in which individuals may comment on their own practice, while the group listens in silence.

Meditation and Discussion: Lori Stelling
2015-10-06 12:00 - 13:30, 2015-09-15 12:00 - 13:30, 2015-08-18 12:00 - 13:30 | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA, 94559
Lori Stelling will facilitate this evening’s meditation and discussion. Lori has practiced Insight Meditation since 2002. She has completed Insight Meditation Center’s 9-Month Eightfold Path Program and is currently engaged in year-long Buddhist studies through Dharmagiri and Dr. Rick Hanson’s Foundations of Well-Being Program.
Our evening sittings generally begin with a 30 minute meditation, followed by a short break for tea and greetings. The Facilitator will then give a short talk on relevant themes and lead a group discussion. All levels of experience are welcome.

Special Guest: Mark Coleman
2015-09-29 12:00 - 13:30 | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA, 94559
NVIM will host a talk by author, naturalist and meditation instructor Mark Coleman.
Mark has practiced Buddhist meditation since 1984. He is a Spirit Rock Meditation Teacher and has been teaching Insight Meditation retreats since 1997. He also leads wilderness meditation retreats from Alaska to Peru, integrating mindfulness meditation with nature. He is author of Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery. Mark is a psychotherapist, life-coach and mindfulness consultant to corporations. He is an avid outdoor enthusiast and passionate about combining the forces of meditation, silence and nature.
Visit Mark’s website, Aware in the Wild, to learn more about his approach to nature-based mindfulness practice and how this approach has help students all over the world find greater peace and fulfillment.

Meditation and Discussion: Mike Coughlin
2015-09-22 12:00 - 13:30, 2015-08-25 12:00 - 13:30, 2015-08-04 12:00 - 13:30 | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA, 94559
Mike Coughlin will facilitate this evening’s meditation and discussion. Mike has been practicing mindfulness in the vipassana tradition for over a decade. He has received training in Buddhism and mindfulness through Spirit Rock Meditation Center and Mindful Schools and is currently enrolled in UCLA’s Certification in Mindfulness Facilitation program.
Our evening sittings generally begin with a 30 minute meditation, followed by a short break for tea and greetings. The Facilitator will then give a short talk on relevant themes and lead a group discussion. All levels of experience are welcome.

Daylong: Being an Earthling, with Wes Nisker
2015-09-19 03:00 - 09:00 | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA, 94559
In this Daylong, Wes Nisker will help us explore the joys and sorrows of living in the modern era, including the issues of climate change and species extinction. The retreat will focus on how the Buddha’s teaching can help us accept our place in the scheme of things, find sanity, and begin to heal the earth’s eco-systems. By placing today’s headlines in the context of human history, Wes offers us the relief, insights and laughter that only vast perspectives on consciousness can bring.
To RSVP: http://eepurl.com/byKAa5
What to Bring: Please bring a lunch, beverage and appropriate clothing for outside walking meditation.
Suggested Donation: $20 – $60; No one turned away for lack of funds.
All levels of experience welcomed!
For more Information: Contact Susan DuQuette at susandiorr@yahoo.com
Wes ‘Scoop’ Nisker is a teacher of Buddhist meditation, an author, radio commentator, and performer. His books include the underground classic Essential Crazy Wisdom; Buddha’s Nature; and Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again! Wes is also the founder and co-editor of the international Buddhist journal “Inquiring Mind.” He is an affiliate teacher at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center and does regular workshops at Esalen Institute and other venues internationally. For more information visit his website: http://www.wesnisker.com/
PRAISE FOR THE WORK of Wes Scoop Nisker
“Essential Crazy Wisdom” and “Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again!”
“Nisker’s book is twenty-three times more liberating than the Bible, the Torah, and the Koran combined. It may be crazy to say such a thing but it is also wise.” — Tom Robbins, author
“Brilliant, original, consciousness expanding, profound, mysterious and very funny. Oh, the audacious joy of crazy wisdom! What more could you ask?” — Jack Kornfield, Buddhist teacher and author
“A profound journey beyond science, philosophy, and psychology. Instant therapy!” — Daniel Goleman
“A milestone in contemporary Buddhism. I dare you to find a book on science that is so personal, or a book on meditation that is so funny and forgiving.” — Joanna Macy
“Buddha’s Nature is truly a healing and historic achievement.” — Brian Swimme, author, The Universe Story
“This book is a fabulous tool for our greater joy and achievements.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

