London – Rigpa UK (original) (raw)

Going Deeper: CLEAR MIND Meditation Course

🧘🏻‍♀️ Type:
in-person + course
📆 Date:
Thursdays, 7 May – 25 June 2026
📍 Addr.:
London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB
💰 Fee:
£80 suggested donation for eight weeks
In person once a week on a Thursday evening.

Bodhi Courses

Event summary l

Category – Exploring Meditation 8-week course
Starts – 7 May 2026
Schedule – Thursdays 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Format – In-person

We all want to be happy.

Often the relentless pace and challenges of life make it impossible to know where to look for happiness.
Join us for this 8-week course as we learn how to settle the mind, and how to discover a sense of natural peace and relaxation.We will learn how to meditate, and experience how it can transform the way we see ourselves and our life, and lead us to a more lasting sense of peace and contentment. Most importantly, we start learning how to be with our mind and live our life in a way that creates less stress and confusion – and more presence, peace, happiness and stability.

Sounds too good to be true?
Join us this May as we explore the foundations of meditation, and give space to pause, reflect and draw from our own personal experience and lives.
Clear Mind: Going Deeper, is both for those who are new to meditation, as well as those with more experience, held weekly with care by our team of friendly and experienced meditation instructors.

You will receive –

– Eight weekly classes with expert teachers
– Weekly guided meditation recordings
– Community support through a WhatsApp group
– Additional opportunity for group practice weekly. Drop-in online on Mondays, and in-person on Tuesdays.
– Healthy and delectable bites and refreshment from the centre’s Tara Teahouse
– The opportunity to learn how to make everyday life your spiritual path, during our May bank holiday retreat (23-26 May)

Cost for eight weeks –

Full price l £80 (£10 per 2-hour session)
Concessions l £40
* Dharma teachings are always offered free of charge . We do not turn anyone away on financial grounds. Your financial contribution is used towards centre running costs, staff salaries, laptops etc. Thank you for your support.
**Rigpa UK has a policy of not turning anyone away on financial grounds. Please do contact us at [email protected] if you are unable to make a donation at this time so we can register you.

Find out more about our experienced teachers:

Will Mansfield
Will Mansfield has been practising Buddhism for over 25 years and has been instructing on courses in the London Rigpa Centre for over 15 years. He finds it rewarding to see the benefits that meditation and Buddhist teachings can bring to people’s lives and how these two work together to help them deepen their sense of self-discovery.
Rosey Hastings
Rosey Hastings has been studying and practising Buddhism since the 1980s. She was a schoolteacher for 30 years, teaching children and young adults with learning difficulties and specialised in supporting those with Dyslexia. She is passionate about making Buddhism accessible and meaningful to anyone who has the interest and curiosity whatever their background, education, and preferred style of learning. Rosey supports and teaches on the public and sangha programme in the UK.
David Rycroft
David Rycroft is an educator, fine artist and co-founder of Mind With Heart, an international charity training teachers and students in sustainable wellbeing, emotional health and social connection. Since 1994 he has studied and practiced consistently within the Rigpa sangha, receiving extensive teachings on mindfulness and mind from a host of illustrious teachers. During this time he raised a family, and taught art in a north London secondary school for ten years. David recently set up and continues to direct Teach-Peace, a secular education project of the European Buddhist Union.
Educated at Eton College and Edinburgh University, David also has an MA (distinction) in Buddhist Studies from Sunderland University. David specialises in teaching meditation in both Buddhist and secular settings. He brings a spirit of experiential enquiry and playful creativity to his role as a teacher. His paintings, celebrating natural vitality and inviting us to appreciate the wonders of nature, are exhibited internationally, including an exhibition at UNESCO, Paris
Carol
Carol has been studying the Buddhist teachings for over 30 years and an instructor at the London Centre for 25 years, specialising in the meditation courses. Previously she worked in I.T. and as a project manager for a major corporation, leading multi-cultural teams and enjoying the interaction with others. Having experienced the remarkable benefits of these teachings and practices, it’s her greatest wish to share these with others and enable everyone to integrate them into their own lives.

