Author: Francesca

  • Drop-in Meditation Online

    Drop-in Meditation Online

    🧘🏻‍♀️ Type:

    FREE, drop-in, online

    📆 Date:

    Wednesday

    ⏱️ Time:

    7pm–7.50pm

    📍 Addr.:

    Online

    Wednesday Wind-Down: A Gentle Meditation Space

    Online Meditation: A Simple Space Just To Be

    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.

  • Compassion in community: From self compassion to universal connectedness

    Compassion in community: From self compassion to universal connectedness

    🧘🏻‍♀️ Type:

    In-person and online

    📆 Date:

    Friday 25 September – Sunday 27 September 2026

    ⏱️ Time:

    10am – 5pm

    📍 Addr.:

    London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB

    💰 Fee:

    £200 suggested donation

    Rigpa Retreat with Ian Ives

    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.

  • Finding Peace with Difficult Emotions: A free Buddhist meditation workshop

    Finding Peace with Difficult Emotions: A free Buddhist meditation workshop

    🧘🏻‍♀️ Type:

    in-person

    📆 Date:

    Thursday, 8 October 2026

    ⏱️ Time:

    7pm – 9.30pm

    📍 Addr.:

    London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB

    Finding Peace with Difficult Emotions

    A free Bodhi Buddhist meditation workshop

    Event summary

    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.

    Choose your date

    Both workshops contain the same teaching and practice, so simply book the date that suits you best.

    A taster of Open Heart

    This workshop offers a free introduction to our nine-week Open Heart Loving-Kindness Meditation Course, beginning on Thursday 22 October 2026.

    Everyone is welcome. No previous experience of Buddhism or meditation is needed.

  • Finding Peace with Difficult Emotions: A free Buddhist meditation workshop

    Finding Peace with Difficult Emotions: A free Buddhist meditation workshop

    🧘🏻‍♀️ Type:

    in-person

    📆 Date:

    Saturday, 10 October 2026

    ⏱️ Time:

    10.30m – 1pm

    📍 Addr.:

    London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB

    Finding Peace with Difficult Emotions

    A free Bodhi Buddhist meditation workshop

    Event summary

    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.

    Choose your date

    Both workshops contain the same teaching and practice, so simply book the date that suits you best.

    A taster of Open Heart

    This workshop offers a free introduction to our nine-week Open Heart Loving-Kindness Meditation Course, beginning on Thursday 22 October 2026.

    Everyone is welcome. No previous experience of Buddhism or meditation is needed.

  • Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga: Movement & meditation weekend

    Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga: Movement & meditation weekend

    🧘🏻‍♀️ Type:

    In-person

    📆 Date:

    Saturday 7 – Sunday 8 November 2026

    ⏱️ Time:

    9.30am – 3.30pm

    📍 Addr.:

    London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB

    💰 Fee:

    £100 suggested donation

    Light Body – Bright Mind! Movement & breathing exercises, followed by the stillness of meditation to refresh our body & calm our mind

    During this weekend we will be practising Kum Nye, a relaxation method from the Tibetan tradition, which is suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels.

    Kum Nye integrates and balances physical and psychological approaches to harmonize the energies of body and mind. The deep relaxation produced releases a vibrant, intense flow of feeling that renders all experience richer, healthier, and more beautiful.

    For beginners it is a gateway to meditation, while for more seasoned practitioners it is a way to deepen our practice.

    Join us this weekend to experience Kum Nye – a gentle Tibetan relaxation practice suitable for all ages and fitness levels. Blending movement, breath, and awareness, Kum Nye helps release tension, balance energy, and awaken a deep sense of calm and vitality. Ideal for beginners as a gateway to meditation, and for seasoned practitioners to deepen their inner experience and presence.

    How to join the event

    In-person only

    Registration closes Thursday 5th Nov at 5pm

    Suggested donation –

    Full rate| £100
    Concessions l £50
    Under 25’s l Free
    Financial hardship l Donate whatever 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.

    **You can cancel and receive an automatic refund through Eventbrite up to 24 hours before the event.

  • Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche: The Wheel of Sharp Weapons

    Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche: The Wheel of Sharp Weapons

    A weekend teaching about how Lojong transforms life’s challenges into wisdom, compassion and the awakened heart of Bodhichitta.

