Events
Effortless Mindfulness and Field of Care Meditation, with Radhule Weininger and Carla Tomson
Friday September 18, 11 a.m.-12 p.m., in-person only
The Sacred Space, 2594 Lillie Ave., Summerland
Radhule will lead the Effortless Mindfulness and Field of Care meditation class at The Sacred Space. This class is intended to provide an opportunity to cultivate healing with peacefulness, relaxation, and a deeper connection with your own inner guidance. Sacred Space provides a private meeting space, chairs, and hot tea. Visit The Sacred Space Events webpage to register. MHP gratefully accepts donations for this class.
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Sustainable Compassion, with special guest John Makransky
Sunday, September 20, 10-11 a.m., via MHP Zoom
Lama John Makransky, Ph.D., leads a class on sustainable compassion on the third Sunday of each month as part of our weekly series led by Michael Kearney and Radhule Weinger. Use the daily meditations/weekly meetings Zoom link.
Full Moon Meditation and Sound Bath, with Peter Moreno
Saturday, September 26, 7-8 p.m., in-person only
East Beach, Santa Barbara
Peter will host his monthly full moon meditation and sound bath with singing bowls at East Beach near the volleyball courts across the street from the condominiums on Cabrillo Boulevard. There is street parking. Look for flashing red lights and lanterns. Bring a chair, blanket, jacket, and flashlight. Refreshments will be served. $15 suggested donation. Please call or text Peter at 805-453-1813 by noon on the day of the meditation to let him know that you plan to attend.
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Join Us Sept. 27 for a Retreat at La Casa de Maria
Inner Peace in a Troubling World: A half-day retreat with David Richo and Radhule Weininger
Sunday, Sept. 27, 1-4 p.m., or via Zoom
Please register here to reserve your seat and get the Zoom meeting link
About this Retreat
Our world is not stable enough to give us security, nor reliable enough for us to trust it. But we do not have to be discouraged by our predicament. We can say “yes” to the serenity that comes with radical acceptance of reality. We can say “yes” to the courage to make changes, however small. We can find the wisdom to know the difference. This retreat will offer insights and spiritual practices to help us get there. A refreshment break will be served.
Teachers
David Richo, Ph.D., a psychotherapist, teacher, and author whose work emphasizes the benefits of mindfulness and loving-kindness in personal growth and emotional well-being, will present this retreat with MHP Co-Founder Radhule Weininger, M.D., Ph.D., who is widely knownfor her long-standing commitment to teaching at La Casa de Maria.
Location
La Casa de Maria, a beloved retreat center, is reopening to a limited number of events while undergoing renovation. The property was severely damaged during the catastrophic January 2018 debris flow that tore down the mountainside to the ocean in the aftermath of a wildfire. To access the property, take East Valley Road to El Bosque Road. Follow El Bosque and watch for the MHP signs until you reach the main entry gate. The property address is 888 San Ysidro Lane, but the San Ysidro gate is for exits only. Please plan to arrive on time for security reasons.
Retreat Contribution: Please choose the rate that best reflects your circumstances and capacity. Payment can be made through PayPal or Venmo at the links below or in person on the day of the event. We warmly welcome payments in advance, which will help us cover planning and event costs.
Generosity - $95 For those who can pay it forward and help make the retreat more accessible to others
Standard - $75 Our true-cost rate for those who can comfortably contribute at this level
Supported - $35 For those who would benefit from financial support to make participation possible
PayPal | https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=8G72MVL7XLJEJ
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Special Event:
Nature as a Field of Care and Source of Deep Resilience, with MHP faculty and special guests
Friday Oct. 16 - Sunday Oct. 18, in-person only
Sedgwick Reserve, Santa Ynez Valley
IMPORTANT UPDATE!
We’ve recently learned that Tom Pinkson will not be joining us as planned for the Sedgwick retreat. We apologize for the change, and hope Tom can join us at a future event.
Our faculty otherwise remains unchanged. Michael Kearney will lead the weekend, with co-facilitators Radhule Weininger, Andrew Smyth, Karen O’Hara, Miranda Fields, and Peter Moreno.
The theme of the retreat remains unchanged. We will be addressing the question, “How can we stay present, open-hearted, and engaged in a world of overwhelm and burnout?” Self-care, as we usually think about and practice it, is simply not enough in the face of the challenges and escalating crises coming our way every day. We need something more; we need deep resilience. Together, we will explore what we mean by this and be introduced to a Celtic Map to deep resilience through two complementary approaches: The Earth Path of nature connection and The Sky Path of non-dual meditation.
The Sedgwick Reserve is a UC Santa Barbara research center on the east side of the Santa Ynez Valley. The retreat is designed to help us build deep resilience by coming into oneness with the natural world on these picturesque and sacred lands, which have been cared for by the Chumash Nation for countless generations.
