Silent Weekend Retreat: Cultivating Tranquility - Online/In-Person Hybrid

[NOTE: An RSVP to this Meetup event is not sufficient for registration. To register and pay for the event, please follow this link.]

"Go placidly amid the noise and haste. Remember what peace there may be in Silence. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul."
~Max Ehrmann
ABOUT: Tranquility is essential to wise discernment and freedom. When our minds and bodies are caught in activation we cannot see clearly. Only when the mind is calmed do we have the capacity to untangle from the ways we get stuck in life.
Tranquility is one of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, and it leads to deepened focus and concentration. This cultivation of tranquility helps us not only in our own lives but also influences those around us. Through dharma talks, group meetings with the teacher, meditation instruction, personal meditation, and gentle movement practices, you will be guided to practice cultivating direct experiences of tranquility.

TEACHER: 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
LOCATION: You are invited to attend this retreat either in-person at the Seven Oaks Retreat Center in Madison, VA, or online via Zoom.
​
MEALS: All meals are ovo-lacto vegetarian, and you will have the opportunity to provide information about allergies and other dietary needs (e.g., vegan, gluten-free) when you register.
​
RETREAT FEES: Single room: $830
Shared room (2-4): $660
Camping: $560
Online: $250
​​
DANA OFFERING: In keeping with the Buddhist tradition, the teachers and retreat managers receive no payment. The retreat fee only covers direct expenses for this event, such as room, meals, and administrative costs. 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. Dana offerings are tax-deductible.
​​
REGISTRATION: Registration opens May 1 though IMCW. The deadline for in-person registration is August 15, 2025, and the deadline for online registration is August 27, 2025.

QUESTIONS: Contact retreat manager at imcwretreatmanager@gmail.com

TESTIMONIALS
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! ~Julie

Stan's guidance throughout the retreat was unparalleled in the variety of teachings he incorporated and balancing that with periods without guidance to let those teachings do their work. I truly appreciated the way the activities throughout the day flowed into one another and how even the breaks had the spirit of the retreat. I could sense that he was keenly aware of folks' responses to his guidance and would provide additional guidance when necessary. It didn't feel like we were simply going through a set of preplanned events and the retreat had a sense of aliveness to it that was beneficial for me finding clarity about what it means to allow every part of my experience to be as it is and trust that all is unfolding as it should. ~Wouhib

As a practitioner and teacher of Vipassana mindfulness this retreat was expansive and transformative for me. Enjoyed Stan’s version of RAIN which was a different journey that resonated with me. Also enjoyed the Spiritual Heart Meditation, timing was perfect. The hybrid format was a wonderful opportunity for me because driving the distance wasn’t possible at this time and also the cost was considerably lower. Even though I missed the in-person energy I felt that there was an online sangha. I very much enjoyed that ability to hear from the in-person participants there comments during the integration portion of the retreat. Overall perfect timing and wonderful way to stay connected with other mindfulness meditators. ~Christa