Napa Valley Insight Meditation

Sangha Community Meeting
2015-11-17 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA, 94559
Please join us for our first community meeting to learn more about Napa Valley Insight Mediation and to help us set a course for the future.
Following our traditional meditation & tea break, the Board of Directors of Napa Valley Insight Meditation will host a Sangha Community Meeting. During this town-hall-style gathering, our Board will provide an overview of our organizational structure, present information on our income & expenses, and seek feedback on three key questions:
1) What do you like and/or value about NVIM?
2) What would you like NVIM to do differently?
3) How would you like to see NVIM grow and/or change?
All are welcome and highly encouraged to attend!

Thursday Morning Meditation
2015-11-12 01:00 - 02:00, 2015-11-05 01:00 - 02:00, 2015-10-29 02:00 - 03:00, 2015-10-22 02:00 - 03:00, 2015-10-15 02:00 - 03:00, 2015-10-08 02:00 - 03:00, 2015-10-01 02:00 - 03:00, 2015-09-24 02:00 - 03:00 and 6 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.

Special Guest: Kevin Griffin
2015-11-10 11:00 - 12:30 | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA, 94559
Napa Valley Insight Meditation will host a talk by Kevin Griffin, author Buddhist teacher and innovator in the field of addiction treatment.
Kevin 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.

Meditation and Discussion: Forrest Hill
2015-11-03 11:00 - 12:30, 2015-09-01 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.

Meditation and Discussion: Mike Coughlin
2015-10-27 12:00 - 13:30, 2015-09-22 12:00 - 13:30, 2015-08-25 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.

Special Guest: Chris McKenna
2015-10-20 12:00 - 13:30 | Napa Valley Unitarian Universalists, 1625 Salvador Ave, Napa, CA, 94559
NVIM will host a talk by meditation teacher Chris McKenna, Director at Mindful Schools, a leading organization integrating mindfulness into education.
Chris has also served as the Executive Director of the Mind Body Awareness Project, which published the first formal research on the impact of mindfulness programming on youth in the U.S. juvenile probation system. Chris has spent over a decade working with diverse communities suffering from high incidents of trauma and violence, and has provided legal, medical, and psychosocial services to victims of torture and war crimes. Chris is on the Advisory Council of “Honoring the Path of the Warrior” – a project of the San Francisco Zen Center which teaches mindfulness and somatic awareness techniques to U.S. soldiers returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Daylong: Awakening - The Ultimate Relaxation, with Nina Wise
2015-10-17 03:00 - 09:00 | NVIM Retreat Center, 1350 Hestia Way, Napa, CA, 94558, United States
It is said that the state of enlightenment is the deepest form of relaxation—a return home. During this daylong retreat, we will practice forms of meditation and movement that focus on releasing stress and tension in the mind, heart and body. We will also engage in chanting as a form of invoking well-being and wisdom. Fall is often seen as a time of new beginnings based on reflection. We will practice (if weather permits) in the garden and amidst the vineyards celebrating the abundance of fall.
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
Nina Wise 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: Sandy Boucher
2015-10-13 12:00 - 13:30 | 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.

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.

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.
