Weekend Retreat with Luisa Montero-Diaz & Fran Lewandoski
You are warmly invited to join us for a weekend retreat with Luisa Montero-Diaz and Fran Lewandoski which begins on Friday, November 3 from 7pm to 8:30pm for a Dharma Talk and picks up for a full day retreat on Saturday, November 4 from 9am to 3pm. Everyone is welcome, no previous experience is necessary.
Attendance Survey / RSVP Request
In order to properly plan for this retreat, we ask that you complete an Attendance Survey / RSVP Request to let us know if are planning to attend, and, if so, whether you will be in-person or via Zoom. Your response is critical to the planning of this event. Thank you in advance.
Theme: Setting the Compass of Our Hearts Toward Connection
What and When
- Dharma Talk: Friday, November 3 from 7pm to 8:30pm.
- Daylong Retreat: Saturday, November 4 from 9am to 3pm. In-person participants are asked to bring a bag lunch/snacks.
Where: The retreat will be a hybrid event to be held in-person at St. Peter’s Community Hall, 211 Mulberry St., Lewes, DE and via Zoom.
In-person participants are asked to bring a bag lunch/snacks. Water and tea will be available. Face masks are not required by St. Peter’s. While we encourage safety, our IMC Lewes policy is to respect each individual’s decision about what she/he needs to do to protect themselves. Masks will be available for those who choose to use them.
Suggested Dana: The suggested donation for the Friday talk is $10 and is $35 for the retreat. For those with limited income, 50%, or any amount of the suggested donation offered is welcome. If budget does not allow for a donation, no explanation is needed. Please see our Dana page on how this works.
Details on the Retreat
Ahead of these events Montero-Diaz and Lewandoski shared the following:
“Awe and lovingkindness are kind of like emergent properties of changing the way we pay attention.” ~ Sharon Salzberg
What happens when we pay attention differently? When we see the good in others and ourselves? Countless beings throughout the ages have made room in their hearts for kindness. During this day of metta (lovingkindness) practice, we have a chance to join the chorus of ancestors who have understood that unconditional love is our natural state and who, with a caring presence, placed their hearts upon the forces of kindness. We will practice training our attention to give and receive goodwill by spending the day exploring and cultivating lovingkindness through the offering of warm friendliness to ourselves, our benefactors, our dear friends, our enemies, “neutral” beings, and all beings. We will invite the caring wishes of others to seep into our consciousness and we will nourish our ability to notice and extend kindness.
Tentative Schedule for Saturday, November 4
- 09:00 to 09:15 — Welcome & Logistics
- 09:15 to 09:45 — Setting the Tone/Context for the Day
- 09:45 to 10:30 — Sit
- 10:30 to 11:15 — Walking
- 11:15 to 12:00 — Sit
- 12:00 to 12:45 — “Savoring Food”/Lunch/Walking
- 12:45 to 01:00 — Guided Movement/Meditation
- 01:00 to 01:45 — Sit
- 01:45 to 02:00 — Break/Walking
- 02:00 to 03:00 — Closing Circle/Dedication of Merit
About Luisa and Fran
Luisa Montero-Diaz has been practicing meditation since 1987 and teaching meditation since 1993. She completed the first three-year Community Dharma Leadership program offered by Spirit Rock Meditation Center.
Luisa has been affiliated with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington since its inception (and through the years as retreat manager, volunteer, Board member, and teacher) and was an officer on the founding Board. She started the WSYC/Takoma Park class in 1994 and continues to teach there.
She teaches meditation classes, day-longs, and local residential retreats. Additionally, Luisa is a mentor in the Mindfulness Meditation Teachers Certification Program. Prior to her exploration of Buddhist meditation, she studied Gurdjieff’s Fourth Way and the Christian mystics.
Fran Lewandoski has been practicing mindfulness meditation since 1999. Luisa Montero-Diaz was one of Fran’s first meditation teachers and has mentored her for more than 20 years. Fran is a recent graduate of the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Program sponsored by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield.
She has worked as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for nearly 30 years, primarily in school settings. She is also trained as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and play therapist. Fran’s meditation practice and her spiritual friendships have been crucial supports in her personal and professional life.
Info: Carolyn Quinn / cquinn@quinnassoc.com / 302 604 0132 mobile