Awake and at Ease: A City Retreat (in VA and online)

Dates and Times
We will gather on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, during the following hours:
Friday March 20, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm (EST)
Saturday March 21, 9:30 am – 5:00 pm (EST)
Sunday March 22, 9:30 am – 3:00 pm (EST); we’ll close with informal social time, from 3:00 pm – 3:45 pm (optional, in person only)
We recommend you follow the whole retreat, but optionally you can join part of the retreat as well: only on Friday and Saturday, only on Saturday, or on Saturday and Sunday. Please indicate this on the registration form.

Practical Information
Location – Hybrid: Living Water Community Center, 1000 Westover Hills Blvd, Richmond. (Google Maps). And online via Zoom.
Cost: This retreat is fully dana-based (donation-based), see below for more information
Suggested donation for operational costs: $60 – $150 (Suggested donation for operational costs for online participants: $10 – $50)
Suggested donation for the teachers: $70 – $250 
         All are welcome, no donation required.
Teachers: Marjolein Janssen and Dawn Neal 
Registration: please register in advance by filling out this form. 

Description
This City Retreat offers a unique opportunity to practice mindfulness in the heart of urban life. By connecting meditation with the rhythms of the city, you can explore how mindfulness helps you find stillness and clarity, even amidst the hustle and bustle. The retreat is designed to help you discover how to integrate relaxation and awareness into your daily life, transforming ordinary moments into opportunities for deeper presence and insight.

Drawing inspiration from the teachings of the Burmese monk Sayadaw U Tejaniya, we will explore how a relaxed approach to mindfulness supports both beginners and experienced practitioners alike. In this way wisdom becomes more accessible, helping us to gain deeper insight into our own hearts and minds.

Throughout the weekend, there will be Dharma talks, periods of sitting and walking meditation, and time for questions and sharing.
The retreat will begin on Friday evening from 7:00 – 9:00 pm, offering an introduction to the retreat. On Saturday, we will practice together in sangha from 9:30 am – 5:00 pm, followed by an opportunity to continue your practice in daily life at home. On Sunday, we will gather again from 9:30 am through the afternoon, ending the formal practice at 3:00 pm. For those attending in person, we’ll have informal social time, with some snacks, until 3:45 pm for those who would like to stay for that.

This retreat offers a chance to deepen your practice, reconnect with natural awareness, and cultivate wisdom while embracing the vibrant energy of the city. All are welcome.

Teachers
This weekend will be led by our guiding teacher Marjolein Janssen and we will welcome guest teacher Dawn Neal. Dawn completed the Dharma teacher training with Gil Fronsdal and Andrea Fella in 2025. She serves as the Guiding Teacher for Insight Santa Cruz (CA), and faculty for the Sati Center’s Online Buddhist Chaplaincy Training. Both Dawn and Marjolein have extensive experience with the meditation approach offered by Sayadaw U Tejaniya, sometimes called “open awareness” or “natural awareness”. This approach has enriched their own practice, as well as their teachings.

The Spirit of Generosity
As is stated in the practical information above, this retreat is offered in the spirit of generosity, as a dana-based (donation-based) retreat. IMCR does have costs, like the rental of the Living Water Community Center and a portion of Dawn’s travel expenses, therefore we’ve created a sliding scale for a suggested donation for both the costs we make (operational dana) and the teachers.

• Suggested donation for operations: $60 – $150 (for online participants the suggested donation is: $10 – $50)
  • Note: Those who donate at the higher end of the scale are supporting those paying at the lower end. Any excess funds will go toward supporting IMCR to host fully donation-based retreats in the future.
• Suggested donation for the teachers: $70 – $250

Please give as feels appropriate and generous for you. Please delight in your generosity and know that the dharma continues to be offered to you and others through our collective acts of sharing. All are welcome, no donation is required.

At the retreat there will be the opportunity to offer cash donations, or donations by check. You can also donate online to the teachers through Marjolein’s PayPal or Venmo (this will be divided between Marjolein and Dawn), and to the IMCR group for operational expenses through PayPal. Add a note to your donation to the teachers or IMCR that it is for this retreat (e.g. “March City Retreat”), so that your donation is processed correctly.

More information about the concept of dana, generosity, in Buddhism.

Logistics

• Please register in advance by filling out this form. 
• We will gather at the indicated times (see above) and you’ll spend the rest of the day/night at home. 
• The retreat will be hybrid, this means that you can join in person at Living Water, 1000 Westover Hills Blvd in Richmond, or on online via Zoom. On the registration form you can indicate your preferred way to join.
• Bring your own bagged lunch on both Saturday and Sunday.
• During the retreat we will be in “noble silence.” This means that we won’t be talking to each other. We also recommend staying in “retreat mode” at home. We will also turn off our phones and other devices during the day. This is all in order to minimize external distractions, promote mindfulness and inner stillness, and respect the practice of fellow meditators.

Questions?
Don’t hesitate to contact us.