About this IMS Online Program

Saturday, April 29, 2023

9:00 am - 3:00 pm ET 

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Sunday, April 30, 2023

9:00 am - 3:00 pm ET 

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We live in a web of mutuality and the interpersonal realm is where the rubber meets the road in spiritual practice. Our relationships act like a magnet, pulling both our goodness and unhelpful habits to the surface. As dharma practitioners, we can commit to using relationships as a forum for cultivating more freedom and sharing the fruit of our practice. How can we infuse the principles and practice of dharma into our relational lives? How can others serve as a mirror for our self-understanding? How can we express our joy and freedom in the world?

 This weekend retreat will include guided meditation, periods of silence, dharma talks and opportunities for dialogue with the teachers. All are welcome.

This program will be recorded and made available for on-demand viewing after the live sessions. On-demand videos will be available to registered participants for 90 days.

Meet Your Teachers

Cara Lai

Cara Lai has spent most of her life in pursuit of meaning and happiness, which landed her on a cushion for much of her adult life. Throughout many mind-body adventures including many long-term retreats, she has explored the concentrated mind, chronic illness, the value of pleasure, the power of maternal energy, and connection to the earth. In the past, Cara has worked as an artist, wilderness guide, social worker and psychotherapist. Now she finds herself intently focused on the dharma path, practicing both on and off the cushion in unconventional ways, and using intuition as her guide. She tries her best to teach from the most authentic and vulnerable place she can muster, and is still learning about the contentment of simply existing.

Matthew Brensilver

Matthew Brensilver, PhD, MSW, is a member of the Guiding Teachers Committee and Board of Directors at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. He previously served as Program Director for Mindful Schools, and for more than a decade, was a core teacher at Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. He lectures at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center about the intersections between mindfulness and mental health. Before committing to teach meditation full-time, he spent years doing research on addiction pharmacotherapy at the UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction medicine. He is the co-author of two books about meditation for adolescents.

Choose your enrollment fee

As one part of our ongoing effort to expand access to the teachings of the Buddha, all IMS Online programs feature sliding scale registration fees and the opportunity to self-select a low-cost scholarship rate. No-fee enrollment is available for those who request a fee-waiver via email. Our system supports the cultivation of a dynamic and inclusive community and is made possible by our generous donors and those who choose to support other students by contributing at the “Benefactor” level.