Special Guest: Shahara Godfrey
2015-09-08 12:00 - 13:30 | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA, 94559
Napa Valley Insight Meditation hosts a talk by Buddhist teacher, humanitarian, artist and meditation instructor Shahara Godfrey.
Trained in the Theravada Buddhist tradition for over 20 years, Dr. Godfrey has also been influenced by spiritual teachers from various cultures and traditions as well as the creative arts. She is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leadership Program, the Path of Engagement Program and holds a PhD in humanities with a focus on transformative learning and change from the California Institute of Integral Studies. A self-taught mixed-media artist, she has exhibited in the Bay Area, Oregon, Washington, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Meditation and Discussion: Forrest Hill
2015-09-01 12:00 - 13:30, 2015-07-21 12:00 - 13:30 | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA, 94559
Forrest Hill will facilitate this evening’s meditation and discussion. Forrest has been practicing Insight Meditation since 2004 and is a founding member of Napa Valley Insight Meditation. He is currently enrolled in the Community Dharma Leaders Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center.
Our evening sittings generally begin with a 30 minute meditation, followed by a short break for tea and greetings. The Facilitator will then give a short talk on relevant themes and lead a group discussion. All levels of experience are welcome.

Special Guest: Nina Wise
2015-08-11 12:00 - 13:30 | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA, 94559
Napa Valley Insight Meditation hosts a talk by spiritual author and performance artist Nina Wise.
Nina is a well-known performer who has devoted her career to investigating the relationship between art and spirit. Artistic Director of Motion, she is the recipient of multiple fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Marin Arts Council and has received seven Bay Area Critics Circle Awards. She is the author of A Big New Free Happy Unusual Life: Self-Expression and Spiritual Practice for Those Who Have Time for Neither. Her stories and articles have appeared in The Sun, Yoga Journal, Tricycle, Inquiring Mind and Whole Earth Review.

Special Guest: Margarita Loinaz
2015-07-28 12:00 - 13:30 | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA, 94559
Margarita Loinaz, M.D. has been a Buddhist practitioner since 1977 in the Tibetan and Theravada traditions with an emphasis on Dzogchen practice for the past 10 years. She is a graduate of the first Community Dharma Leader’s program at SRMC where she contributed to the initial stages of the diversity program and taught at the first POC retreat. She also trained in MBSR at the UMass Stress Reduction Clinic and is a student of the Diamond Approach. She is originally from Dominican Republic.
Margarita is a physician and has provided health care for the homeless in San Francisco through the Tom Waddell Clinic. She has also taught mindfulness to medical students at the University of California San Francisco.

Daylong Retreat: Buddhism and the 12 Steps
2015-07-18 03:00 - 09:00 | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA, 94559
Join us for this daylong event with Kevin Griffin as we explore the topics of Buddhism, mindful recovery and the 12 steps. The program will include sitting and walking meditation, and instructions.
What to Bring: Please bring a lunch, beverage and appropriate clothing for outside walking meditation.
Suggested Donation: $20 – $60; No one turned away for lack of funds.
All levels of experience welcomed!
For more Information: Contact Susan DuQuette at susandiorr@yahoo.com
Kevin Griffin is a longtime Buddhist practitioner who trained as a Community Dharma Leader at Spirit Rock. He is the author of One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps and the forthcoming God, Buddha, and the Path of Recovery. A co-founder of the Buddhist Recovery Network, he teaches regularly at Spirit Rock, as well as at treatment centers, Buddhist centers, professional conferences, and colleges across the U.S. Kevin has been a member of the Spirit Rock Family Program for ten years.
Visit Keven’s website on Buddhism and Recovery (http://www.kevingriffin.net/) for more information.

Meditation and Discussion: Syra Smith
2015-07-14 12:00 - 13:30 | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA, 94559
Syra Smith will facilitate this evening’s meditation and discussion. Syra is Founder and Curator for Oakland’s Dana Cafe, a monthly gathering offering transformational teachings at no cost to participants. She co-leads and organizes East Bay Meditation Center’s weekly Teen Sangha and is a mindfulness and meditation instructor with the Mind Body Awareness Project. Syra graduated East Bay Meditation Center’s yearlong Commit to Dharma program in 2011 and is a current participant in Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s 2 year Community Dharma Leaders training program.
Our evening sittings generally begin with a 30 minute meditation, followed by a short break for tea and greetings. The Facilitator will then give a short talk on relevant themes and lead a group discussion. All levels of experience are welcome.

Comic Performance by Nina Wise and Wes "Scoop" Nisker
2015-07-10 13:00 - 15:00 | Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, 2020 Addison Street , Berkeley, CA, 94704, United States
Two of our favorite NVIM guest teachers, Nina Wise and Wes “Scoop” Nisker will be performing together at the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse in Berkeley, on Friday July 10th. Come see this comic duel as they roast the dharma with some crazy Buddhist wisdom. Warning, this evening may lead to enlightenment!