    🧘🏻‍♀️ Type:

    In-person and online

    📆 Date:

    Saturday 17 October – Sunday 18 October 2026

    ⏱️ Time:

    10am – 4pm

    📍 Addr.:

    London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB

    💰 Fee:

    £200 suggested donation

    The Wheel of Sharp Weapons

    Teachings with Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche and Khenpo Sonam Tsewang

    Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche will offer teachings on The Wheel of Sharp Weapons, a profound Mahayana text from the Buddhist mind-training tradition of lojong.These teachings reveal how the difficulties and challenges we encounter can be brought onto the spiritual path. They help us understand the workings of karma, overcome self-cherishing, and cultivate compassion and bodhichitta—the awakened heart and mind.This is a rare and precious opportunity to receive traditional teachings in person from one of the Nyingma tradition’s most senior and respected scholars, teachers and lineage holders.

    About The Wheel of Sharp Weapons

    The Wheel of Sharp Weapons is a traditional Buddhist mind-training text that encourages us to look deeply at the causes of suffering and take responsibility for transforming our habitual reactions.Rather than allowing difficulties to discourage us, the teachings show how they can become powerful opportunities to develop wisdom, compassion and genuine concern for others.

    About Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche

    Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche is one of the three senior-most khenpos of Namdroling Monastery and one of the oldest and closest students of the late Kyabjé Penor Rinpoche.Born in Eastern Tibet in 1936, Khenchen Rinpoche studied with some of the most revered Tibetan Buddhist masters of the twentieth century. He served Kyabjé Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche as his attendant for around ten years and received extensive teachings from him. He also received teachings from great masters including Kyabjé Dudjom Rinpoche and Kyabjé Trulshik Rinpoche.Khenchen Rinpoche is among the last of a generation of authentic lamas who uphold the pure lineage of the Nyingma tradition in both its Kama and Terma transmissions.He is an eminent lineage holder of the Longchen Nyingtik tradition, and this event offers a rare opportunity to receive in-person teachings from a master who embodies and preserves this profound lineage.

    About Khenpo Sonam Tsewang

    Khenchen Pema Sherab Rinpoche will be accompanied by Khenpo Sonam Tsewang, his long-standing translator and student, who travels extensively with him on international teaching tours.Khenpo Sonam is an accomplished Buddhist scholar and teacher. He will translate Khenchen Rinpoche’s teachings into English and will also lead some of the sessions during the event.

    How to participate

    This event will be offered:

    • In person at our London Centre
    • Online via Zoom

    We warmly encourage you to attend in person if you can, as receiving these precious teachings in the presence of the teacher can be especially beneficial.If attending online is your only option, please join from a quiet, distraction-free environment and remain present for the entire teaching. You are warmly encouraged to keep your camera on so that Rinpoche can connect with you.

    Zoom details

    Online participants will receive the Zoom link in the Eventbrite reminder emails sent two days and two hours before the event.The teachings are offered freely. Your donation helps us cover the costs of hosting the event, including staffing, equipment and the running of our centre.

    Donations

    Please note: meditation is not a substitute for medical treatment. If you are receiving treatment for a mental or physical health condition, please continue your treatment and check with your doctor/care professional if these sessions would be suitable for you.

    Standard: £200

    Concession: £100

    Supporter: £250 — for those who would like to help subsidise places for others

    Under 25s: Free

    If cost is a barrier, please email us to register. No one will be turned away because they are unable to make the suggested donation. [email protected]

  • Bodhi Open Heart: A 9-Week Loving-Kindness Meditation Course

    Bodhi Open Heart: A 9-Week Loving-Kindness Meditation Course

    🧘🏻‍♀️ Type:

    in-person + course

    📆 Date:

    Thursdays, 22 October- 17 December 2026

    ⏱️ Time:

    6.30pm – 8.30pm

    📍 Addr.:

    London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB

    💰 Fee:

    £90 suggested donation for nine weeks

    9-week course | In person

    Thursdays, 6.30–8.30pm
    Starts Thursday 22 October 2026

    Bodhi Open Heart Meditation is suitable for both complete beginners and those with meditation experience. The course is held weekly with care by our friendly and experienced meditation instructors.

    Would you like to experience more kindness in your life, discover greater inner resilience and feel more emotionally grounded? Open Heart can help you fulfil your potential and connect more meaningfully with others.

