5 Mindfulness Meditation Retreats in Victoria, BC
Mindfulness Meditation Retreats in Victoria | Photo by Stephanie Greene on Unsplash
The practice of mindfulness has been around for decades. Yet, in more recent years the industry has exploded with more individuals interested in the physical and mental benefits of practicing mindfulness in the forms of yoga, meditation and spiritual awakening.
The definition of mindfulness is the, “Quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.” And, it’s the “Mental state achieved by focusing on one’s awareness on the present moment while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thought, bodily sensations used as as therapeutic technique.”
If you’re based in Victoria and are looking for ways to recenter your body and mind, you need to check out these 5 organizations that offer mindfulness meditation retreats.
5 Mindfulness Meditation Retreats in Victoria, BC
Victoria Insight Meditation Society
Victoria Insight Meditation Society provides meditation and mindfulness practices in the Theravada Buddhist tradition.
According to their website, they support the practice and study of Vipassana or Insight meditation. “Vipassana or clear seeing is the meditative practice of mindful attention. We seek to cultivate insight, generosity and kindness in order to awake body, heart and mind and to foster the possibility of freedom for suffering for all.”
Their mission is to:
Provide access to practice and study the Dharma
Facilitate growth and sustenance of our sangha, the community of meditators.
Encourage the dharma in daily life.
They currently are offering online retreats using Zoom. Their next retreat will be held on November 14 & 15 of 2020. And, hosted by Carol Wilson.
She has been a practitioner of Vipassana since the early 1970s and has been sharing retreat teaching since 1986 internationally. Additionally in the 1980s she spent a year in Thailand as a Buddhist nun.
For more information on their upcoming meditation retreat, you can visit their website here.
Shambhala
Shambhala is a community of people dedicated to “recognizing the fundamental goodness of all and manifesting that goodness in every area of personal and societal life.”
Mindfulness meditation is the foundation of their practices at the Victoria Shambhala Centre. They offer free meditation instruction weekly on Wednesday nights and during their public meditation sessions.
Meditation instruction includes:
Introducing the practice of meditation
Clarifying the view of meditation
Instruction on working with obstacles to meditation
Guidance on the path of practice and study
Guidance on joining meditation and daily life
To learn more about their current programs and events, you can visit their website here.
Tall Tree Integrated Health Centre
Tall Tree is currently offering in person meditation courses that comply with physical distancing measures.
Their next course is for Introduction to Meditation (Level 1) on November 21st from 9-12:15pm. The cost is 4120 and will be led by Kevin Matthews.
According to their website it will help you learn meditation through exercises, guided meditation and group discussion. They will explore:
Inherent nature
Seated practice and walking meditations
Awakening our senses
Mindfulness and working with emotions
Home practice
They believe the benefits of meditation are: to cultivate stability, strength and clarity of one’s inherent nature.
Additionally, they are holding a Contemplation and Compassion Practice (Level 2) on October 24th from 9-12:15pm. The course is $120 and led by Kevin Matthews.
In this course you will:
Review and expand on level 1 techniques
Use breath work to support practice
Learn how contemplations help embody our true nature
Develop compassion practices for yourself and others’ benefits
Support your home practice
For more information, visit their website here.
Mindfulness Community of Victoria
Established in 1999, their community embraces an “inclusive and diverse group of people who follow the mindfulness teachings of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh.”
They usually hold a weekly meditation practice on Thursday nights, but due to Covid - these have been postponed. Additionally, they host other events for their community such as:
Soup night
Orientation to the tradition and practice
Day of mindfulness
Mindful walk/hike
Retreats
Continuation Day
Reading, Resources + Mailing List
Council
For more information and to keep up to date with future meditation practices, visit their website here.
BCALM: BC Association for Living Mindfully
The British Columbia Association for Living Mindfully is a non profit society that is focused on increasing mindfulness and reducing stress in the home, school and workplace.
They work with physicians, mindfulness facilitators, educators and researchers to offer classes, workshops, retreats in meditation and mindfulness.
Their skills help navigate challenges such as depression, anxiety, chronic pain and chronic disease.
“Our team offers Art of Living Mindfully 8 sessions classes regularly throughout the year for patients with stress related physical and mental challenges who are referred by a physician.”
Additionally, they offer presentations, half day to full day workshops and classes for Mindfulness Based Stress Management for organizations, corporations and non-profits.
For more information, visit their website here.
—
As you can see, there are several options for mindfulness meditation practice in Victoria. Let me know in the comments below if you found this helpful.
And, while you’re here don’t forget to read How To Start Private Mindfulness Coaching.