A gentle, guided shamatha (calm abiding) meditation practise.
These 45 minute online sessions have been running since 2020 and are for both new students and more established ones.
Feel free to join us whenever you are able to.
Teacher
Jonathan Hayward is a UK-based teacher and volunteer for Rigpa UK. He has a background in classical music and talking therapy, and lives in the Sussex countryside.
Joining
The Zoom details are included in the confirmation email so please save these.
Please join the meeting with the name you registered with.
FREE to join
Ticket sales for each session close 1 minutes before the start time.
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.
Take a moment at the end of your day to pause, breathe, and reconnect.
These 50-minute online meditation sessions have been running since 2022, offering a simple and supportive space for both complete beginners and more experienced practitioners.
Rooted in Tibetan Buddhist meditation, the sessions are presented in a clear and accessible way, making it easy to explore your mind and gently deepen your practice—whatever your level.
Each session includes:
A short warm-up practice to connect with our motivation
A guided main meditation
A final period of quieter practice, where you can explore your own meditation method
Together, we cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and awareness – qualities that can help bring more clarity, balance, and ease into everyday life.
You’ll also be joining a friendly and welcoming group of people who share an interest in understanding the mind and living with greater presence.
These online sessions are hosted by Rigpa, our meditation centre in central London, where we offer in-person teachings, courses, and a supportive community for study and practice.
Instructor
Simon McVay is a UK-based meditation instructor and volunteer for Rigpa UK. He worked as a therapist in the NHS for 24 years, leading mindfulness meditation groups for staff and patients during this time. He lives in Chelmsford, Essex.
Joining
This session is free to attend. Please register via Eventbrite to receive the online link.
Donations are optional and very welcome – they help support our centre and allow us to continue offering these sessions.
The Zoom details are included in the confirmation email so please save these.
Please join the meeting with the name you registered with.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pith Instructions of the Glorious Virupa with Asanga Vajra Rinpoche
🧘🏻♀️ Type:
In-person and online
📆 Date:
Saturday 12 September 2026
⏱️ Time:
6pm – 7.30pm
📍 Addr.:
London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB
💰 Fee:
£25 suggested donation
We are honoured to welcome back His Eminence Asanga Vajra Rinpoche who will teach on the text: ‘Training the Mind in Matchless Compassion: Pith Instructions of the Glorious Virupa’. This is a practical mind training which guides us through clear, contemplative steps, to generate a truly open heart—beginning with compassion for our greatest enemy and gradually extending it to embrace all beings. This teaching reminds us that kindness and compassion are not just aspirations or sentiments, but are the very ground from which the all the awakened qualities of our buddha nature can grow.
// More about Rinpoche
Khöndung Asanga Vajra Rinpoche was born in Seattle in 1999, is a direct descendant of the illustrious Khön clan which founded the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and is furthermore regarded as the third successive body incarnation of the great master Zimwok Tenzin Nyendrak of Phenyul Nalendra.
Asanga Rinpoche began his monastic training at the age of five in Nepal and received teachings from eminent masters of Tibetan Buddhism. From 2014 to 2024, he studied Buddhist philosophy in India. Appointed as Head Lama of Sakya Vietnam and Guru of Guru Sakya Monastery in Darjeeling, India, he also founded the Sakya History Resources project as well as the Chabi Foundation.
In 2024, he completed the traditional Buddhist philosophical studies and began an MA in Buddhist Studies at SOAS University of London, graduating in 2025. In 2026, he married Dagmo Tsepak Lhatso. That same year, he established branches of the Sakya Phuntsok Phodrang in both Minnesota, USA, and Nepal. Based between the United States, India, and Nepal, Rinpoche teaches internationally.
// How to participate
This event will be held in person and online, at our London Centre.
ZOOM Details for online attendees will be in the eventbrite reminder emails 2 days and 2 hours before the event.
BOOKING It is of muchgreater benefit to you to receive these precious teachings in person, so we would only recommend joining online where this is truly the only option. If you join us online, out of respect for the teacher this needs to be in an environment without distractions for the entire teaching. You are actively encouraged to keep your camera on so that Rinpoche can connect with you.
