The Method in Madness Institute
Writing, Literature, and Meditation
A Study of the Mind
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Upcoming Events
Welcome to the 2024 MiMi Spring Retreat Program!
MiMi SPRING 2024
Writing Practice & Mindfulness
PROGRAM
SPRING 2024
The Propensity to Be Bothered
We kick off the new season with an exciting exploration of a key question for both writers and meditators: how to work with our "propensity to be bothered," as meditation teacher and writer Pema Chödrön calls it? Or how to work with our "beautiful monsters," the difficult thoughts and emotions that tend to pop up when we take the time to sit down and get in touch with what truly matters to us?
All too often, these difficult thoughts/emotions (or "kleshas", as they are called in Sanskrit) are experienced as "hindrances," obstacles turning our writing or meditation practice into moments of suffering that at best don't feel very inspiring and at worst can make us abandon the practice altogether.
This Spring season, during the first Sunday of each month, we will meditate and write together, and take a moment to study key passages from Pema Chödrön's book How We Live Is How We Die.
What You Will Learn
- how to recognize mental and emotional states that cloud our concentration as soon as they arise
- how to install three ways of working with them instead of sticking with the default reaction of trying to push them aside
- how to use both writing practice and meditation to put these tools into practice
Practical Info
* RETREAT DATES
- Sunday April 7
- Sunday May 5
- Sunday June 2
* TIMING
All three events start at 9 am PT, 12 pm ET, 5 pm UK, 6 pm Paris-Berlin, 10:30 pm IST.
The Sunday June 2 END OF SEASON retreat ends 4 hours later. The first two events end 3.5 hours later.
* SCHEDULE
Opening meditation
Introduction
Writing practice
Breakout rooms
Pema Chödrön reading
Break
Writing Practice
Breakout rooms
Discussion and Q&A
Closing meditation
* REGISTRATION
Early Bird registration is now open!
For a 20% discount, sign up before Saturday March 17 at midnight PT.
FEE
$199 $159 for the entire season (replays included!).
$79 $59 for a single event ticket.
A limited number of scholarships are available for those who may need them. To apply for a scholarship, click HERE.
The Propensity to Be Bothered
"Feel What You Feel"
Half-Day Sit Walk Write Retreat
Sunday April 7
The first event of The Propensity to Be Bothered Spring Retreat Program will focus on seeing how we can turn towards difficult thoughts and emotions by not merely becoming aware of them but also using awareness itself as a container in which we can hold them and be with them - a skill that writers vitally need to be able to touch the reader's heart.
To sign up for this event only, click HERE.
To sign up for the entire Spring Program, click HERE.
To apply for a Scholarship, click HERE.
The Propensity to Be Bothered
"Turning Poison into Medicine"
Half-Day Sit Walk Write Retreat
Sunday May 5
A two-day Sit Walk Write retreat focused on how to read the classics, applying those guidelines while watching Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" (Kenneth Branagh version), and analyzing part of the text of Scene 2 Act 2, which contains the expression "method in madness."
If you signed up for the retreat, you can watch the recording here.
The Propensity to Be Bothered
"Beautiful Monsters"
Half-Day Sit Walk Write Retreat
Sunday June 2
Finding the wisdom inside the most stormy mental states.
A two-day Sit Walk Write retreat focused on how to read the classics, applying those guidelines while watching Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" (Kenneth Branagh version), and analyzing part of the text of Scene 2 Act 2, which contains the expression "method in madness."
If you signed up for the retreat, you can watch the recording here.
For an overview of our past events or to watch the replays of previous retreats, click HERE
Support Us
Writing, literature, and meditation should be available to all, regardless of background or financial circumstances.
We're deeply grateful for any donation to the MiMi Scholarship Fund (one-time or recurring)
helping those who may need it to benefit from our educational services and community too.
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