Welcome to Insight Western Mass (IWM)
Formerly known as Insight PV
Accessibility
In the interest of making our Center accessible to all, we ask that you refrain from using scented body products. The Center is also wheelchair accessible (closest elevator is at the West entrance).
Registration Procedure
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged for all retreats and courses. One week before the retreat or start of the course, if there are too few registrants, the event may be canceled at the discretion of the teacher. If an event is canceled all donations will be refunded.
Register for retreats and courses on-line by going to our offerings page and clicking on the offering you are interested in. Follow the instructions provided at each step. You may register by showing up on the day of (whether that be in-person or via Zoom) if the course is not full and has not been canceled.
Registration and Teacher Donations
Insight Western Mass suggests donation ranges for each course and retreat to help support the Center, paying for rent, phone, and administration. Teachers and community dharma leaders at Insight Western Mass are not paid by IWM for leading courses and retreats. While a dollar amount is not specified for a Teacher Donation, we encourage you to consider making a contribution equal to or greater than the Suggested Donation for Registration. In this way, you support the teacher’s livelihood and the Buddhist tradition of offering the teachings freely.
For each retreat, course, or open sitting, please take a moment to reflect on the value of the offering to you and make an appropriate donation. Insight Western Mass continues its policy of welcoming all, no matter their financial situation. If the Suggested Donation is beyond your means, we have a Full Scholarship option you can select during registration. If your funds are very limited, please save them for a contribution to the Teacher.
Open sittings have no suggested donation, but if you feel called to give, you can donate to the center here. All forms of generosity are welcome at Insight Western Mass. Please consider donating your time to help your Center continue to operate with open arms.
COVID Protocols (for in-person offerings)
COVID protocols (masks required or optional) vary by offering and are decided at the teacher’s discretion. Each offering will have COVID protocols relevant to its specific location on the registration page.
In the interest of making our Center accessible to all, we ask that you refrain from using scented body products. The Center is also wheelchair accessible (closest elevator is at the West entrance).
Registration Procedure
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged for all retreats and courses. One week before the retreat or start of the course, if there are too few registrants, the event may be canceled at the discretion of the teacher. If an event is canceled all donations will be refunded.
Register for retreats and courses on-line by going to our offerings page and clicking on the offering you are interested in. Follow the instructions provided at each step. You may register by showing up on the day of (whether that be in-person or via Zoom) if the course is not full and has not been canceled.
Registration and Teacher Donations
Insight Western Mass suggests donation ranges for each course and retreat to help support the Center, paying for rent, phone, and administration. Teachers and community dharma leaders at Insight Western Mass are not paid by IWM for leading courses and retreats. While a dollar amount is not specified for a Teacher Donation, we encourage you to consider making a contribution equal to or greater than the Suggested Donation for Registration. In this way, you support the teacher’s livelihood and the Buddhist tradition of offering the teachings freely.
For each retreat, course, or open sitting, please take a moment to reflect on the value of the offering to you and make an appropriate donation. Insight Western Mass continues its policy of welcoming all, no matter their financial situation. If the Suggested Donation is beyond your means, we have a Full Scholarship option you can select during registration. If your funds are very limited, please save them for a contribution to the Teacher.
Open sittings have no suggested donation, but if you feel called to give, you can donate to the center here. All forms of generosity are welcome at Insight Western Mass. Please consider donating your time to help your Center continue to operate with open arms.
COVID Protocols (for in-person offerings)
COVID protocols (masks required or optional) vary by offering and are decided at the teacher’s discretion. Each offering will have COVID protocols relevant to its specific location on the registration page.
Attending Retreats and Courses (if in-person)
Lunch
For one-day retreats, it is recommended that you bring a bag lunch so that your retreat is not disrupted. If you cannot bring your lunch, listed below are some restaurants in Easthampton (if you’re at IWM):
Local Burger - casual burger spot with veggie options (closest place to IWM, right downstairs in Eastworks)
River Valley Co-op – a variety of ready made food, large selection of snacks
Big E's Supermarket – ready-made and made-to-order sandwiches, hot soups and deli items
Veracruzana – Mexican restaurant
The Silver Spoon restaurant – traditional diner fare
Cancellations
If there is a question about snow or other weather-related cancellations, please check our offerings page. Additionally, we will email all registered participants as soon as we know there’s a cancellation. If a class is canceled because of bad weather or teacher illness and cannot be replaced, participants will be offered a refund.
Courses
Courses are offered as a series of weekly classes, usually four, five, or six weeks long. For the purposes of building community among the participants and continuity in the offering, courses are not open on a drop-in basis. If you cannot make the first class you may have an opportunity to sign up, space permitting, at the second class. Check the website for availability.
Other Helpful Information
Lunch
For one-day retreats, it is recommended that you bring a bag lunch so that your retreat is not disrupted. If you cannot bring your lunch, listed below are some restaurants in Easthampton (if you’re at IWM):
Local Burger - casual burger spot with veggie options (closest place to IWM, right downstairs in Eastworks)
River Valley Co-op – a variety of ready made food, large selection of snacks
Big E's Supermarket – ready-made and made-to-order sandwiches, hot soups and deli items
Veracruzana – Mexican restaurant
The Silver Spoon restaurant – traditional diner fare
Cancellations
If there is a question about snow or other weather-related cancellations, please check our offerings page. Additionally, we will email all registered participants as soon as we know there’s a cancellation. If a class is canceled because of bad weather or teacher illness and cannot be replaced, participants will be offered a refund.
Courses
Courses are offered as a series of weekly classes, usually four, five, or six weeks long. For the purposes of building community among the participants and continuity in the offering, courses are not open on a drop-in basis. If you cannot make the first class you may have an opportunity to sign up, space permitting, at the second class. Check the website for availability.
Other Helpful Information
- If in-person, please arrive 10-15 minutes early so that you'll have time to check in and find a comfortable seat. We have mats, cushions, blankets and bolsters at the Center to make yourself comfortable on the floor, and chairs if the floor doesn't work for you.
- Dress comfortably and in layers. It's sometimes cool in the morning, but warms up fairly quickly.
- For day-long retreats there will be a lunch break in the middle of the day. You are welcome to bring a lunch or find a local restaurant or market.
- You can give online or if in-person, teacher dana envelopes will also be available when you arrive. Please remember that our teachers are not given any salary from IWM. We follow the ancient tradition of dana where the teachers give their wisdom freely and students give what they can to provide the teacher with a livelihood. Click here to find out more information about dana.
- We've saved you a seat, so please let us know if you will be unable to attend. We will be happy to transfer your donation to any other event or to a general donation. Any donations are 100% tax deductible.
- Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any other questions. We are grateful for your presence and look forward to practicing with you.