Mentoring Sessions

Individual Meditation & Daily Life Practice Mentoring Sessions with SIM Community Mentors

Why Individual Sessions?

Whether beginners or advanced, many practitioners find that an ongoing personal relationship with a mentor is important to maintain inspiration and guidance for one’s meditation practice. Mentoring can help you to navigate the personal/interpersonal issues involved in bringing the practices of mindfulness and compassion more fully into your life. SIM Mentors offer meditation guidance  to individuals in person or by phone.

What Are Community Mentors?

Mentors are experienced practitioners in the Insight Meditation tradition who have received training and authorization to offer instruction and mentoring for mindfulness meditation students in the SIM community. They offer individually focused support and guidance to help you develop a personal and versatile experiential-based meditation practice. They do not offer mental health counseling, psychotherapy or other professional services.

What Might Meditation Sessions Include?

A typical meditation-mentoring session may include a short beginning meditation and intention setting, followed by a short check-in about your meditation or daily life mindfulness practice. Depending on the student’s needs, more in-depth work bridging your spiritual practice and your daily life and relationships may be explored. Common topics explored in the sessions may include but are not limited to:

  • How do I bring the tools learned in meditation into my daily life?
  • How do I rejuvenate a meditation practice that has become difficult or stale?
  • How do I develop more focus, concentration and/or lovingkindness?
  • How do I bring the teachings of insight meditation into a difficult relationship or life circumstance?
  • How do I establish more connection in my life?
  • How do I work with limiting self-judgments and core beliefs?
How Much Does It Cost?

In accordance with the tradition of insight meditation, the mentors offer the sessions on a “dana” (donation) basis. This allows the student an opportunity to make a voluntary donation back to the mentor. Dana is a spiritual practice that emphasizes the importance of giving and receiving. In addition to fostering mutual support, it can help to demonstrate how much clinging we have to whatever we define as “mine.” This grasping attitude is the source of our greatest suffering.

Which Mentor Should I Work With?

Each mentor brings a different sensibility of the dharma from his or her own background and personal experience. Listening to a dharma talk by each mentor or speaking to the mentor privately may help you decide which individual would be best for you to work with. You can also check out their biographies on the SIM website. You are not committed to working with the mentor you initially choose and have the option of learning from the different practice styles of all of the mentors.

How Do I Contact A Mentor?

Please contact mentors by email to set up an appointment. Here are their email addresses:
Rich Howard (rich@sactoinsight.org)
Diane Wilde (diane@sactoinsight.org)

Cancelling An Appointment

Mentors are volunteers, and have many other responsibilities. Please make an appointment that you feel confident that you can keep. If an appointment must be cancelled, please try to give the mentor 24 hour advance notice.

The above information is also in this Mentoring Sessions brochure.