Programs
Insight LA, under the direction of Trudy Goodman, guides the practice of mindfulness individually, in sitting groups, and through retreats in the Los Angeles and Southern California area. With the goal of providing secular and Buddhist mindfulness training, Insight LA offers the wide range of programs described below.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) taught by Insight LA is Los Angeles' premier program based on the groundbreaking work developed 25 years ago by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn. MBSR is now taught around the world to people from all backgrounds and in all manner of life situations. Two decades of published research -- and more than 15,000 participants -- indicate that the majority of people who complete the 8-week program report greater ability to cope more effectively with both short and long-term stressful situations; increased ability to relax; lasting decreases in physical and psychological symptoms; reduced pain levels and an enhanced ability to cope with pain that may not go away; and greater energy and enthusiasm for life.
Please visit our MBSR page for our next class schedule.
Consultation - The Heart of Change
There are times in everyone's journey when we need a traveling companion. Even wished-for changes in our lives bring rapid growth and can be stressful. And when change is unwelcome, it's even more challenging to stay awake, loving and present for oneself and others. The Heart of Change is a service offering expert consultation and compassionate guidance during challenging times. You will be helped to hold what happens in the steadiness and wisdom of spiritual life as you travel through transitions. To arrange an appointment for private consultation, please leave a message at (310) 774-3325, or send us your request using our contact page.
Growing Spirit Family Program
Growing Spirit is our family program - centered around monthly Sunday morning gatherings in a beautiful natural setting - offering parents and kids a chance to come together to meditate and play. Growing Spirit was created to offer the teachings of mindfulness and compassion as a resource for families. Our meetings provide teachings, play activities, contemplative time and discussion groups, all with the intention of facilitating greater cooperation, love and compassion between parents and their children.
For more about Growing Spirit, including our meeting schedules, please visit GrowingSpirit.org.
Training Programs for Healthcare Professionals
Insight LA provides In-Service Training Programs for health care professionals at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA). A key element of that work is our quarterly day-long retreats with CHLA nurses, doctors, respiratory (& other) therapists, social workers, chaplains and interpreters. Our in-service training program provides practical tools to help caregivers cope compassionately with the emotional challenges of working with children who are gravely ill or dying, and with their families. The retreats teach mindfulness and meditation, providing tools for developing a wise attention that can embrace caregiver and recipients, as well as all the states of mind and heart encountered in facing death and dying.
The program has proven to be popular and beneficial to the many health care professionals at CHLA. As eighty percent of child deaths in hospitals occur in ICUs, the retreats were initially created to help PICU (Pediatric ICU) AND NICU (Neonatal ICU) staffers deal with the grief of multiple losses. The program has since expanded to include practitioners from other units, including Hematology-oncology, Cardio-thoracic, Surgery, and Bone Marrow Transplant.
Buddhist Meditation Retreats and Classes
Vipassana meditation retreats renew and deepen our daily meditation practice. Insight LA meditation retreats consist of silent sitting and walking meditation, dharma talk, and group discussion. Retreats are conveniently held on weekends, lasting one or two days.
Insight LA also conducts classes that teach the practice of meditation and mindfulness. Classes are held for the beginner as well as the experienced meditator.
For a schedule of our retreats and classes, please visit our Schedule page.