Retreats & Events
MIM holds meditation workshops, day long retreats and residential retreats in Melbourne and Victoria. We welcome beginners and advanced practioners to join us.
30 October
Residential retreat
Open Heart, Open Mind: Residential Retreat with Carol Perry, Angela McGee & Robyn Gibson
Boho South
Financial Hardship Fund application
Our Hardship Fund assists individuals facing financial difficulties who cannot afford the full costs of a retreat. It is financed by donations from retreat participants, cancellation fees, and organisational surpluses.
A Supported Place is granted through an application process and offers a significant discount on the advertised shared room retreat cost. Three supported places are available per retreat. If you’re interested in attending an MIM retreat but need financial assistance, please complete this form.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to bring for a Day Retreat?
Bring your lunch and water bottle, cushion, and blanket if you can. Chairs and tea are generally available.
What do I need to bring for a Residential Retreat?
You generally need to bring your own cushion, stool and meditation mat. If needed you can hire these for the retreat duration. Other items to bring are listed below:
– Personal toiletries (without strong perfume please) and towel
– Bedding (depending on the venue, bedding may be provided)
– Earplugs (if you are in a twin/triple room)
– Water bottle
– Waterproof/warm jacket for walking meditation, and/or umbrella
– Sun hat, sunscreen, insect repellent
– Torch
– A notebook and pens – A diary for brief entries regarding meditation experiences. Please leave books at home
– A watch and alarm clock (as you won’t have access to your phone)
– Yoga mat
– Money for Dana
– Campers must bring all camping gear: tent, sleep mat, warm bedding and torch
What is the cancellation policy for a Day Retreat?
If you have booked for the retreat, PLEASE honour your commitment by turning up (we need to cover the above costs, to which your booking contributes).
We are unable to provide a refund for a cancellation made within 7 days of the event.
All cancellations will incur a $10 administration fee.
What is the cancellation and transfer policy for a Residential Retreat?
We understand that circumstances change, and that people sometimes need to withdraw from a retreat booking. However, it is also important that we are given enough time to try and find someone to fill your place. Dealing with cancellations and trying to find someone to fill a place can take a large amount of time, which increases our administrative costs. Retreat fees cover the basic costs of putting the retreat on. If you cancel and we cannot fill your place, our organisation is left to pay your costs such as food and accommodation. As a not for profit organisation with limited funds this exposes us to considerable risk.
Cancellations
– The $200 deposit is non-refundable at any stage.
– More than 5 weeks before the retreat: your fee is refunded, less the $200 deposit.
– Between 5 weeks and 7 days before: your full fee is retained. If we fill your place, we refund your fee less the $200 deposit.
– Less than 7 days before: your full fee is retained. If we fill your place, we refund 50% of your fee.
Transfers (changing your booking or room type)
– Transfers incur a $100 fee.
– Where a transfer results in a refund (for example, moving to a lower-priced room), that refund is only paid once the place you have vacated is filled.
– A transfer requested within 5 weeks of the retreat is treated under the cancellation rules above.
Can I pay for a Residential Retreat in instalments?
Yes, just email us with a proposal of payment amounts and dates ensuring the full fee will be paid at least 2 weeks before the retreat commences. We will either accept or if necessary adjust your proposed payment plan.
What will I eat at a Residential Retreat?
We will provide 3 nutritious vegetarian (includes dairy) meals each day and this is included in the cost. Vegan, Gluten Free & Dairy Free can also be catered for and you can indicate this in the booking process. Please note we don’t and can’t cater for individual preference e.g. I would like 2 eggs fried with spinach and sourdough!
I have very specific dietary needs, (e.g. Fodmaps) can you cater for special diets?
We can offer a simplified diet that often satisfies most special needs, including Fodmaps. If in doubt, please send us an email to clarify before booking.
If I snore, can I still attend a Residential Retreat?
Please don’t book a twin share and potentially put the other person in a situation where their retreat may be compromised. Please book a single room. Thanks for your care about this. Retreat camping may also be an option. You will need to bring your own camping equipment. Check the booking links for camping options.
Do I have to bring all my bedding for a Residential Retreat?
Some of our venues provide bedding while others do not. Information on whether or not bedding will be provided will be included in the confirmation email you will receive if you register for a retreat.
With meditation, do I have to sit on the floor or a meditation cushion?
We offer chairs to sit on to meditate. We encourage you to find a posture in meditation that allows you to be comfortable and easy.
Will there be sitting cushions and mats provided?
We ask that all attendees bring your own cushions (generally round or heart shaped cushions that we sit on, and sometimes place under our knees) and mats (flat metre squared pad to place your meditation cushion on). This is because Melbourne Insight Meditation now stores our meditation cushions and mats off site. If you are unable to bring your own, you are welcome to hire ours and we will organise their availability for you at the retreat. If you would like to practice yoga, you will need to bring your own yoga mat.
I’ve never meditated before and I’m worried it will be too much. Can I come along?
Yes … Meditation instructions are the same for everyone. We can assist with things from finding the right posture for you, through to clarifying the meditation instructions.
Can I do just part of the Residential Retreat? I would like to arrive late / finish early.
No, for all sorts of reasons. Your respect for this is deeply appreciated as late arrivals put pressure on the retreat staff and teachers. If you are planning on coming to the retreat, please plan on arriving on time and staying for the whole retreat. If you can’t do this please wait for a future retreat.
I’m coming to the Residential Retreat with my partner. Can we share a room?
No. On this Insight Meditation retreat, as with most, we don’t allow partners to share a room. We do this so that each of you can have your own experience and your own retreat, without fitting into the usual patterns of relating, communicating and thinking, that are part of being together. Also on retreat we have precepts that we follow and one of those is to abstain from having any sexual relations with ourselves or others. Being in separate rooms is a simple, helpful way to support meditative awareness and freshness of experience.
Are retreats held in silence and what does this mean?
Residential Retreats and most Day Retreats are held in silence, and all attendees are expected to uphold this. Communication between attendees should be limited to practical matters related to retreat tasks (yogi jobs), and kept to a minimum. There will also be designated opportunities for communication during group discussions and teacher interviews. During these times, communication is directed to the teacher only, rather than between attendees. Outside of these contexts, attendees are asked not to engage in conversation, and to maintain silence at all times.
Do I have to do the yoga?
No, the yoga is optional. If you do choose to join the yoga/movement class, you are always encouraged to find your own pace with whatever is being offered. If you don’t do the movement class, you are encouraged to do some other form of movement to give the body the exercise we all need.
Do you have a rideshare option to get to the retreat and back home again?
We do and while we don’t guarantee a ride, it usually works out somehow. It all depends on where you are coming from and where the other lifts are leaving from. When you sign up for the retreat, you can put yourself on the “ride needed list” and we’ll do our best to put you in touch with someone who is willing to take an extra. If in doubt, please be in touch and we’ll see what’s available.
Join our newsletter
Weekly updates on events and more