What we’re about
WHAT WE DO:
We provide a variety of mindfulness meditation experiences (classes, workshops, retreats, mentoring, one-to-one teaching, and therapy), including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) 8-week classes.
"As long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than there is wrong with you, no matter how ill or hopeless you may feel." - Jon Kabat-Zinn
Our mission is to help you open up to all that you are and all that you can be through mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness:
Mindfulness is "paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, without judgement" - Jon Kabat-Zinn
Mindfulness is a form of meditation that stems from Buddhism and is often referred to as Insight Meditation or Vipassina Meditation. Mindfulness meditation is not just practiced on the cushion, through sitting meditation, but it is incorporated in all that we do in our daily lives, moment by moment. In mindfulness we learn to clear our minds, open our hearts, and live life fully through our bodies. Through this process we open up to a greater sense of wholeness and wellbeing within ourselves and a vast connectedness with others and the world. As we build the muscles of mindfulness meditation, we live more fully in the present moment and experience life from a greater stillness, which aids us in relating to both ourselves and others with increased clarity, compassion, calmness and creativity, and less fear, anxiety, and stress. Thirty years of research has indicated that mindfulness meditation is associated with significant decreases in stress, pain, physical and emotional distress (including depression, anxiety, grief and loss), and improvements in sleep, energy, health outcomes, and quality of life.
TEACHERS:
NANCY BRUTSCHÉ, MSN, RN, PMHCNS-BC
I am a board certified Clinical Nurse Specialist and psychotherapist with 30 years experience in health and wellness and a specialty in mood and anxiety disorders. I was trained in Cognitive Therapy through the Beck Institute of Cognitive Therapy, in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) through the EMDR Institute, and have incorporated various theoretical frameworks in my work. I have worked with people with a variety of mental and physical conditions and of all ages. I have had a regular personal meditation practice for over 12 years and extensive training in Mindfulness Meditation, including MBSR, MBCT, Mindful Eating Conscious Living (MECL), and mindfulness in chronic illness, in death and dying, in managing anger, and more. I am a graduate of a two-year program through the Meditation Teachers Training Institute (MTTI) with teachers Tara Brach, Jonathan Foust, Hugh Byrne, and Pat Coffey. I have been incorporating mindfulness in my work for over eight years.
STAN EISENSTEIN, MSW
I have been meditating for over 25 years and have been practicing Mindfulness Meditation for over nine years, including numerous 7 day silent meditation retreats. I have trained in MBSR with Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli, as well as with Nancy Brutsche. I have taught both MBSR and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) with Nancy. I am a graduate of a two-year training through the Meditation Teachers Training Institute (MTTI), with teachers Tara Brach, Jonathan Foust, Hugh Byrne, and Pat Coffey. I am involved with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW), and I am currently teaching an open, weekly, Mindfulness Meditation class in Columbia, MD for more than 25 students a week. You can check out this weekly class and my teachings by following this link: http://www.meetup.com/Columbia-Insight-Medi... I have taught physics to high school students for 30 years and have a Masters degree in Social Work.
We Hope You Can Join Us!
Upcoming events
5
Inviting Chronic Pain and Illness to Tea - Free Intro Class - Online
Zoom Video Conference, None, Maryland, md, USNOTE: You must register through IMCW (see below) in order to get the link to the class.
REGISTRATION AND INFO through IMCW
ABOUT THIS SESSION: This class is a free introduction to the course, "Inviting Chronic Pain and Illness to Tea", which starts on January 23. You will have the opportunity to meet the teachers and to explore some of the principles of the course, both didactically and experientially.
ABOUT THE COURSE: “Inviting Chronic Pain and Illness to Tea” is a 4-month live, online course. The purpose of the course is to help participants come to a greater sense of well-being in the presence of chronic pain and illness.
The mindful approach to chronic pain and illness is to turn toward the experience, to gently lean in. We learn how to come to a greater sense of ease in the presence of pain and illness. We learn to return home into our bodies, instead of trying to escape. We learn how our thought processes keep us trapped, and how we can start to think differently to create greater freedom and well-being.
