Grounded and Spacious: Mindful Yoga and Embodied Meditation
Booker brings her heart and wisdom to the intersection of Dharma, embodied practice, and activism. She began working with system-involved populations in 2005 and was a senior teacher and Director of Trainings with Lineage Project for 10 years, and facilitated an intervention on Riker’s Island from 2009-2011 through NYU.
Finding True Refuge: A Retreat for LGBTQIA+ and GNC Communities
with John Martin + JD Doyle
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The wounds of the world can feel like too much to bear at times. To engage skillfully with all that’s arising in our lives requires profound support for meeting the world as it is.
Long time creative collaborators and friends Djuna Devereaux and Leslie Booker will offer the dynamic power of healing and restorative asana and somatic movement, with dharma teachings, silent meditation, and connection.
The unique practice of somatic movement will bring ease, joy, and flow to the body through gentle unwinding movements synchronized with the breath. The asana sessions will combine intelligent alignment with the subtle energetics of yoga, for practices that are both deep and accessible.
The meditation sessions will create a sacred pause to restore and receive insight. The wisdom teachings of the Buddha Dharma will provide a framework for cultivating qualities of heart and mind that are not just guidelines for meditation, but a true understanding of how to navigate our emotional landscape.
Together, these practices will cultivate grounded, embodied presence and foster a tender connection to our inner states.
All levels and abilities are welcome.
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Cultivate the wisdom and compassion we need to carry forward into our lives. Join us for a five-night silent retreat in the beautiful natural setting of Big Bear Retreat Center, only two hours from Los Angeles. We will spend our days deepening our meditation practice in the service of cultivating wisdom and compassion that we need in our lives. As we settle our minds, supported by nature, we can see ourselves and the world with deeper clarity and allow our inner wisdom to emerge.
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In this 9th iteration of the annual Dhamma Dena Queer Retreat, we will come together as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Gender Expansive, and 2 Spirit Folk and other family on the gender and sexual continuum to practice the Buddha's liberating path. Through noble silence, daily instruction, personal practice, on land affinity groups, and group interviews - we will practice ways for us to do the work of living in a world so in need of love and wise responsiveness.
Continuing teachers Leslie Booker and Ian Challis are happy to welcome again the support of Calvin Burnap.
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This silent retreat will focus on cultivating the quality of lovingkindness (mettā in Pāli), infusing our hearts, minds, and bodies with a strong, caring wisdom. Lovingkindness practices open the heart and connect us intimately with all of life, while awareness—as developed through mindfulness practice—leads to clarity, insight, and understanding. The fusion of these qualities helps us to respond more compassionately to the challenges we encounter in ourselves and in the world.
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The Ten Perfections of the Heart, or pāramīs, offer a powerful framework for living with compassion, resilience, and purpose. These teachings—on generosity, ethical conduct, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, resolve, lovingkindness, and equanimity—are not just meditation guidelines, they are practical tools for navigating life. According to tradition, these were the very qualities the Buddha cultivated over many lifetimes as he gradually prepared to awaken fully and guide others toward freedom. In this residential retreat, we will explore and practice the pāramīs both on and off the cushion. Our focus will be on how we embody these teachings in everyday life within a community rooted in belonging, shared intention, and a commitment to collective liberation.
This retreat is silent except for teacher-led Q&A, small groups, or other practice meetings.
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New York Insight’s Midlife Sangha is a warm and vibrant community for individuals who wish to explore meditation and apply Buddhist teachings to the gifts and challenges of midlife. Our goal is to cultivate a supportive space that fosters connection, encouragement, and authenticity, allowing members to reflect on shared experiences and personal growth.
In these monthly sits, we will meditate together and explore questions that arise at this stage of life. Whether you’re contemplating a career or relationship change, navigating elder care or an empty nest, finding joy or seeking deeper meaning in the second half of life, you’ll find a community that walks alongside you, offering mutual support and shared wisdom.
The Midlife Sangha meets on the second Sunday of each month from 5:30–7:30 PM. Led by NYI Teachers or Peer Leaders, each session includes meditation, a dharma discussion, and an opportunity to explore midlife topics in a supportive community. Open to practitioners of all experience levels
In-person attendance is highly encouraged, as meeting in the physical world helps foster connections that are vital for this community. That said, we understand everyone may have circumstances that may not allow in-person attendance such as sickness or being a caregiver, etc. We want to make this community accessible.
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For over 35 years, the Monday Night sitting group at Spirit Rock has been a welcoming refuge to gather, hear the teachings of the Buddha, and practice insight meditation together as a community. The program includes a 30-40 min guided meditation, a short break, and a dharma talk.
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Many of us come to the cushion looking for refuge from our anxiety, depression or any number of neurodiversities that we might feel are an impediment to our practices and our lives. And yet, they continue to pop up for us again and again.
In this special half-day workshop, Dan Harris, author and host of the 10% Happier podcast, and Leslie Booker, leading meditation teacher and NYI’s Guiding Teacher, will discuss how the dharma is actually uniquely equipped to help us deal with our depression and anxiety.
Not only can the dharma shed light on why we feel anxious or hopeless—it can also help transform these experiences into portals of wisdom.
Through dharma talks, meditation, and group discussion, you’ll come to understand some basic tools to deal with anxiety, depression, ADHD, and overwhelm. You’ll also learn how to connect with your body and settle the mind in your most stressed-out moments. Together we’ll touch into the possibilities for care and well-being that the dharma offers, and also talk about what it doesn’t cover.
In-person seats are limited so please register early to reserve your spot!
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Every moment is an opportunity to not succumb to fear and anger, but to remember our connection to each other. Practicing with the Five Precepts invites us to consider “the other” as an extension of ourselves. Centering this view, we begin to get curious about how we can protect life through true generosity, attune and correct power dynamics and other predatory behavior, utilize speech that unites, and remember that anything that makes us forget that we belong to each other is an intoxicant.
In this 5-week series, we will explore both traditional and contemporary interpretations of the Five Precepts, focusing on the Precepts as an ongoing practice of relationality, compassion, and interdependence. bell hooks wrote “The assumption about love is that love means we will not be challenged or changed.” Through reflection, dialogue, and daily practice, you will be challenged to remember how deeply our lives are intertwined, and find your heart changed through the living practice of love.
Online Only: We are offering this program online via Zoom.
Class dates are: October 10, October 17, October 24, October 31, November 7; all classes are held on Fridays from 9:00am – 11:00am US Pacific Time.
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Like many people, the practice of mettā (lovingkindness) initially felt out of reach to me. It looked like everyone else was basking in its warmth… except me. The phrases felt awkward, the categories confusing, and it all seemed too soft, too gendered—or maybe I was just too angry to feel anything at all. My heart was blocked. Maybe this is you, too. For others, mettā works well enough, but is only thought of as an antidote to aversion, rather than embraced as a constant companion, which is its true purpose. If you resonate with these or any other ways mettā can seem inaccessible, this day is for you!
Led by a self-proclaimed “Anti-mettā mettā Girl,” in this day of practice we’ll explore what mettā really is, how we may have misunderstood it, and new ways to connect with this heart practice. We’ll move through stillness and movement meditations, journal reflections, the Buddha’s teachings on lovingkindness, and small group sharing where you’ll discover you’re not alone. All mettā skeptics, doubters, and imagined “failures” (you’re not) are welcome!