A day of practice in the Insight Tradition with Yanai Postelnik

Saturday 26th November 2022, 10.00am – 5.00pm UK time, in person

We are very happy to welcome Yanai Postelnik to lead this day of practice for Oxford Insight Meditation. The day will include periods of sitting and walking meditation, meditation instructions, dharma teachings and some time for questions. There will be a break for lunch of at least 1 hour. The day will mainly be in silence. The retreat is suitable for beginners as well as those with experience of meditation practice. We ask that you commit to staying for the full day.

Boundless heart – vulnerable world: Dharma practice amidst the ecological, climate and social justice crises
This day will explore engaging with the noble heart qualities of loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity, in relation to our inner and outer spiritual practice, as meditators in a time of intersecting emergency and concern. Our hearts long to be open and at ease, and this world calls for our courageous engagement. We may discover that these support each other and can be lived together.

YANAI POSTELNIK first encountered the teachings of the Buddha while travelling in Asia in his early 20s, and has been teaching Insight Meditation and the Dharma path of wisdom and compassion internationally for most of his adult life. He is much inspired by the Thai forest tradition, and the transformative power of the natural world. Yanai is a member of the Gaia House Teacher Council, and a Core Faculty member of Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. Since 2018 he has devoted a significant amount of his time to activism and peaceful, non-violent civil disobedience, calling for an appropriate response by government to the climate, ecological and social justice crises of our time. Having grown up in New Zealand, with parents of European and Asian heritage, Yanai lives with his wife, Catherine McGee, in Devon, England.

Listen to talks by Yanai on Dharmaseed

We want to make the retreat as accessible as we can, so there are a number of Covid related precautions that we will be taking at the venue and that we encourage you to take as well:

• We encourage you not to attend if you have any Covid symptoms. You can obtain a refund for your in- person ticket via Eventbrite.
• We encourage you to have a lateral flow test, up to 48hrs before the event. If you test positive please do not attend.
• We will encourage social distancing when sitting in the hall.
• We encourage you to wear a mask where social distancing isn’t possible, for example when moving around the space, in the kitchen, lobby, hallways and in the toilets.
• We will ensure that the hall is well ventilated and will be keeping some windows open, so please dress warmly.

Please arrive for registration between 9.15 and 9.45am.

Dana:

In the spirit of generosity, our teachers freely offer their teaching. We invite you to make a ‘dana‘ donation to support Yanai in continuing to offer the teachings in this way. There will be an opportunity to offer dana on the day if you are participating in person. You can also make donations to Yanai via this Paypal link: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/yanaipostelnik

Please note we are unable to process donations for our teachers through Eventbrite.

Booking fee:

The fee is £15/£5 (concessions). The fee covers general running costs of the online and in-person retreats, including Zoom costs, Eventbrite fees, hall hire and teachers’ travel and accommodation expenses. Our teachers receive no payment from the booking fee; instead you will be invited to offer a donation to the teacher in the ancient tradition of dana.

Concessions:

We invite you to pay the full rate if you are reasonably able to do so, as this supports the continuation of our retreats. We also offer concessionary rate tickets to those who are unemployed, full-time students, on a low income, or are otherwise finding it difficult to meet the full cost. If you are unable to afford our concessionary rate, for any reason, please contact us on the email address below, as we’d like to ensure that these days are accessible to everyone.

Cancellation and refunds:

Please let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel your place on a retreat – otherwise, someone else may be turned away unnecessarily. Please contact oxfordinsightmeditation@gmail.com to let us know if you can’t be there. We offer refunds up to 24 hours before the retreat. Please see instructions here for how to claim a refund.

Venue: Littlemore Village Hall, Railway Lane, Littlemore, Oxford, OX4 4PY

The hall is wheelchair accessible and has an accessible toilet. There is parking available in the hall’s private car park close to the front door. Please contact us if you will need any support on the day to enable you to attend.

See here for a map of the location Please allow plenty of time to travel so that you can arrive at the hall between 9.15 and 9.45 for registration.

Public transport:

Public transport: City bus 3A, every 30 mins from the High Street and Iffley Road to The George pub, Littlemore, then 2 mins walk. Also City bus 3, every 11 minutes from the High Street and Iffley Road to Rose Hill Parade, then 11 mins walk. Also City bus 5A every 30 minutes from the High Street and Cowley Road to the Catholic Church, Littlemore and then 5 mins walk. For more information on bus times see here

Parking:

There is parking for about 10 cars in the hall’s private car park.

What to bring:

The hall is heated, but uncarpeted, please bring plenty of warm clothing, and a mat or rug, plus meditation stool or cushions if you wish to sit on the floor. You may also wish to bring slippers or warm socks. There are also chairs available, you may wish to bring a cushion or two for padding.

Lunch:

will be held in silence. We invite you to bring your own vegan or vegetarian packed lunch. A selection of teas, herbal drinks, milk and plant milk will be provided.

All are welcome:

We are committed to creating an inclusive retreat space. We welcome people irrespective of religious or political beliefs, ethnicity, class, sexuality, gender, age, ability and culture.

Contact:

Please get in touch if you have any questions, if you need to cancel, or to change your booking oxfordinsightmeditation@gmail.com