About this IMS Online Retreat

Friday, July 29, 2022 - Sunday, July 31, 2022

This program is now closed to new registrations.


Open to all. 

 Craving comes in many forms—including desire, aversion, and expectation—and presents us with a false promise of satisfaction that it can never truly deliver.  

Mindfulness practice allows us to counteract our tendency toward cravings because it changes the way we relate to a craving when it first arises. Through mindful awareness, we begin to see that we can simply "be with" strong impulses without needing to act on them. From a place of internal empowerment, we can become more skillful in our relationship with old habits and offer ourselves true freedom of choice when it comes to difficult urges.

This July, join Walt Opie for a weekend exploration of craving, and discover the path that leads away from suffering, and moves us closer to freedom. This online retreat includes guided meditations, dharma talks, and time for sharing and discussion. The program may be engaged as a silent weekend and/or as a compliment to daily life. 

This retreat begins on Friday, July 29, at 7:00 pm ET and concludes Sunday, July 31, at 12:00 pm ET. A full home retreat schedule and instructions will be offered. The live session schedule with the teacher is as follows:

Friday, July 29, 2022

7:00 pm - 8:30 pm ET (check local time)

Saturday, July 30, 2022

10:00 am - 12:00 pm ET (check local time)

2:00 pm - 5:00 pm ET Session (check local time)

Sunday, July 31, 2022

10:00 am - 12:00 pm ET (check local time)


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

About the Teacher

Walt Opie

Walt Opie (he/him) is a dharma teacher in the insight meditation tradition who has been in recovery for over three decades. He was first introduced to insight meditation in 1993 and began sitting regular residential retreats in 2005. Currently, his most influential teachers include Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Bhikkhu Analayo, Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Guy Armstrong, and Gil Fronsdal. Walt is a graduate of the recent IMS Teacher Training Program, as well as Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leaders program. He has led sitting groups for people in recovery and served as a volunteer teacher in several California prisons for many years. He teaches around the U.S. at centers including Sacramento Insight Meditation, Cambridge Insight Meditation Center, New York Insight Meditation Center, Spirit Rock, and Insight Meditation Society. His website is www.waltopie.com.