Weekly Sittings & Talks

People of all experience levels are welcome to join our weekly sittings. We are meeting via Zoom while we’re unable to meet in person.

Our weekly Sunday sittings are led by Eugene Cash or a guest teacher. We meet from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm.
The Zoom link for the Sunday sitting is here. Please check the home page for the latest teacher updates.

Our weekly Monday sittings are led by SFI teachers: Eileen Spillane, Nina Gold, Syra Smith and Felix Tsai.
The Zoom link for the Monday sitting is click here or open the Zoom app and join Meeting ID 814 7430 7011, password SFIMonday.

Weekly Monday Women’s Sangha - Mondays from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm with Julianna Sloane & Syra Smith.
The Zoom link for the sitting is click here or open the Zoom app and join Meeting ID 452 695 8576, password 229216.

Dana Practice

Dana means “generosity.” The Buddha’s teachings are considered priceless but are given freely in a spirit of generosity. Offering dana (a donation) gives students an opportunity to express gratitude for the teachings and to cultivate the joy of giving.

To cover San Francisco Insight expenses and make an offering to the teacher, we ask participants for a donation.

You may make your offering online, or contact us if you’d like to mail a check (please do not use the P.O. Box for donations).

We also welcome your generosity through volunteering.

Classes

SF Insight sponsors both introductory and intermediate-level meditation classes each year. We also periodically hold classes on other Dharma-related topics.

Currently Open Classes

Being Nature: Chi Gung and Meditation to Welcome Spring

A 4-Week Mindful Movement and Meditation Class Series with Kitty Costello

Sunday mornings March 31 – April 21, 10–11:30 a.m.

As the spring lifeforce surges up through the roots, pushing up new green shoots, it is surging through us too! Right here in the middle of the city, we can practice deeper alignment with the rhythm and flow of the natural world that we are made of, are part of. (Adaptable for all levels of fitness and ability.)

This class will be offered both in person and on zoom.

Attendance at all 4 sessions is strongly recommended, though drop-ins are welcome. In person attendance is limited to 12 people.

Sponsored by San Francisco Insight and the San Francisco Dharma Community

Kitty Costello is a psychotherapist, writer, and Chi Gung teacher. Kitty began practicing Insight Meditation in 2000, and she is a graduate of Spirit Rock's Community Dharma Leaders Program (2017). She has volunteered for 30 years with Freedom Voices Publications, whose mission is "to publish works that speak to and from communities on the margins."

About the Classes

Q. What if I can only come to some of the classes?

A. Please contact the teachers if you can’t make all the classes. Generally, it tends to work best if you don’t miss the first few. Some classes build on the previous class, benefit from consistency to create deep community while others can be flexible with a drop-in style. Speak to the teacher in person, or email info@sfinsight.org.

Daylong Retreats

Daylong retreats may be offered independently or part of multi-week classes. They are open to all community members, and offer a way to deepen one’s practice in daily life.

Currently Open Retreats

Embodied Life, Compassionate World: Cultivating the Jewels of Meditation Practice

An in-person half-day retreat with San Francisco Insight teachers Nina Gold, Syra Smith and Felix Tsai.

Retreats

A traditional silent Vipassana retreat is a wonderful way to deepen your meditation practice, steep in the teachings of the Buddha and the Dharma of liberation, and develop a community of awakening. SFI teachers lead retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre and other locations.

Past Retreats

"Do No Harm: The Precepts as a Practice of Compassion and Connection" with Pamela Weiss and Jozen Tamori Gibson: July 30-Aug 1 - This online weekend retreat will investigate the precepts - not killing, not stealing, not lying, and not misusing sexuality or intoxicants - as an embodied, relational path. Through guided meditation, dharma talks, interactive inquiry, and discussion, participants will explore what it means to stay awake and be compassionate, and explore the potential for engaging in our shared life without doing harm to ourselves, each other, and the planet. Suitable for both beginners and experienced practitioners. Apply Online Here

5-Day Online Retreat with Pamela Weiss and Eugene Cash: Aug 11-15 - A silent mindfulness retreat using Insight Retreat Center’s Zoom “meditation hall,” with periods of sitting and walking meditation, instruction, dharma talks, and practice discussion with the teachers. Suitable for both beginners and experienced practitioners. Apply Online Here

"No Part Left Out: A meditation Retreat for Self-Identified Women" with Pamela Weiss and Co-Leaders Amana Brembry Johnson, Carole Cano, and Kate Johnson: Sept 27-Oct 1 - This online mindfulness retreat through Spirit Rock Zoom "meditation hall" will offer myths, stories, archetypes of Buddhist womxn, compassion and desire for freedom. It will include periods of silent sitting and walking, meditation instruction, Dharma talks, embodied movement, meetings with teachers, creative expression and practice discussion with the teachers. Suitable for both beginners and experienced practitioners. Apply Online Here