Steady, Warm, and Spacious
Co-hosted by the Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community
and Edmonton Insight Meditation.
In a world that constantly confronts us with change and challenge, a meditation retreat can help us cultivate a heart and mind that are steady, warm, and spacious.
Steadiness grows through the practice of concentration, allowing us to meet changing conditions with stability, clarity, and attention. Warmth develops through the practice of mettā (loving-kindness), helping us to both cultivate and express the natural kindness and care of the heart. Spaciousness arises through mindful awareness, allowing us to meet the complexities of life with equanimity, openness, and ease.
Using the breath as a foundation for all three practices, this retreat will explore how concentration, loving-kindness, and awareness support one another, helping us bring these qualities more fully into our meditation and our daily lives.
This retreat will include dharma reflections, meditation instructions, practice talks, and mindful movement.
Date
June 11-20, 2027
Location
The Star of the North Retreat House
3A St. Vital Avenue, St. Albert, AB T8N 1K1
Registration
Registration opens Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.
Link for insight retreat only: <coming soon>
Link for both metta retreat and insight retreat: <coming soon>
Note: From Nov 3-10, preference will be given to those registering for both retreats
Retreat Information
Registration Fee
The retreat registration covers the costs of your meals, accommodation, and shared expenses (such as teacher’s travel/room/board, facility rental, supplies, etc). It does not include any payment for the teachers or to the retreat organizers (Edmonton Insight Meditation Society/ Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community). There will be an opportunity to offer donations (dana) to the teachers and organizers at the end of your retreat.
Registration Deposit/Payment: Upon receiving a confirmation email that a spot is available, payment in full or a deposit of 50% (with balance for deposits due March 15, 2027) is required within 10 days to secure your spot. If we do not receive initial payment from you within 10 days, we will offer the spot offered to you to someone on the waitlist.
We are offering this retreat on a sliding scale. Please select the highest rate you can reasonably afford to help ensure retreats are accessible to all.
Sustaining rate: covers the basic costs of this retreat
Benefactor rate: By selecting this amount above the estimated actual cost, your generosity supports those who need to select a lower rate to attend the retreat.
Supported rate: for those who require some support to attend, this rate is equivalent to receiving a partial scholarship
Insight retreat only:
Residential Retreat Benefactor: $1800
Residential Retreat Sustaining: $1600
Residential Retreat Supported: $1400
Commuter Retreat Benefactor: $1150
Commuter Retreat Sustaining: $950
Commuter Retreat Supported: $750
Both Metta and Insight retreats:
Residential Retreat Benefactor: $2900
Residential Retreat Sustaining: $2650
Residential Retreat Supported: $2400
Commuter Retreat Benefactor: $1800
Commuter Retreat Sustaining: $1550
Commuter Retreat Supported: $1300
The sliding scale will allow most scholarship needs to be self-selected. However, if you require additional financial assistance, please contact the EIM at edmontoninsight@gmail.com to inquire about available scholarships.
Accomodations
This retreat is a residential retreat. However, for those who are unable to stay on-site, there are a limited number of spots for commuters. As a commuter you would be expected to attend every session of the retreat, including meals, the entire day, but would go home to sleep and return again each morning.
There are 50 private single occupancy bedrooms for overnight accommodation each with their own bed, sink, desk and chair and access to shared bathrooms with showers.
Meals
Star of the North will provide vegetarian meals (ovo-lacto) for this retreat. If you are confirmed as a registrant for the retreat, we will send a special diet request form for you to complete so that the chef can do their best to accommodate any dietary restrictions.
Meals include:
June 11* Supper
June 12-19 Breakfast, Lunch, Supper
June 20 Breakfast
* Those participating in both the metta and insight retreats will also be provided lunch on June 11.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation Policy – As we are responsible for payments to our venue (SON) in March 2027, if you need to cancel your registration after your place has been fully confirmed, a cancellation fee will be charged.
$50 fee for cancellations on March 15, 2027 or earlier. Cancellations after March 15, 2026, and onward, will not be refunded*
*Exception: if we are able to fill your spot with someone from the waitlist, you will be refunded less a $50 fee.
*Exception: For registrations at the Benefactor rate, we will refund the difference between the Benefactor and Sustaining rates.