    During Open Heart, we will explore how to:

    • Cultivate a stronger sense of kindness and personal wellbeing
    • Open naturally to meaningful connections with others
    • Take regular moments to reconnect with the body
    • Strengthen awareness of feelings as they arise
    • Offer kindness to ourselves
    • Radiate kindness to those around us

    Get a taster

    Experience a taster of the course by attending a Bodhi Meditation Moment introductory workshop exploring how to manage difficult emotions: Book sepperately on Eventbrite:

    What others are saying about Open Heart

    “It is helping me to stop and feel the inner silence, to calm my mind, to increase my inner power, to connect with my being, to develop more love for myself and others, and to feel unity with others.”

    “It has been a wonderful gift to experience the awakening of my heart through awareness and acceptance of what is present in each moment.”

    “Infinite gratitude.”

    Cost for the nine-week course

    Standard: £90 (£10 per session)
    Concession: £45
    Supporter: £120 – for those who would like to help subsidise places for others
    Under 25s: Free

    If cost is a barrier, please email us to register. No one will be turned away because they cannot afford to make a donation.

    The teachings are offered freely. Donations help cover the cost of staff, equipment and running our centre.

    What you will receive

    • Nine weekly classes with experienced instructors
    • Weekly guided meditation recordings
    • Community support through a WhatsApp group
    • Additional opportunities for weekly group practice: online on Mondays and Wednesdays, and in person on Tuesdays
    • Healthy and delicious bites and refreshments from the centre’s Tara Teahouse
    • Opportunities to deepen your kindness and compassion through other events in our autumn programme

    Explore our programme at www.rigpa.org.uk/events

    Meet your instructors

    Will Mansfield

    Will Mansfield has practised Buddhism for more than 25 years and has been an instructor at the London Rigpa Centre for over 15 years. He finds it deeply rewarding to see how meditation and Buddhist teachings can benefit people’s lives and work together to deepen their sense of self-discovery.

    Rosey Hastings

    Rosey Hastings has studied and practised Buddhism since the 1980s. She was a schoolteacher for 30 years, working with children and young adults with learning difficulties, particularly dyslexia.

    She is passionate about making Buddhism accessible and meaningful to anyone with interest and curiosity, whatever their background, education or preferred style of learning. Rosey supports and teaches on Rigpa UK’s public and sangha programmes.

    Carol

    Carol has studied Buddhist teachings for more than 30 years and has been an instructor at the London Centre for 25 years, specialising in meditation courses.

    She previously worked in IT and as a project manager for a major corporation, leading multicultural teams and enjoying her interaction with others. Having experienced the remarkable benefits of these teachings and practices, her greatest wish is to share them and help people integrate them into their everyday lives.

  • What is Dharma for?

    What is Dharma for?

    An evening with Khenpo Tashi

    🧘🏻‍♀️ Type:

    In-person and online

    📆 Date:

    Wednesday 28 October 2026

    ⏱️ Time:

    7pm – 9pm

    📍 Addr.:

    London Centre, 330 Caledonian Road, London N1 1BB

    💰 Fee:

    £25 suggested donation

    What is the purpose of the Dharma? Why has the Buddha’s teaching continued to inspire people for over 2,500 years, across cultures and generations? And what does it have to offer us today?

    For many, Buddhism is associated with meditation, mindfulness, or compassion. Yet these are only part of a much broader path of understanding and transformation. What is it that the Dharma ultimately points towards? And how does it relate to the way we live our ordinary lives?

    In this public talk, Khenpo Tashi explores these timeless questions with the clarity, warmth, and depth for which he is widely appreciated. Whether you are simply curious about Buddhism or have been practising for many years, this evening offers an opportunity to reflect on what the Dharma is, why it matters, and how it can illuminate our lives.

    // More about Khenpo Tashi

    Khenpo Tashi trained at Namdroling Monastery under the guidance of his root teacher His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. For the past fourteen years, at the request of Khenchen Namdrol Rinpoche, he has served as the principal teacher of the Rigpa Shedra in Pharping, Nepal, where he teaches the classical curriculum of Sutra and Tantra to hundreds of students, from beginners to advanced practitioners. Over the past four years, his online teachings have reached an ever-wider audience within the Rigpa community and beyond.

    Widely appreciated for the depth of his learning, the precision and clarity of his explanations, and his ability to make profound teachings genuinely accessible while remaining deeply rooted in the tradition, Khenpo Tashi teaches with a rare combination of scholarship, warmth, and practical insight.

    // 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: £25

    Concession: £15

    Supporter: £35–£40 (for those who’d like to help subsidise others)

    Under 25’s: Free

    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.

    You can cancel and receive an automatic refund through Eventbrite up to 24 hours before the event.