About this IMS Online Retreat

Thursday, October 2, 2025 - Sunday, October 5, 2025

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This program is open to anyone who identifies as a woman – cis, trans or genderqueer. No prior meditation experience is necessary. Experienced meditators are also welcome.

Over decades, we have been delighted to walk the path of awakening with other women through the annual women’s retreat at IMS. The community of women who have participated in this retreat over time have been a source of inspiration and refuge for us and so many of our alumni. It has been a rich and enlivening journey, and we have been honored to have been part of your lives through this extraordinary retreat. To create even more space for women who wish to join our community, we are now committed to continuing this offering through the addition of an annual online retreat, open to all those who have participated in the women’s retreat in the past and to any new students who feel called to add their voices and hearts to the circle.

Our four-day online retreat offers meditation guidance, periods of sitting and walking meditation, opportunities for reflection, and small group meetings with the teachers as we explore what it means to awaken together. We encourage you to approach this online retreat as you would approach an on-campus silent retreat, arranging the conditions of your life to support a silent retreat and committing to attend all sessions, as possible. To prevent Zoom fatigue, and to accommodate the time differences between the US and the UK, our days will be slightly shorter than usual, but the potency of our togetherness will be as strong as ever. We hope you will join us this October for Women on the Path.


Choose your enrollment fee

Schedule

This retreat begins on Thursday, October 2 at 9:00 am ET and concludes Sunday, October 5 at 12:15 pm ET. A full home retreat schedule and instructions will be offered. 

October 2 - 4, 2025

9:00 am - 4:15 pm ET

October 5, 2025

9:00 am - 12:15 pm ET

Meet Your Teaching Team

Narayan Helen Liebenson

Narayan Helen Liebenson finds it a joy and a privilege to share the Buddha’s teachings with all who are interested. She serves as an IMS guiding teacher, and has been a guiding teacher of the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center since its inception in 1985. Her training over the past forty years includes study in the United States and in Asia with meditation masters in the Theravada, Zen, and Tibetan traditions. She was a student of the late Chan master Sheng Yen for over ten years. Asked by Master Sheng Yen to teach, Narayan decided to integrate her understanding of Zen into her already existing Vipassana lineage. Narayan is the author and illustrator of a small book titled Life as Meditation, and for many years wrote a meditator’s advice column in Buddhadharma magazine. Her latest book, The Magnanimous Heart, was published by Wisdom Publications in January, 2019.

Christina Feldman

Christina Feldman is of the generation of dharma teachers that began teaching in the west in 1975 after spending some years in Asia studying and practice in both the Mahayana and Therevadan traditions. She is a co-founder of Gaia House and has served as a guiding teacher of IMS since its early days. She is the founder of the Women’s retreat and the family retreat at IMS. More recently, she is a co-founder of Bodhi-College, which is dedicated to the study and practice of the early teachings of the Buddha. She teaches Buddhist psychology in several university settings in Europe, and she teaches both traditional retreats and study programs. She has been involved in the evolving exploration of mindfulness in contemporary settings. Her latest book is Boundless Heart: The Buddha’s Path of Kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity.In June 2019, Guilford Press will be publish her next book, Mindfulness: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Psychology, co-authored with Willem Kukyen. She lives in England and is a mother and a grandmother.

FAQ

  • Equity Pricing Model

    As one part of our ongoing effort to expand access to the teachings of the Buddha, all IMS Online programs feature equity-based registration fees, including the opportunity to self-select a low-cost scholarship rate. No-fee enrollment is available for those who request a fee-waiver at [email protected], no questions asked. 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.

  • Registration Deadline

    Registration for this program closes on October 2, 2025.

  • Program Recordings

    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.

  • Refunds

    IMS Online offers full refunds through the last day of a live program. Refunds for this program can be processed until October 5, 2025. Refunds can only be applied to the card that was used for the purchase. Please reach out to [email protected] with any refund requests. 

  • Additional Questions

    If you have additional questions please contact us at [email protected].