UK Retreat | Laundry, dishes and deadlines: Wisdom is never far away

🧘🏻‍♀️ Type:
Retreat, in-person
📆 Date:
Saturday 23 May – Monday 25 May 2026
📍 Addr.:
London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB
💰 Fee:
£120 suggested donation
Buddhist masters often encourage anyone interested in the Buddhist path to keep it real.
We don’t have to wait for Shangri-la to make spiritual headway in our lives – it’s more a case of knowing how to connect differently with our lives, as they already are, here and now. PRACTICAL WISDOM is a dynamic, accessible and profound set of teachings offering direct and practical ways to do just that.
What if we don’t have time to meditate? What if our lives don’t give us the luxury to press pause even when that’s what we need the most? Whether we’re collecting the kids from school, talking with our boss, scrolling through social media, or whatever else we’re doing – we can apply the wisdom of the Buddhist path to our every moment, and find a different way to journey.
Come along to this 3-day special bank holiday retreat with Rigpa Teacher Naomi Gassler, supported by Rigpa UK Teachers Corinne Ewen and Dan Ewen, to find your way.
If you’re new to Buddhism – this is a perfect way to find out more, learn to meditate, and explore for yourself how wisdom can show up more in your life and your mind.
If you’re a seasoned meditator – this retreat is a great chance to deepen your practice, connect with others, and breathe new life into your dharma.
Come and explore PRACTICAL WISDOM this late-May bank holiday weekend!

Teacher

Naomi Gassler
Naomi is a writer, longtime meditator, and teacher in Rigpa. She studied physics and mathematics and received her Ph.D. from Northeastern University, Boston, USA. In 1997 she moved to Lerab Ling, Rigpa’s retreat centre in the south of France, and has since then worked to help with the translation and transmission of the ancient Buddhist wisdom to the Western World. She is passionate about finding ways to integrate the wisdom and compassion of the teachings of the Buddha into our everyday activities, and thus dissolving any separation between daily life and one’s own spiritual path. Naomi, a transgender woman, enjoys cooking and baking for her friends and for her family, as well as planning and constructing wooden chalets in Lerab Ling.
Dan Ewen
Dan is a teacher, practice leader and curriculum designer in Rigpa. Over the last 30 years, he has trained and worked as a professional artist, educator, and voice coach. Dan met the Buddhist path in 1998 and has been studying and practising since, serving as a Rigpa instructor, teacher, and main reader at international retreats. Dan enjoys singing, trampolining, and writing poetry.

What to expect from this retreat –

How to participate

This event will be held in person only.
Rigpa UK Sangha members can request online access if their health prevents them from attending in person. To do so, please complete this google form by Thursday 21st May at 5pm.

Cost

Full price l £120
Concessions l £60
Under 25’s l Free
Donate what you can l Contact [email protected] if finances prevent you from coming
Your donation will cover the costs of running the event and enable someone else to attend.
You can cancel and receive an automatic refund through Eventbrite up to 24 hours before the event.

Lunch

If you’d like to join a communal vegetarian lunch on one or both three days, please select this option at check out (£9.95 per day to pay on the day in Tara Tea room). This will be ordered beforehand.

The Illusion of Gender

📆 Date:
Wednesday, 27 May 2026
📍 Addr.:
London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB
💰 Fee:
£18 suggested donation
Transgender Experience and the Understanding of Identity in Buddhism
How do we relate personally to the idea of gender? In this talk, we will attempt to apply the investigative tools of the Buddhist teachings to our ideas of gender, and how they impact our behaviour.

Teachers
Naomi Gassler is a writer, longtime meditator, and teacher in the Rigpa organisation. She studied physics and mathematics and received her Ph.D. from Northeastern University, Boston, USA. In 1997 she moved to Lerab Ling, Rigpa’s retreat centre in the south of France, and has since then worked to help with the translation and transmission of the ancient Buddhist wisdom to the Western World. She is passionate about finding ways to integrate the wisdom and compassion of the teachings of the Buddha into our everyday activities, and thus dissolving any separation between daily life and one’s own spiritual path. Naomi, a transgender woman, enjoys cooking and baking for her friends and for her family, as well as planning and constructing wooden chalets in Lerab Ling.

How to participate
This event will be held in person.

Suggested donation l
Full rate l £18
Concessions l £9*
Financial hardship l Donate what you can
Contact [email protected] if you are unable to make a donation of any amount at this time and we will register you.
*****Dharma teachings are always offered free of charge. We do not turn anyone away on financial grounds. Your financial contribution is used towards centre running costs, staff salaries, equipment etc. Thank you for your support.

Drop-in Meditation in N1

🧘🏻‍♀️ Type:
drop-in meditation
📍 Addr.:
London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB
💰 Fee:
£5 suggested donation
We warmly invite you to join our drop-in meditation sessions, open to all, held weekly on Tuesdays from 6.30pm to 8pm with our experienced instructors in our London Centre at 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB.
Should a drop-in session need to be cancelled we’ll let you know via eventbrite booking cancellation and here. Please check on this page before coming each week if you haven’t booked through eventbrite.

Qi-gong, Tai-chi & Meditation In Motion

📍 Addr.:
London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB
Harmonize the flow of Qi, Balancing Qi, Enhances Circulation, Health & Healing, Longevity & Vitality, Mental Clarity, Spiritual Growth, Breathing Techniques, Flexibility, Meditation, Mindfulness, Pain Management, Self-Cultivation, Stress Reduction,

The Purpose of Qi-Gong

Qi-Gong (or Qigong) is a holistic practice rooted in Chinese tradition that integrates physical postures, breathing techniques, and mental focus to cultivate and balance Qi (life energy). Its purposes are multifaceted, addressing body, mind, and spirit:

Health and Healing

Balancing Qi: Aims to unblock and harmonize the flow of Qi, believed to prevent or alleviate illness in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Physical Benefits: Enhances circulation, flexibility, immune function, and pain management. Often used in preventative healthcare and recovery.

Stress Reduction

Combining slow movements, deep breathing, and meditation can induce relaxation, reduce anxiety, and promote emotional stability.

Spiritual Growth

Fosters a connection with the self, nature, or the Dao (Tao), encouraging inner peace and spiritual enlightenment through mindful cultivation of energy.

Martial Arts Enhancement

Develops internal power (neijin) for martial artists, improving strength, stamina, and resilience by harnessing Qi.

Mental Clarity and Focus

Enhances concentration, discipline, and mental discipline through meditative practices and intentional movement.

Longevity and Vitality

Promotes longevity by maintaining energetic balance and physical health, aligning with TCM’s emphasis on preventive care.

Self-Cultivation

Encourages personal growth, patience, and ethical development, fostering harmony within oneself and with others.

Monthly community yoga

📆 Date:
Thursdays, once a month
📍 Addr.:
London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB
💰 Fee:
£5-8 suggested donation
Relax and calm your mind with our monthly community yoga sessions. These yoga sessions incorporate yoga practices from Hatha yoga tradition and apply mindfulness to each breath and movement. This brings awareness and presence to the practice and helps to calm down our nervous system. The practice typically begins with breathing meditation to bring us to a calm and relaxed state before going into movement. All abilities welcome.
What to bring: Yoga mat, shawl for breathing meditation if desired.
Dates and time: Thursdays once a month-18:30-19:45
£8 suggested donation, minimum £5 donation please
Please note: if we ever need to cancel a session we will let you know through eventbrite and you will receive a refund. We will also post it on this page.

Weekly Friday Kum Nye sessions

🧘🏻‍♀️ Type:
in-person + drop-in
📍 Addr.:
London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB
💰 Fee:
£5 suggested donation
Every Friday evening from 6.30-7.30pm starting 17th January 2025 at our London centre we will be guided on a “Touch Down” journey to land back in our bodies after a busy week. During this one-hour session, we will experience how Kum Nye can be both a very effective gateway to meditation, and a means to deepen our current practice. Suitable for all ages and fitness levels, Kum Nye’s simple movement and breathing exercises restore the body’s natural rhythms and calm the mind.
Daniel Nwume portrait
BIOGRAPHY
Daniel has been practicing meditation for the last 24 years and Kum Nye for four years. He has completed the Nyingma Centrum (check) Kum Nye teacher training course and is a keen advocate of mind-body connection to heal and restore health.

How to have a Good Death

🧘🏻‍♀️ Type:
Online, in-person
📆 Date:
Saturday 13 June – Sunday 14 June 2026
📍 Addr.:
London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB
💰 Fee:
£100 suggested donation
Living well, dying well
How do we best prepare ourselves for the end of our lives?
When we reflect deeply on death and dying we begin to consider what truly supports us in preparing for death. Learning how to prepare for our own end of life also helps us compassionately support others facing serious illness and dying.
This weekend explores how the spiritual, emotional, and practical aspects of living and dying come together when we consider our own death. Although we cannot change the fundamental nature of dying, being aware and prepared profoundly influence how we meet that transition. Through reflection and practice we discover inner spiritual and emotional resources.

We draw on three important sources:

Topics include

Teacher

Rosamund Oliver has been offering Spiritual Care education to professional staff and carers in medical and social care settings for many years. In 2002, she founded Awareness Centred Deep Listening, an internationally recognised training curriculum, currently taught online and in courses at universities and dharma centres. As a psychotherapist she worked in psychiatric and palliative care and trained psychotherapists in South Africa, and the UK. She regularly teaches meditation, compassion and listening skills.. She considers herself essentially a student who is very much still learning from others.

How to participate

This event will be held in person and online.
* Online Zoom details for online attendees will be in the eventbrite reminder emails 2 days and 2 hours before the event.

Cost

Full price l £100
Concessions l £50
Under 25’s l Free
Donate what you can l Contact [email protected] if finances prevent you from coming
Your donation will cover the costs of running the event and enable someone else to attend.
You can cancel and receive an automatic refund through Eventbrite up to 24 hours before the event.

Healing with Tara

🧘🏻‍♀️ Type:
Online, in-person
📆 Date:
Monday 15 June – Tuesday 16 June 2026
📍 Addr.:
London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB
💰 Fee:
£40 suggested donation
In Tibetan Buddhism, Tara represents compassion, protection, and healing. Rather than something distant or abstract, Tara can be understood as a way of connecting with our own inner strength, care, and wisdom. This practice is both simple and profound. During these two evening teachings, we will be guided through meditation, visualisation, and heartfelt intention, and begin to open to these qualities within ourselves. It can feel as though we are drawing on something beyond our usual worries-while at the same time discovering a deeper confidence and resilience within.
We all visualise naturally-replaying conversations, imagining the future, or worrying about what might happen. Tara practice gently guides this natural ability in a positive and healing direction. Instead of feeding anxiety, we learn to connect with compassion, courage, and clarity.
Traditionally, Tara is described as a source of healing and protection. By connecting with her through sincere intention, we can begin to overcome obstacles and create more supportive conditions in our lives. Over time, this practice becomes less about seeking help from something outside, and more about recognising and embodying these qualities ourselves.
This can be especially meaningful when life feels difficult. When someone we love is struggling-through illness, loss, or emotional pain-it’s natural to feel powerless. Tara practice offers a way to respond. By holding others in mind with kindness and sincerity, we can gently support them, helping to ease fear, anxiety, and distress.
Summary of the Practice –
The practice of Tara (or Sadhana) involves chanting her mantra, visualizing her form, and meditating on her qualities to transform one’s own mind. It is a foundational yet profound Vajrayana practice that moves from outer devotion to inner identification.
This is a path of transformation-gentle, powerful, and human. A way of becoming a source of healing, for ourselves and for others. In this way, Tara becomes both a source of support and a path of transformation-for ourselves and for others.

Teacher

Marcia lived at the feet of one of the greatest Tibetan Masters of meditation for 17 years at the epicenter of unfolding events of Dharma that crossed many oceans. – Tulku Thondup Rinpoche
Marcia [Dechen Wangmo] has followed many great lamas, some of the best of this century. Her experience as an American amidst this older generation of Lamas is quite important for Dharma students from the West. – Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
Marcia Dechen Wangmo, AKA Marcia Binder Schmidt is a renowned Buddhist translator, editor, writer, and teacher. Together with Erik Pema Kunsang, she established Rangjung Yeshe Institute that has been dedicated to offering educational and practice support for practitioners and scholars of Tibetan Buddhism in 1981. In 1986 as an offshoot of this Institute, Erik and she created Rangjung Yeshe Publications. (www.rangjung.com) www.lotustreasure.com.
They have translated and produced over sixty-two titles that have been translated into thirteen different languages.
Marcia has helped to develop retreat centers and study groups all over the world and has been teaching in recent years, sharing her humor and human approach to traditional Tibetan Buddhist practice, all over the world.

How to participate

This event will be held in person and online.
* Online Zoom details for online attendees will be in the eventbrite reminder emails 2 days and 2 hours before the event.

Cost

Full price l £40
Concessions l £20
Under 25’s l Free
Donate what you can l Contact [email protected] if finances prevent you from coming
Your donation will cover the costs of running the event and enable someone else to attend.
You can cancel and receive an automatic refund through Eventbrite up to 24 hours before the event.