SIMS offers a range of opportunities to continue and deepen your practice. If you are new to meditation, please see our Getting Started page. Once you've taken an introductory course, or if you've had similar instruction in Insight Meditation elsewhere, we invite you to participate in any of the following:

Tuesday-Night Sangha

The heart of regular practice with SIMS is in our two-hour Tuesday-night gatherings. Sangha is the Pali word for "community," in the sense of a community that supports our common practice and learning of the dharma. On Tuesday evenings, SIMS gathers in Bloedel Hall at St. Mark's Cathedral on Capitol Hill from 6:45 pm until 8:45 pm. The gathering is usually led by our guiding teacher, Rodney Smith, but occasionally it is led by a guest teacher. There is a forty-minute meditation followed by either a dharma talk or a small-group discussion. There is also opportunity for Q & A.

Tuesday-night meditation gatherings are listed on the SIMS website calendar as the "Continuing Meditation Class." You can click on a specific date to see the topic that is being taught and discussed on any particular Tuesday.

Nonresidential Retreats

Nonresidential retreats offer the opportunity to practice a full day or weekend of sitting and walking without the cost or commitment of a longer residential retreat.

Days of Mindfulness are one-day retreats, usually led by Rodney Smith. Nonresidential weekend retreats are two full days of practice and dharma talks on a Saturday and Sunday, usually led by a guest teacher.

See our Calendar for a list of all upcoming nonresidential retreats.
 

Residential Retreats

Residential retreats allow one to deepen their mindfulness practice within a continuous environment that includes periods of sitting, walking, dharma talks, and everyday living activities. Residential retreats are usually at least three days in length but can also be a full week, two weeks, or longer.

Check our Links page for recommended residential retreat centers. For residential retreats led by our guiding teacher, Rodney Smith, please see Residential Retreats on the Calendar page. 

Residential Retreat Scholarships

For SIMS members with limited financial resources, SIMS offers scholarships of up to fifty percent of the retreat center registration fee for retreats led by Rodney Smith. For more information and to apply, please see the Retreat Scholarship Program and Application Form.

Personal Practice Interviews

SIMS local dharma leaders (LDLs) offer the opportunity for personal practice interviews to SIMS sangha members. Even though there is usually ample time for questions in the classes and sits offered by SIMS, some people have difficulty asking a question, or even framing it, in a large group. Others feel that something may be too personal to bring up in a group setting. A one-to-one connection with an experienced practitioner is a way to nourish one's practice.

For more information, and to request an LDL practice interview, please review the Interview Guidelines and Request page.

Dharma Classes

In addition to the ongoing Tuesday-night series, guest teacher dharma talks, and nonresidential retreats, SIMS offers dharma classes throughout the year - some oriented towards new practitioners and some towards more experienced practitioners. These classes are usually led by Rodney, a guest teacher, or a local dharma leader. Check the Calendar for the start dates of upcoming classes as offerings are added throughout the year.

Small Groups

Kalyana mitta (KM) groups, shared interest groups, and neighborhood sitting groups provide the opportunity for SIMS members to develop sangha by practicing and socializing with other like-minded individuals.

KM groups form around a specific practice topic and are facilitated by practitioners with at least two years of experience. 

Shared interest groups are a more informal way to practice or make friends while joining together in a social, educational, or recreational activity. 

Neighborhood sitting groups are open-ended, drop-in groups that meet weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly and give individuals an opportunity to practice together in a smaller group with other SIMS members who live in their neighborhood.

For more information, please see the Kalyana Mitta Groups, Shared Interest Groups, and Neighborhood Sitting Groups pages under the Sangha tab and the scheduled meeting times for neighborhood sitting groups on the Calendar page.