A day of meditation practice and reflection in the insight tradition with Mat Schencks

Saturday 20th March 2027 10.00am - 5.00pm UK time, in person and online

We are very happy to welcome Mat Schencks to lead this day retreat for Oxford Insight Meditation. The day will include periods of stillness and movement meditation, meditation instructions, dharma reflections and some time for questions. 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.

Mat Schencks has been practising Insight Meditation under the guidance of teachers at Gaia House since 2003. He has been leading day retreats and short courses since 2011 and trained as a Dharma teacher with Bodhi College. Mat is also a student of the Diamond Approach and works as a psychotherapist and coach in Milton Keynes.

Dana: In the spirit of generosity, our teachers offer their teaching freely. We invite you to make a 'dana' donation to support Mat in continuing to offer the teachings in this way. There will be an opportunity to offer dana on the day. You can also make donations to Mat via this Paypal link: http://www.paypal.me/matschencks

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

Booking fee: The fee for online participation is £5/£3/£0 (freely given) and for in person participation £15/£5/£0 (freely given). The fee covers general running costs of the online and in person retreats, including Zoom costs, Eventbrite fees, hall hire and teachers’ travel + accommodation expenses. Our teachers receive no payment from the booking fee, instead you will be invited to offer a donation to our teachers in the ancient tradition of dana.

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 lower 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. To ensure that these days are accessible to everyone. we also offer freely given tickets for which there is no fee.

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 that you can't be there. We offer refunds up to 24 hours before the retreat. Please see instructions here (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/support/articles/en_US/How_To/can-i-get-a-refund?lg=en_GB) for how to claim a refund.

For those attending online:

Zoom link: This will be emailed to those who have registered, on registration. There will also be a further reminder email one week before the retreat, 24hrs before the retreat and again 1 hour before the retreat begins. Please check your junk mail if you have not received the emails.

For those attending in person:

Please arrive for registration between 9.15 and 9.45am.

Venue: St Margarets Institute, 30 Polstead Rd, Oxford OX2 6TN

The hall is wheelchair accessible and has an accessible toilet. There are two disabled parking bays directly outside the venue. Please contact us if you need any support on the day to enable you to attend.

See here (https://www.smi-oxford.org.uk/contact-us/) for a map of the location and for public transport travel information. Please allow plenty of time to travel so that you can arrive at the hall between 9.15 and 9.45 for registration.

Parking: there is no street parking in the area without a permit, except for two disabled parking bays, which are immediately outside the venue. We have made an arrangement for use of the car park at Makespace (https://makespaceoxford.org), a short walk from the venue. Makespace is at 1 Aristotle Lane, Oxford OX2 6TP. There will be space for about 4 cars. Please note: the Makespace car park can only be accessed via Frenchay Road and Hayfield Road, and not via Polstead Road. If you park at Makespace, we ask that you make a donation equivalent to the cost of parking for a day in Oxford, which we will pass on to Makespace.

What to bring: The hall is heated, but uncarpeted, and we will have some windows open for ventilation. Please bring warm clothing and blankets, and a mat or rug, plus meditation stool or cushions if you wish to sit on the floor. We will ask you take off your shoes when in the hall, so you may also wish to bring slippers or warm socks. There are 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 and plant milk will be provided. There is also a fridge where you can store your lunch.

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 cultur

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