Thursday Evening Meditation & Talk:
Over the next couple of months we’ll explore the Buddha’s teachings on mindfulness and the four areas of experience where he suggested we focus our mindful awareness. They include mindfulness of the body, of feeling tones, of the heart and mind, as well as mindfulness of the ways in which we experience the teachings in our lives. Please go to Updated Resources for various articles related to these discussions
After the 7:00 pm online meditation on Thursday, August 27, 2026, we’ll have a discussion of mindfulness of body postures and walking meditation. The following Thursday, September 3, Chris Murray will give a talk after the 7:00 pm meditation on the body scan and other meditation practices for mindfulness of the body and body sensations. This will include the practice of mindfulness of the elements, a meditation that can help us be aware of different aspects of our body and experience, and begin to loosen our attachment to the body. Below you can find resources with more information about the practice of mindfulness of the body.
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IMMC Picnic and 20th Anniversary Celebration August 29th
There will be a picnic for the meditation group at Leslie Groves Park in Richland on Saturday, August 29, from 11:30 am – 2:30 pm. We plan to meet in Picnic Shelter #1, near the Park Avenue entrance. That’s the shelter closest to the volleyball court and the river. We will provide: Table cloths, utensils (forks, knives, spoons), plates, napkins, cups, a big water jug, iced tea, lemonade, and a cooler with ice. Please bring a potluck dish to share and any utensils needed to serve it. You may also want to bring a chair to sit on. There is seating on benches in the picnic shelter, but additional seating will be needed. All participants in the meditation group are welcome to attend, even if you’re new or if you haven’t been participating in the last few years. Spouses, family, and significant others are also welcome.
August 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia, so if you’re a part of the community, or have been in the past, we hope you’ll join us for the picnic and celebration.
If you’re planning to attend, please RSVP to this email: insightmeditation.midcol@gmail.com. This will help us plan for what we need to provide.
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Meditation and Talk on Friday, September 11, 2026
Keri Pederson and Temira Lital will lead a meditation and give a talk on the evening of Friday, September 11, 2026, from 7:00 pm till 8:30 pm. The topic for the talk will be announced soon. The Friday evening event will be held at Shalom UCC, 505 McMurray Street, Richland, and will be held in the Fellowship Hall. Please note that this is a change of location from our usual meeting place! There is no fee for the Friday evening event and no registration or RSVP is required.
Meditation Retreat on Saturday, September 12, 2026
Keri Pederson and Temira Lital will lead an Insight Meditation retreat on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm. The retreat will be conducted at Shalom UCC, 505 McMurray Street, Richland, in the Fellowship Hall. Please note that this is a change of location from our usual meeting place!
Registration is now open for the retreat. To register for the retreat, please send an email to the following email address: registrar@insightmeditationmc.org. We’ve found out that some people mailing to that email address receive an error message that their email was returned. In fact, the emails are received intact, so please ignore the error message. We’ll try to confirm that your email was received and that you’re registered within 24 hours.
Keri is a Guiding Teacher of the Seattle Insight Meditation Society (SIMS), and Temira is a Local Dharma Leader for SIMS.
The topic for the retreat will be announced when it is available, by email and on our website.
The retreat will consist of a mix of stationary meditation and movement meditation with instruction and a Dharma talk and will be suitable for beginners and experienced meditators.
Fee for the retreat will be $10. Please use our online donation form to pay the retreat fee (https://donorbox.org/support-insight-meditation-society-mid-columbia) and leave a comment indicating that the donation is for the retreat on September 12. The fee will be waived for those who can’t afford it, please send an email to the Registrar’s email address (registrar@insightmeditationmc.org) if you’d like to request a scholarship. Those who are registered for the retreat will receive an email the week of the retreat with additional information.
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Tri-Cities Cancer Center Meditation Support Group Meets Sept. 17th
We’ll continue our monthly mindfulness meditation support group meeting at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center in May. The Cancer Center is located at 7350 West Deschutes Avenue, Kennewick and the next meeting will be Thursday, 9/17/2026. The sessions, which are held on the third Thursday of each month, are meant for cancer patients, cancer survivors, and their caregivers. The session will begin at 12:00 pm at the Cancer Center in the Fireside Room. If you have a serious illness other than cancer, or are a caregiver for someone who is ill, you’re welcome to attend the sessions. Each session includes a brief review of mindfulness and mindful self-compassion meditations and the role they can play in reducing the anxiety arising from diagnosis and treatment, an opportunity to ask questions, and the chance to practice meditation with others. Please contact Lorie MacIsaac to register for the support group session by email at Lorie.Macisaac@kadlec.org or call 509-737-3412.You’re welcome to attend even if you aren’t registered.
