Introducing a new teacher for Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia
The upcoming meditation class series will be taught by Chris Murray and Fabiola Robinson. Fabiola will be helping lead the meditation group now. I (Chris) was diagnosed with leukemia five years ago, and recently found I need to start treatment in mid-January. I feel fortunate that Fabiola moved to the Tri-Cities recently and has agreed to help me guide the meditation group.
Fabiola was born and raised in Mexico, and worked for years in the software industry, which led to her move to the United States almost 30 years ago. More recently, she trained as a mindfulness teacher in a two-year program run by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. She has taught meditation for the last few years, including to groups of social workers and teachers. Her Buddhist practice is deep, in the Mahasi style that is one of the main sources of the Insight Meditation tradition. Fabiola has an extensive retreat practice in the Goenka and Mahasi traditions, and is studying Buddhist teachings with two excellent teachers of Insight Meditation.
So, Fabiola has a very strong background in Buddhist practice, and also has training and experience in teaching mindfulness. Her teaching of beginning meditation has used the secular mindfulness approach that I use in teaching our beginning meditation classes, so she’s comfortable with that approach. Fabiola would be a very good fit with the meditation group under any circumstances.
Given the uncertainty that I have about how much energy and mental clarity I’ll have when I start cancer treatment in the next week or two, I asked Fabiola if she would be willing to become more heavily involved in guiding the activities of our meditation group, and she agreed. The main ways that will occur in the near term are working with me to offer the upcoming set of meditation classes this winter while I’m in the middle of treatment. She is also taking an active role in the in-person meditation group on Wednesday mornings and the Thursday evening online meditation group.
Please welcome Fabiola to her new role in the meditation group!
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Beginning Meditation Classes ~ January 25 – March 1, 2026
The next series of Beginning Meditation classes will start on Sunday, January 25, 2026, and will continue for five Sunday afternoons through March 1, 2026, skipping February 8. The classes will be conducted in person at All Saints Episcopal Church, 1322 Kimball Avenue, Richland, in the Parish Hall. There is no charge for the classes; donations are accepted. Registration for the classes is now open.
Please send an email to insightmeditation.midcol@gmail.com to register for the classes.
The five classes are intended to work together to provide an introduction to meditation for those new to meditation or serve as a useful “touchstone” for more experienced practitioners. You are welcome to attend any or all of the classes, especially if you’ve taken one or more of the classes before. Each class can be a stand alone class, and will focus on a different topic. All classes will be from 1:30- 3:00 pm.
The classes will be taught by Chris Murray, guiding teacher of Insight Meditation of the Mid-Columbia, and Fabiola Robinson, a meditation teacher who recently moved to the Tri-Cities and joined the meditation group.
The dates and topics for the class series are:
January 25 – Introduction to Mindfulness and Mindfulness of the Breath
February 1 — Mindfulness Meditation and the Body
February 15 — Mindfulness of Thoughts and Emotions in Meditation
February 22 — Compassion & Loving Kindness Meditation Practices
March 1 – Insight Meditation and Open Awareness
Please to our Events Calendar for more details about each class.
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Thursday Evening Meditation & Talk:
Over the next couple of months we’ll explore five faculties that the Buddha suggested would help us to better understand the distress we sometimes encounter in life and to explore ways in which we can decrease it. They include confidence, energy, mindfulness, gathering the mind, and wisdom. These faculties support one another and support us.
After the 7:00 pm online meditation on Thursday, January 15, I will give a talk on mindfulness, a key member of the five faculties. Mindfulness, a clear and non-judgmental awareness of our experience in the moment, helps us to see the ways in which we contribute to our own discomfort. It also helps us to balance the other four faculties. The following Thursday, 1/22/2026, the Thursday evening meditation will be followed by an open discussion of mindfulness. Below you can find resources with more information about the five faculties, and especially about the role of mindfulness in our spiritual practice.
Please go to Updated Resources for more detailed reading on these topics.
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Weekly Meditation Schedule:
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 8:00 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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Tri-Cities Cancer Center Meditation Support Group Meets Jan. 15th
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,1/15/2026. 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.orgor call 509-737-3412.
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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