Stillness in Daily Life: Daylong Retreat

Practical Information
Date: Saturday August 22
Hours:  9:30 – 4:00 PM, with optional social gathering from 4:00 – 4:45 PM
Location: Living Water, 1000 Westover Hills Boulevard, Richmond. (Google Maps)
Cost: This retreat is fully dana-based (donation-based), see below for more information
   Suggested donation for renting the space: $25 – $50
   Suggested donation for the teacher: $25 – $175
    All are welcome, no donation required.
Teacher: Sharon Shelton
Registration: please register in advance by filling out this form

Description
A day of a silent retreat offers a rare opportunity to step out of the constant movement of daily life and rediscover the quiet clarity that is always available beneath it. With the theme Stillness in Daily Life, this retreat invites you to explore how inner calm is not something separate from ordinary living. It is something that can gently infuse every moment, when we learn how to pause, observe, and be present.

Importantly, this retreat, in a way,  is a training for daily life. Through practices such as mindfulness in all activities, while that is during formal sitting, during walking practice, or eating lunch,, you will learn ways to bring stillness into all activities. So that at home, washing dishes, answering emails, or having a conversation, can all become opportunities to return to presence. Mindfulness becomes a companion, helping you move through the world with greater steadiness, clarity, and ease.

By the end of the day, the intention is not just that you feel calm, but that you leave with a felt sense of how stillness can accompany you,quietly and reliably, within the flow of your everyday life.

 Everyone is welcome, no prior meditation experience needed. For those new to meditation we do ask that you watch the series of four videos on the page for beginners.

During the retreat we will be in “noble silence.” This means that we won’t be talking to each other (except during designated times). We will also turn off our phones and other devices. This is all in order to minimize external distractions, promote mindfulness and inner stillness, and respect the practice of fellow meditators.

After the Daylong Retreat there is an optional social gathering from 4:00 – 4:45 PM, some snacks are provided.

Generosity for the Teacher and the IMCR Group
As is stated in the practical information above, this retreat is offered in the spirit of generosity, as a dana-based (donation-based) retreat. This means that no one will be turned away for lack of funds!

To help cover retreat costs, we offer the following suggested donation ranges, for those able and willing to offer a donation:

• Suggested donation for renting the space: $25 – $50.
  • Note: Those who donate at the higher end of the suggested range are supporting those paying at the lower end. Any excess funds will go toward supporting IMCR to host fully donation-based retreats in the future.
• Suggested donation for the teacher: $25 – $175.

Please give as feels appropriate and generous for you. Please delight in your generosity and know that the dharma continues to be offered to you and others through our collective acts of sharing. All are welcome, no donation is required.

How to offer a donation
At or before the retreat there will be the opportunity to offer cash donations, donations by check, or online via QR codes.
For online donations for renting the space click here. Add a note to your donation that it is for this retreat (e.g. “IMCR August 2026 Daylong”), so that your donation is processed correctly. Information about donations to the teacher will follow closer to the start of the retreat.

More information about the concept of dana, generosity, in Buddhism.

Important

• Please register in advance by filling out this form.
• Please bring a bagged lunch. (Tea and water are available)
• If you use a meditation bench, please bring one (if you don’t have one, let us know in the registration form, and we can bring one for you).
• Other meditation supplies like (bolster like) cushions, yoga mats, blankets, and chairs are available.

About the Teacher
We are delighted to welcome Sharon Shelton as our guest teacher for this daylong retreat. Sharon is a mindfulness and Dharma teacher, certified mindfulness teacher, and certified professional coach who has been practicing in the Insight (Vipassana) tradition since 1997. She serves as a mentor in the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program led by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, teaches regularly with Banyan and the Triangle Insight Meditation Community, and is known for her warm, grounded approach to bringing the Dharma into everyday life. 

Sharon Shelton: “I don’t believe freedom is found somewhere outside of our lives. I believe it becomes possible when we learn how to meet this life with greater awareness, kindness, and wisdom. I’d love to practice with you.“

Questions?
Don’t hesitate to contact us.