// Cost l
Standard: £25
Concession: £15
Supporter: £35–£40 (for those who’d like to help subsidise others)
Under 25’s: Free
Donate what you can l Contact [email protected] if you are unable to make a donation of any amount at this time and we will register you.
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.
You can join our mailing list here, or follow us on eventbrite.
Compassion in Community: The practice of extending compassion from self to others
As we move into the autumn months, this weekend will focus on the question of how we can truly embody compassion—within ourselves, for one another, and as a community.
Led by Ian Ives, Senior Rigpa Teacher, we will explore through the wisdom of the Buddhist teachings and complementary practice sessions how compassion which starts with ourselves, becomes a source of genuine openness and connection. We will consider what it means to open our hearts—even in the face of difficulties—and how we can keep the vast, unlimited intention of bodhichitta (the heart of enlightened mind) alive in our daily lives.
We will also look at how we can truly bring compassion into the heart of our connectedness with one another and into the activity of our community.
Supported by a group of experienced practitioners and teachers from Rigpa UK, this retreat is also a gathering of the sangha—a time to draw strength together, nurture connection, and move into the autumn months as a compassionate community.
This weekend offers space for contemplation, personal reflection and shared insight and is open to everyone, whether absolute beginners or those with more experience of buddhist study and practice.
We encourage everyone to attend the weekend in person if they can. However, an online option is also available for those who are unable to travel.
What can you expect?
Space for contemplation, personal reflection and shared insight.
Why should you attend?
The weekend offers an opportunity to develop a kinder and more compassionate relationship with yourself and, through this, deepen your connection with others.
What can you take away?
Greater confidence in your ability to keep your heart open, even when life becomes challenging.This is a perfect event to bring friends from your community, and your friends who might be curious about meditation and Buddhism.
Everyone is welcome, whether completely new to Buddhism or more experienced in Buddhist study and practice.
About Ian Ives
Ian has made the study, practice and exploration of Buddhism his life’s work since his late teens. He became a Rigpa teacher in 2003 and has received extensive practice guidance and teachings from Sogyal Rinpoche and many other teachers on all aspects of the Buddhist path. Under the guidance of Khenchen Namdrol, he spent several years studying at Rigpa’s College of Buddhist Studies in Nepal. Since 2010, Ian has been helping to lead retreats and courses at Rigpa internationally. He currently lives in France with his wife and two daughters and is involved in the ongoing development of Rigpa’s study and practice curriculum.
How to participate
This event will be held in person and online, at our London Centre.
ZOOM Details for online attendees will be in the eventbrite reminder emails 2 days and 2 hours before the event.
Cost l
Standard: £200
Concession: £150
Supporter: £250 (for those who’d like to help subsidise others)
Under 25’s: Free
If you can’t afford any donation – email us
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.
Discover how Buddhist wisdom and meditation can help you understand difficult emotions and respond with kindness, calm and balance.
About this workshop
Difficult emotions are a natural part of life, but we do not have to feel overwhelmed by them.
In this free introductory workshop, we will explore how Buddhist wisdom and meditation can help us:
Understand difficult emotions more clearly
Meet our feelings with awareness and kindness
Respond rather than react
Find greater calm and emotional balance
Develop compassion for ourselves and others
The workshop will include accessible teachings, guided meditation and time for reflection. It is suitable for complete beginners as well as those with meditation experience.
Discover how Buddhist wisdom and meditation can help you understand difficult emotions and respond with kindness, calm and balance.
About this workshop
Difficult emotions are a natural part of life, but we do not have to feel overwhelmed by them.
In this free introductory workshop, we will explore how Buddhist wisdom and meditation can help us:
Understand difficult emotions more clearly
Meet our feelings with awareness and kindness
Respond rather than react
Find greater calm and emotional balance
Develop compassion for ourselves and others
The workshop will include accessible teachings, guided meditation and time for reflection. It is suitable for complete beginners as well as those with meditation experience.