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Memorial Service for Ray Warner on September 19, 2026
Ray Warner attended our meditation sessions for many years, starting in early 2007 with his wife Judith. Ray recently passed away on August 16, 2026. There will be a Celebration of Life for Ray at 11:00 am on September 19 at Events at Sunset Gardens, 915 Bypass Highway, in Richland. All who were friends with Ray are welcome to attend.
Ray was a regular at the Thursday meditations for many years prior to the pandemic. During that time he often gave a ride to Frank Cuta, both to the regular meditation sessions and also to meditation retreats. In the last few years, Ray joined us for the online Thursday evening sessions and gave many warm testimonials to his good fortune of having great friends and beautiful hills to walk in. Ray had a stroke several months ago, and Frank would take Dial-A-Ride to the rehab center where Ray was staying and join the Thursday evening online meditation on Zoom, so that they both could be there for meditation.
One of Ray’s last wishes was that he would be remembered by his friends in Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia. If you knew Ray, you know how memorable he was, and how unlikely it is that we will forget him! Please keep him in your thoughts and meditations.
Also, Frank Cuta would like to attend the celebration of life for Ray, but needs a ride from his home near Red Mountain Road (near West Richland). If you’re able to give him a ride to and from the event, please contact me at insightmeditation.midcol@gmail.com, and I’ll connect you with Frank. It would be much appreciated.
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Weekly Meditation Schedule
In-Person Meditations Available at Shalom UCC:
There are two in-person meditations each month at Shalom UCC, at 505 McMurray Street in Richland. They are held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. The meditations start at 5:30 pm and are 25 minutes long. They are followed by some discussion of meditation. The sessions are finished by 6:30 pm. Instruction and/or a guided meditation are available on the 4th Tuesday of the month. All are welcome to the meditations at Shalom.
IMMC In-Person Meetings:
Our in-person meetings take place at All Saints Episcopal Church, 1322 Kimball Avenue in Richland. Our in-person meditation meetings are offered on Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. and Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. We meditate for half an hour, followed by an optional time for sharing and conversation after meditation. No problem if you just want to meditate and then leave.
Chairs are available in the meeting hall. However, if you prefer to use your own chair, blanket, cushion or bench, you are welcome to bring it. The meetings have recently moved indoors and meet in the Parish Hall at the rear of the church.
Those who regularly attend the in-person meetings have developed a masking policy for the times we meet indoors. The community levels of Covid will be checked each time we publish a newsletter. When community levels are low; masks will be optional. When community levels are medium or high, masks will be required. If there is any attending member that feels more comfortable with everyone masking, we will all mask in support of the most vulnerable among us.
Currently, the Covid community levels are low in Benton County; masks are optional on Saturday and Wednesday morning unless any participant feels more comfortable with everyone masking. Please bring a mask to all of the in-person sessions in case the meeting is moved indoors and there is an attending member with greater vulnerability.
We’re looking forward to welcoming some of you in person and being there online for others.
Online Meetings:
In addition to our in-person meetings we have three online meditations a week, on Wednesday morning, Thursday evening, and Saturday morning. The Zoom links for those meetings can be found on the Events Calendar. You’re welcome to join us online for any of the 3 meetings each week.
During the Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday online meetings, we “sit together” for meditation for half an hour. Meditations include guided meditations, meditations with some initial guidance and instruction, and silent meditations. The Wednesday morning meditation starts at 9:30 am, with half an hour of meditation, followed by half an hour of sharing. On Thursday evenings there is a talk or discussion and sharing following meditation. Meditation is from 7:30 until 8:00 pm, with the talk and discussion ending at about 9:00 pm. The Saturday morning meditation starts at 8:00 am, with half an hour of meditation followed by half an hour of sharing.
If you can’t or don’t wish to join the online sessions you can just meditate at the same time as we’re meeting and know that there are others from the group who are meditating with you.
We’re looking forward to welcoming some of you in person and being there online for others.
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Volunteers at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center
The Insight Meditation group has supported Buddhist meditation groups at the state prison in Connell, WA since 2003. Those visits were on hold during the height of the pandemic but resumed last year. Currently we have two volunteers visiting the medium-security prison on Monday afternoons and we are seeking additional volunteers to support that effort, especially when our lead volunteer isn’t available.
There are several requirements for those volunteering at the prison. Orientation and training are required. Applicants also need to undergo a background investigation. Applicants with a criminal background need to be off of supervision or parole for a year before applying.
Those applying to volunteer should have a regular meditation practice and at least some knowledge of Buddhist teachings and be willing to learn more so that you can discuss Buddhist practice with the inmates. If you’re interested, please contact Chris Murray for more information about volunteering at Coyote Ridge.
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Online Donation Form for Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia
Please use our online donation form if you wish to contribute to the meditation group.
Warm regards and thank you for your support,
Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia