Insight Meditation Community of Washington

There is nothing better than a wednesday night w/​Tara. It is like medicine. This is a wonderful meditation community. We are so lucky to have Tara in this area. It’s an amazing «sangha»; you will feel comfortable and at ease; you will be so glad you came!

I’m surprised there aren’t more reviews for this since this attracts over 100 people every Wednesday.
You can show up half and hour early for the beginner intro, but if you’ve done it a few times, you probably won’t need it.
Everybody is warm and inviting and the mediation is very relaxing. The lecture after the meditation is a good overview whatever zen concept they are working on at the moment. I’d recommend this to anyone. It’s a great mid-​week stress reliever.

Silence. The world needs more silence. Our neighborhoods suffer from a lack of it. And then there’s the perpetual noise going on inside our heads. Too few of us have regular places to retreat to. Nor do we set aside the necessary time to escape all of this noise.
Until a few years ago, Washingtonians could get a good dose of silence on Sunday mornings at the Washington Ethical Society. One of the main features that drew me to WES – one of the area’s main humanist churches – was the lengthy guided meditation the former senior leader conducted each Sunday.
Bethesda’s a long trek for many in the DC metro area, especially on a Wednesday evening, which is when these classes take place, but I’ve always found the trip to be a rewarding one. For one thing the River Road setting is lovely. The building is tucked away in a wooded area, and its interior is warm, inviting, and reflective of those surroundings. Simply stepping inside gives a person a sense of peace.
The main feature of the evening is a dharma talk offered by Tara Brach, followed by a lengthy meditation which she leads. The talks always spark something inside me – they’re smart, funny, and meaningful, addressing such universal human challenges as fear, anger, kindness, and compassion. And the meditation gives me that pause I thirst for. For anyone interested in learning more about meditation, Buddhism, and related topics, there are also orientation sessions preceding the 7:30 class.
Especially in a metro area like Washington, DC, where, let’s face it, people are prone to workaholism and lack opportunities to slow down, an evening with Tara Brach can be a nice, relatively easy, local getaway from the usual noise and busyness.