WEEKLY MEDITATION SITS
SIMC warmly welcomes everyone. These weekly meditations (or sits) are inclusive and open to all levels of practitioners - whether it's your first time meditating or a practice you've been exploring for decades. Each session includes 30-35 minutes of silent meditation, creating space for stillness, reflection, and connection. Each sit is led by different volunteers with their own unique tone and approach. There are a variety of seating options available, including cushions (bolsters and zafus), blankets, and chairs.
Sundays: 5:00pm – 6:00pm
This sit often includes chanting of the refuges, a 35-minute silent meditation, a thoughtful reading or poem, and possibly discussion after. On the first Sunday of the month, we offer a Sunday Tea after the sit where some stay to enjoy tea and cookies, which adds a nice element of community.
Tuesdays: 12:00pm – 12:45pm
This sit often includes a simple and relevant teaching, a thoughtful reading or poem, a 30-minute meditation (sometimes lightly guided), and possibly a short metta practice after meditation. This sit is usually available via Zoom. Click here for the Zoom Link. Please note that the Zoom option may not be available when Denise is not leading the sit.
Thursdays: 12:00pm - 12:30pm
This sit is a straightforward format, where a volunteer rings the bell for a 30-minute meditation.
Fridays: 7:00am - 8:00am
SIMC has begun a trial Morning Meditation every Friday from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. We’ll be offering it through the end of December and see whether this is something the Sangha would like to continue in the coming year. This will be a quiet, silent meditation period, and you’re welcome to drop in at any point during the hour or sit for the full session.
All sits are offered in-person at the sangha house, located at 248 D Street in Salida, Colorado. Please enter through the back door by the prayer wheels.
The door on D Street has an Access Ramp if needed. Please knock and someone will open the door.
If you're new to sitting, please feel free to read our simple sitting guide by clicking the link below.
MEDITATION RETREATS
WHEN IS THE NEXT RETREAT?
The Salida Insight Meditation Community strives to offer multiple retreats each year, thanks to the generous dana from our sangha community.
We typically offer non-residential retreats, each led by recognized Buddhist teachers. We are looking into possible residential retreats in the future.
Retreats with Brian Lesage are generally held in the spring and in the fall. Denise Ackert often offers a few half-day and daylong retreats throughout the year.
These retreats tend to fill up fast, so we recommend subscribing to our newsletter or checking back here for updates on upcoming retreats.
Serving all Beings through Joy and Wise Effort
A New Year's Retreat with Susie Harrington and Denise Ackert
Online - from 9am December 31st 2025 to 3pm January 1st 2026
As we enter the New Year, what gifts of participation and healing can we offer this world? In recognizing the challenges that we face both individually and collectively, we will explore the Buddhist response of wise effort through the cultivation of wholesome states of mind.
During this silent retreat, there will be sitting and walking meditation, instructions and dharma talks. There is the option to do an intensive retreat or to customize the retreat for your personal availability.
CLASSES
There are no classes being offered at this time. Please check back here or sign up for our newsletter to find out when new classes are being offered.
“The critical element in meditation practice is beginning again. Everyone loses focus at times, everyone loses interest at times, and everyone gets distracted over and over again. What is essential, and also incredibly transforming, is realizing that we have the ability to begin again, without blaming or judging ourselves, without thinking we have failed, without losing heart, we can, and need to, constantly be beginning again.”
–Sharon Salzberg