This mindful approach takes time to learn and integrate (hence the 4-month long course). It requires a variety of practices including:
*cultivating SELF-KINDNESS
*cultivating a deeper sense of RELAXATION as we encounter pain and illness
*learning to bring AWARENESS more fully INTO THE BODY
*noting our HABITUAL THOUGHT PATTERNS and their effects
*cultivating a sense of GRATITUDE – even for some of the aspects of our lives that challenge us
*learning to reframe our sense of IDENTITY
*spending time getting to know the pain and illness more intimately – forming a RELATIONSHIP
*becoming part of a supportive COMMUNITY
DATE/TIME:
FREE INTRO CLASS: Tuesday, January 7, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time
[REGISTRATION]
17-WEEK COURSE: Tuesdays starting January 21, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
[REGISTRATION]
The course is run through the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, the organization started by mindfulness teacher Tara Brach.
COURSE FEE and SCHOLARSHIP: The course tuition is $700.
We are aware that many people who have chronic pain and illness may be underemployed and/or have challenging medical expenses.
SCHOLARSHIP funds are available. No-one will be turned away for lack of funds.
TESTIMONIALS from Past Participants:
"I have learned so many new ways to relate to my very real challenges, with acceptance, with perspective, with self-compassion, with an understanding of the effects of negative thoughts on my body, and of needing things to be a certain way." ~Lucy
"A life changer! I have gained a new perspective on how to be ok with the disease instead of wanting it to go away....The safe space created, a sense of community for healing and growing. Being in the body instead of resisting it." ~Luciana
NOTE: You must register through IMCW (see below) in order to get the link to the class.
REGISTRATION AND INFO through IMCW
ABOUT THIS SESSION: This class is a free introduction to the course, "Inviting Chronic Pain and Illness to Tea", which starts on January 20. You will have the opportunity to meet the teachers and to explore some of the principles of the course, both didactically and experientially.
ABOUT THE COURSE: “Inviting Chronic Pain and Illness to Tea” is a 4-month live, online course. The purpose of the course is to help participants come to a greater sense of well-being in the presence of chronic pain and illness.
The mindful approach to chronic pain and illness is to turn toward the experience, to gently lean in. We learn how to come to a greater sense of ease in the presence of pain and illness. We learn to return home into our bodies, instead of trying to escape. We learn how our thought processes keep us trapped, and how we can start to think differently to create greater freedom and well-being.
This mindful approach takes time to learn and integrate (hence the 4-month long course). It requires a variety of practices including:
*cultivating SELF-KINDNESS
*cultivating a deeper sense of RELAXATION as we encounter pain and illness
*learning to bring AWARENESS more fully INTO THE BODY
*noting our HABITUAL THOUGHT PATTERNS and their effects
*cultivating a sense of GRATITUDE – even for some of the aspects of our lives that challenge us
*learning to reframe our sense of IDENTITY
*spending time getting to know the pain and illness more intimately – forming a RELATIONSHIP
*becoming part of a supportive COMMUNITY
DATE/TIME:
FREE INTRO CLASS: Tuesday, January 6, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time
[REGISTRATION]
17-WEEK COURSE: Tuesdays starting January 20, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
[REGISTRATION]
The course is run through the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, the organization started by mindfulness teacher Tara Brach.
COURSE FEE and SCHOLARSHIP: The course tuition is $700.
We are aware that many people who have chronic pain and illness may be underemployed and/or have challenging medical expenses.
SCHOLARSHIP funds are available. No-one will be turned away for lack of funds.
TESTIMONIALS from Past Participants:
"I have learned so many new ways to relate to my very real challenges, with acceptance, with perspective, with self-compassion, with an understanding of the effects of negative thoughts on my body, and of needing things to be a certain way." ~Lucy
"A life changer! I have gained a new perspective on how to be ok with the disease instead of wanting it to go away....The safe space created, a sense of community for healing and growing. Being in the body instead of resisting it." ~Luciana
"The 17 weeks, alternating class with practice session was really beneficial in allowing me to fully grasp material of one class over two weeks. The small groups fostered a sense of community which was great. Stan and Ruth, both good teachers with a lot compassionate and patience, they balanced each other well." ~Mary Ellen
REGISTRATION:
FREE INTRO CLASS on January 6
Learn more about the full course and teachers Stan Eisenstein and Ruth Zanoni
QUESTIONS: Contact Stan1 attendee
SILENT WEEKEND RETREAT: Living Your Values - In-Person/Online Hybrid
Claymont Court, 577 Claymont Mansion Rd, Charles Town, wv, US[NOTE: An RSVP to this Meetup event is not sufficient for registration. To register and pay for the event, please follow this link.]