Participants will be asked to bring a question to the retreat that has been on their heart and that they have not been able to answer. This may concern them, someone close to them, or the wider world. They will be invited to bring this question to an outdoor “sit spot,” where they will listen deeply and let the land speak. Later, in circle, they will share stories from their sit spot and discuss ways to integrate the lessons learned into their lives. On the first evening, we will introduce non-dual meditation practices drawn from Dzogchen teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, which work synergistically with deep nature connection practices. We will offer them throughout the retreat.
Register here. Please refer to the registration form for fees, lodging options, volunteer opportunities, scholarships, meals and other useful information about the retreat. Our team will assist you with lodging selections. Questions? Contact us at mindfulheartprograms@gmail.com. Attendance will be capped at 30.
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Healing Spiritual Homesickness - monthly Sunday series
Last Sunday of each month, starting October 2026 thru to February 2027, 1 - 4 p.m.
The Healing Spiritual Homesickness and Deep Resilience Series starting in October (October 25, November 29, December 27, January 31, February 28)
Teachers: Radhule Weininger, Michael Kearney, special guest teachers
Newsletters
Heart Medicine in Difficult Times
In this online year-long drop-in series, Radhule will teach you psychological and spiritual skills that will guide you to address the root causes behind painful patterns and show how to address them with comprehensive practices. Working with painful patterns is especially necessary in these times, as many of our old painful patterns are getting triggered by current difficult circumstances in our world. Uncertainty and trauma bring up our own woundedness and fear. In order to be engaged in our world, we need to heal our painful patterns and connect to the wholeness that is already there.
Register with InsightLA
Awake Aware: Touching the Sky behind the clouds and bringing it back to Earth
New Series with Radhule Weininger, MD, PHD.
This Monday (over zoom), we will continue an exciting new series on awake awareness meditations and the pointing-out instructions. We are repeating this series on Monday nights at 7.15 pm (Yoga Soup, Studio 2, as well as zoom).
Location: Yoga Soup, 28 Parker Way, Santa Barbara
Heart Aware: Mindful Body Breath and Awake Awareness Meditation Group
Time: Thursdays at 6:30pm (beginning December 1st, 2022)
Location: Saint Michael’s University Church, 6586 Picasso Rd, Isla Vista, CA
We will meet in person to practice meditation and self-compassion. Join us to cultivate a regular mindfulness practice and experience a sense of community and belonging on a weekly basis.
Heart Medicine in Difficult Times
with Radhule Weininger, MD, PhD
Sunday, August 28, 12:30-2pm
Last Sunday every month in 2022
In this online year-long drop-in series, Radhule will teach you psychological and spiritual skills that will guide you to address the root causes behind painful patterns and show how to address them with comprehensive practices. Working with painful patterns is especially necessary in these times, as many of our old painful patterns are getting triggered by current difficult circumstances in our world. Uncertainty and trauma bring up our own woundedness and fear. In order to be engaged in our world, we need to heal our painful patterns and connect to the wholeness that is already there.
Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC): 8 Week Course
With Hattie Bluestone, DPT and Anahita Navab Holden, PhD
Sundays: August 7th-October 2nd
(with the exception of Sunday 8/28)
10 AM-12 PM
La Mesa Park
Price: $400
For registration, please visit www.yogasoup.com
In difficult moments, what would it be like to offer yourself the same kindness, care, and support that you would naturally extend to a friend? Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is an empirically supported, 8-week program that teaches core principles and practices to cultivate the skill of self-compassion. MSC was developed by Kristin Neff, PhD, and Christopher Germer, PhD, leader in the integration of mindfulness and psychotherapy. The program includes guided meditations, short talks, experiential exercises, group discussion, and take-home practices to integrate self-compassion into daily life. For more information please contact: info@anahitaholdenphd.com.
Deepening the Experience of the Sacred: Mindfully Embracing our World
During the morning of this day-long seminar, Radhule will teach you to deepen the practice of Ordinary and Non-dual Mindfulness, Introducing pointing out instructions, so you can learn to rest in awake awareness. Radhule will also introduce Self-compassion and Compassion-for-others (Tong Len) practices, which will include the care for ourselves and our world.
From 2 to 4 pm, Dave Richo will join us again, so we can together integrate our experience of the Sacred. We will also discuss how Kindness and Compassion can help us hold our personal suffering and how we can live with meaning and purpose in our troubled and breathtakingly beautiful world.
Maintaining our Balance in a Shaky World: Psychological and Spiritual Practices that Foster Inner Peace
In our present world of surprises, we may find it difficult to find a footing of safety and security in ourselves or in society. Violence and disease seem to be the new normal.
In an age of anxiety like this one it is perfectly understandable that we fear the future and perhaps lose trust in the political, psychological, and spiritual sources that were reliable before. Likewise, we may lose our trust in our own inner resources.
In this topsy-turvy world we still have one another. That is our source of hope. Our only challenge is to trust it when all the evidence has become shaky. We can learn to do that, always as beginners and always as enthusiasts.
In this workshop we will have time and space to explore what we fear or trust. We will experience practices of ordinary and non-dual mindfulness that take us to deep awareness.