Our teachers
Guy Armstrong has been practicing Insight Meditation for over 30 years. His training included a year as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, primarily with Ajahn Buddhadasa. He began teaching in 1984 and has led retreats in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. Guy is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council and a Guiding Teacher of Insight Meditation Society. He is the author of Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators.
Sally Armstrong began practicing vipassana meditation in India in 1981 and started teaching in 1996. She is a member of the Spirit Rock Teacher’s Council and has served as a co-guiding teacher at Spirit Rock. She developed and led Spirit Rock’s Dedicated Practitioners Program and Advanced Practitioner Program. She has a keen interest in supporting students who want to deepen their practice and understanding. She regularly teaches retreats on themes such as metta or concentration, as well as the multiweek retreats at Spirit Rock and the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts.
Jeanne Corrigal has been practicing with the Saskatoon Insight Meditation Community since 1999, and became their guiding teacher in 2016. She is also the guiding teacher for the Regina Insight Meditation Community, and the Prairie Sky Insight Meditation Society. Jeanne is a graduate of the 2017-2021 IMS teacher training program, with training primarily in the Burmese lineage of Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw, and the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Buddhadasa, with a great affinity for the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh. She is a certified MBSR teacher, is certified with Indigenous Focusing Oriented Trauma Therapy (IFOT), and has trained with Mindful Schools and Somatic Experiencing. She has taught with Mindfulness Magazine, Lion’s Roar and Tricycle’s online programs, and teaches across North America. She is Metis, and one of her first teachers in loving presence was Cree Elder Jim Settee.
Movement teacher
Kat Boehm is a mindfulness meditation and movement teacher with over 25 years of experience in yoga and contemplative practice. She began practising meditation in 1997 and has studied and attended retreats in India, Nepal, Thailand, Burma, and elsewhere. Her teaching draws on Buddhist wisdom, contemporary neuroscience, and her extensive background in yoga, Pilates, and mindful movement. Kat brings a warm, accessible approach to teaching, supporting students in cultivating awareness, embodied mindfulness, and well-being.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is insight meditation?
Insight meditation, also known as vipassanā, develops mindful awareness of our experience as it unfolds. Through observing the body, feelings, thoughts, and other experiences with increasing clarity, we begin to understand the changing nature of experience and the patterns that contribute to suffering. This understanding supports greater wisdom, freedom, and ease in daily life.
What is the relationship between concentration, loving-kindness, and mindfulness?
These three practices support and strengthen one another. Concentration helps develop steadiness and stability of attention. Loving-kindness cultivates warmth and care toward ourselves and others. Mindfulness allows us to recognize and respond to experience with greater clarity, openness, and equanimity. The retreat will explore how these qualities can be developed together.
Do I need previous meditation or retreat experience?
The retreat will include meditation instructions and guidance from the teachers.
What if I have difficulty concentrating or quieting my mind?
Difficulty concentrating is a common part of meditation practice. The retreat offers opportunities to develop steadiness of attention gradually, while learning to relate to distraction, restlessness, and other experiences with awareness and kindness. Participants are encouraged to approach the practice with patience and curiosity.
What is a typical day like?
Each day includes periods of seated meditation alternating with walking meditation to support sustained awareness and refresh the body. Mornings usually begin with guided meditation to help establish the practice, and evenings often feature a Dharma talk exploring the teachings in depth. Afternoons may include practice of the Brahma Viharas — the four immeasurables: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. There will also be an option to participate in a period of mindful movement
What does noble silence mean?
Noble silence is a supportive practice where participants refrain from verbal communication to deepen focus and reduce distractions for themselves and others. During this time, phone calls, reading, journaling, and other forms of communication are discouraged to help everyone settle more fully into their meditation.
Will there be time for questions or discussions?
Yes. Each participant will have the opportunity to attend either group or individual practice talks with a teacher. Some time may also be set aside during daily sessions for questions and answers. Additionally, participants can leave notes for the teachers at any time.
What is the practice of dana?
Dana, or generosity, is a fundamental Buddhist practice of giving that supports the accessibility of the teachings. The retreat fee covers the basic costs of hosting the event. Teachers offer their time and guidance, and retreatants have the opportunity to offer financial support at the end of the retreat, according to their means and capacity. The intention is to support everyone to attend and to support the teachers in being able to carry on teaching the dharma, within a reciprocal cycle of generosity and gratitude.