# LIVING YOUR VALUES IN CHALLENGING TIMES SILENT WEEKEND RETREAT
January 16-19, 2026
Teachers: Stan Eisenstein and Jennifer Stanley
Claymont Retreat Center, Charles Town, WV | Online via Zoom
Affiliated with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW)
ABOUT: "Create a clearing in the dense forest of your life and wait there patiently, until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands, and you recognize and greet it." - Marth Postlethwaite
The stillness of winter invites us to go inward, to tune into the deeper currents of life. to sense our deeper spiritual roots. Challenging times help us to clarify what we truly value, and how to act on those values. To distill and discern those values, however, takes time, patience, introspections, wrestling with competing values and beliefs, and tuning to intuitive awareness. Sometimes it takes grieving and letting go. Sometimes it takes the care and support of others. When we can come to clarity about our values, joy, peace, and wisdom start to arise. We know how to proceed in the world.
Through dharma talks, group meetings with teachers, meditation instruction, unguided sitting and walking meditation, and gentle movement practices, you will be invited to open up to an intuitive sense of what is most important.
TEACHERS: Stan Eisenstein has been guiding self-inquiry and other meditation practices since 2012. He is a teacher for the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, with founder Tara Brach. Stan is a an instructor for various courses: Mindfulness-Basted Stress Reduction; Inviting Chronic Pain and Illness to Tea; Self-Inquiry. He is also a mentor for the international Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, taught by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, and run by Sounds True. You can explore Stan's bio and recordings of Stan's teachings at his website: staneisenstein.com
Jennifer Stanley began her meditation practice in 1986 while living in Michigan. After moving to DC, she began practicing with IMCW in 2000. She has sat many residential retreats with IMCW, the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. She is a graduate of the two-year Meditation Teacher Training Institute (MTTI) and began teaching in 2011. In 2014 she became a trained teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) and regularly teaches the 8-week series. She leads residential MSC, Vipassanā, and Mettā/lovingkindness retreats. In 2022, she began teaching MSC to staff and patients of the Washington DC VA Medical Center. Jennifer’s graduate training was in ecological/community psychology and she spent many years as a public health systems researcher.
LOCATION: Claymont Retreat Center in Charles Town, WV or Online via Zoom Video Conferencing.
RETREAT FEES:
Single room: $575
Shared room: $525
Online: $250
Please note that retreat fees only cover direct expenses for this event, such as room, meals, and administrative costs. In keeping with the Buddhist tradition, the teachers and retreat managers receive no payment. Donations offered by students at the end of the retreat are appreciated and support the teachers and retreat managers in continuing to make the teachings available to all.
REGISTRATION : The registration deadline for in-person participation is January 2 and online participation is January 14.
QUESTIONS : Contact manager at imcwretreatmanager@gmail.com
TESTIMONIALS
I have no words at this moment to describe what I learned or how I benefited from attending this retreat other than to say I will carry the truths Stan so skillfully taught, the people I met, and the deep knowing found during our meditation periods with me for the rest of my life. I am profoundly changed, and grateful. ~Melanie
This was a much needed respite from the craziness of the world around us. Stan is a wonderful guide, teaching with love and kindness how to be loving and kind to ourselves during difficult times. His practices gave me a sense of calm and clearing out, and being in community with others (even over Zoom) felt so supportive. Many thanks ~Julie1 attendee
Cultivating the Heart 8-Week Course - Online
Zoom Video Conference, None, Maryland, md, US[NOTE: An RSVP to this Meetup event is not sufficient for registration. To register and pay for the event, please follow this link.]
ABOUT: The Brahmaviharas, or divine abodes, are states of the heart that facilitate a sense of well-being, connection, and joy – both internally and in our environment. These states, which include loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, can be cultivated directly. Through intention, attention, meditation, reasoning, and embodied and imaginal practice, our capacity to cultivate these states grows. We will explore bringing kindness to ourselves, to those we find mildly or moderately challenging, and to all beings. We will look at the challenge of authentic compassion and practice with staying present when we encounter suffering. We will explore our capacity for forgiveness and gratitude and how to move through grief effectively. We will also explore the power of equanimity as a way to keep our opening hearts balanced and discerning. Finally, we will touch in on the Spiritual Heart, the heart of loving awareness, and how we can experience it for ourselves and others.
DATES/TIMES: Mondays, January 26 through March 16, 6:30 - 8:30 PM Eastern Time
VENUE: Online via Zoom
TUITION: $300. Price includes eight 2-hour live experiential sessions and eight guided meditations designed to cultivate the heart. Some scholarship is available; Contact Stan to apply.
TEACHER: Stan Eisenstein has been guiding mindfulness, meditation, self-inquiry, loving-kindness and other meditation practices since 2012. He is a teacher for the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, with founder Tara Brach. Stan is a an instructor for various courses: Mindfulness-Basted Stress Reduction; Inviting Chronic Pain and Illness to Tea; Self-Inquiry. He is also a mentor for the international Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, taught by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, and run by Sounds True. You can explore Stan's bio and recordings of Stan's teachings at his website: staneisenstein.com
REGISTRATION AND MORE INFORMATION
QUESTIONS: Contact Stan
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS:
I have taken several of Stan’s classes and each time i find i deepen meditation practice and presence. Very grateful for the learnings. - Madelyn
I so appreciate Stan's teaching style. He articulates the concepts so clearly. His classes and courses are well structured for learning. It is clear that he “knows” his subject and provides personal testimony to make the subject matter live. His respect for individual differences, his patience and nonjudgmental attitude provides a safe “holding environment” in which we can freely learn and interact. - Diane1 attendee
Intro to Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) 8-Week Course: ONLINE
Zoom Video Conference, None, Maryland, md, USNOTE: To participate, you must register at the links below. RSVP at this meetup is not sufficient.
REGISTRATION:
8-week course beginning March 26 with a free introduction class on March 19 (register for the 8-week course and, if after attending the free intro you decide not to continue, you will receive a full refund)
ABOUT THE COURSE:
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an eight-week program, developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, that assists people who want to learn to use their own internal resources to respond more skillfully to stress, medical and psychological conditions, and promote healthy living. MBSR has been highly researched since its onset in 1979, and research strongly supports its effectiveness in improving difficulties in multiple areas of health and wellness.
Some reasons people come to the group include: job, school or family stress; chronic pain; hypertension; attention deficits; enhancement of quality of life/happiness; mild or situational depression; gastrointestinal disorders; wellness and self-care; cancer; anxiety and panic; anger-management; life transitions; developing and deepening a meditation practice.
Intentional, present-moment awareness, developed through mindfulness meditation practices, helps us experience whatever is happening in our life as it unfolds with curiosity, non-judging attention, and compassion for ourselves and others. Engaging with our life in this manner helps us to become more skillful and creative in our responses while gaining insight into how to free ourselves from habitual patterns of reacting.
This program can be a complement to current medical care, as well as promotion of health and well-being.
DATES (all times Eastern Time):
Free Introductory Class: Thursday, March 19, 6:30 - 8 PM
8-Week Course: Eight Thursdays, March 26 - May 14, 6:30 - 9 PM
Daylong Retreat: Sunday,May 3, 10 AM - 4:30 PM
TEACHER: Stan Eisenstein
Stan is the founder and teacher of the Columbia Insight Meditation Group (a weekly drop-in meditation and mindfulness community). Stan is a teacher for the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW) with senior teacher Tara Brach.
Stan is a mentor for the Power of Awareness meditation course and for the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, both published by Sounds True with teachers Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. Stan teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness for Teens, Meeting Chronic Pain and Illness, and Deepening MBSR courses. Stan also holds daylong workshops on Relationships, Heart Practices, Forgiveness, and Working with Strong Emotions. Stan has a Master’s Degree in Social Work.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE CLASS:
Follow this link to see comments by participants in recent classes.
LOCATION:
The Course will be held Online. Zoom links will be sent to registrants about a week before the course begins
COST & PAYMENT:
Introductory Class: Free (register for the 8-week course and, if after attending the intro on January 9 you decide not to continue, you will receive a full refund)
Total cost of the 8-Week Course: $550
Includes 18 guided meditations in mp3 format and an online workbook.
Some SCHOLARSHIP is available. For more information, contact Stan
REGISTRATION:
8-week course beginning March 26 with a free introduction class on March 19 (register for the 8-week course and, if after attending the free intro you decide not to continue, you will receive a full refund)
QUESTIONS:
Contact Stan1 attendee
Past events
167
Group links
Organizers
Members
457
