September 2026 - May 2027
Metta Wisdom Way — "revised format"
A nine-month study and practice program
A nine-month study and practice program
Daryl Lynn Ross with guest teachers
New Year’s Insight Meditation Retreat
Teacher
Jill Davey
When
December 29, 2026 - January 2, 2027
Where
Galilee Centre
Arnprior, ON
So often we can be flooded by our emotions and overwhelmed by our own personal circumstances as well as to the world around us. This retreat will focus on the Buddha’s teachings on Wisdom and Compassion in service of deepening our capacity to meet our lives with a wise, loving and embodied presence.
Held in noble silence this retreat will consist of meditation instruction, alternating sitting and walking meditation, guided compassion and equanimity practices, talks on the Buddha’s teachings, group inquiry and small group discussions with the teacher. Open to beginning and experienced practitioners.
Teacher
Jill Davey (she/they) Since their first meditation retreat in 2008, Jill has been devoted to the study and practice of Vipassana (Insight Meditation) and sharing this understanding with others. Having been mentored and invited to teach by Molly Swan and Norman Feldman, Jill is a teacher with True North Insight. Jill is particularly interested in connecting the relevance of these ancient teachings of awareness, wisdom and kindness to daily life experience. They are also an End-of-Life Doula and bring this sensitivity to their teachings. Jill brings years of previous experience as a community worker to their teaching and is actively committed to the ongoing dismantling of internalized and systemic privilege.
Registration
LOCATION: Galilée Centre, 398 John St N, Arnprior, ON, K7S 2P6, Canada
The rooms are a mix of single and double rooms, with shared bathrooms.
Single rooms will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the order in which registrations are received.
ARRIVAL TIME: 3:30-5:00 pm, Tuesday, December 29. The retreat will conclude by lunch on Saturday, January 2. Everyone is welcome to stay for lunch. The teacher requests that you plan to attend the entire retreat – please arrive on time and stay through the closing talk.
COST: TNI is dedicated to offering affordable rates to all. TNI retreat fees are on a sliding scale basis that allows participants to pay according to individual means. Fees do not include compensation for the teachings, and teachers rely on the generosity of retreatants for a sustainable income. There is an opportunity to offer dana (donations) to the teachers at the end of each retreat.
A deposit of 50% of the base rate is required to register to the retreat. The deposit is included in all of our fees.
Sliding Scale:
- Benefactor: $2 300
- Sustaining: $1 560
- Base: $1 100
- Reduced: $800
- Scholarship: upon request (limited number of scholarships are granted)
◆ Deposit : $550
Benefactor
The Benefactor rate provides the opportunity to offer more substantial support for TNI.
Sustaining
The Sustaining rate represents the actual cost to TNI to operate our programs. If you can afford this level or higher, you assist our efforts to offer lower sliding-scale rates and ongoing financial subsidies.
Base
The Base rate covers 69 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Reduced
Payment at the Reduced rate covers only 55 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Scholarship
TNI offers scholarships providing a reduction of up to 50% on the base rate on our sliding scale to those who request them. Scholarships are available for a limited number of places.
Important Information
Awakening to Our Heart’s True Home
Teacher
Jean Esther
Assisted by Michelle Nicholls
When
March 5-8, 2026
Where
Ecology Retreat Centre,
Mono, ON
It takes courage and steadfastness to put down the demands and occupations of our lives, and to drop out of our daily busyness and distractions. It takes a willingness to slow down, to rest, to be curious, and to simply pay attention.
Within this 3 day silent retreat in the nourishment of the natural world, we will do just that. In stillness and in movement, through guided and non guided daily meditation practice and through reflecting upon the Buddha’s teachings, we inevitably discover and root in what has been there all along: the true wisdom and joy of the heart.
Teacher
Beginning her formal training in meditation in 1975, Jean Esther has trained in the Buddhist Theravadan tradition with renowned senior lay teachers as well as Burmese and Western Monastics since 1982. Over a number of years, Jean has engaged in intensive teacher training in both Vipassana practice and non-dual awareness. Her teaching is also informed by over 43 years of practice as a psychotherapist, focusing on the healing of trauma through an embodied somatic approach. She trained for over 20 years in Jungian psychology with Jungian analyst Marion Woodman. Respecting all of life through a social justice understanding informs her life and her teaching. Jean teaches at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, USA, Insight Meditation Community of Western MA, USA as well as various other locations across the US and Canada. Jean has served on the Guiding Teachers Council of True North Insight since 2015.
Assisted by
Michelle Nicholls (she/her) is an Afro-Caribbean Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist based in Tkaronto (Toronto). She specializes in working with individuals and communities. She is a Community Dharma Teacher with True North Insight. In this capacity, Michelle supports the BIPOC Sangha and co-facilitates inclusive community programs with her peers. She is a devoted mom to a vibrant, creative teen who inspires her to embrace creativity as a way to cultivate balance. Michelle is also passionate about writing on topics such as mindfulness, curiosity, vulnerability, and healing practices, sharing her insights about navigating and exploring the complexities of life.
Registration
LOCATION: Ecology Retreat Centre, 308046 Hockley Road, Mono, ON L9W 6N2, Canada.
All of the rooms are double rooms, with shared washrooms.
ARRIVAL TIME: 3:30-5:00 pm, Thursday, March 5. The retreat will conclude by lunch on Sunday, March 8. Everyone is welcome to stay for lunch. The teacher requests that you plan to attend the entire retreat – please arrive on time and stay through the closing talk.
COST: TNI is dedicated to offering affordable rates to all. TNI retreat fees are on a sliding scale basis that allows participants to pay according to individual means. Fees do not include compensation for the teachings, and teachers rely on the generosity of retreatants for a sustainable income. There is an opportunity to offer dana (donations) to the teachers at the end of each retreat.
A deposit of 50% of the base rate is required to register to the retreat. The deposit is included in all of our fees.
Sliding Scale:
- Benefactor: $1 725
- Sustaining: $1 170
- Base: $825
- Reduced: $600
- Scholarship: upon request (limited number of scholarships are granted)
◆ Deposit : $412.50
Benefactor
The Benefactor rate provides the opportunity to offer more substantial support for TNI.
Sustaining
The Sustaining rate represents the actual cost to TNI to operate our programs. If you can afford this level or higher, you assist our efforts to offer lower sliding-scale rates and ongoing financial subsidies.
Base
The Base rate covers 69 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Reduced
Payment at the Reduced rate covers only 55 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Scholarship
TNI offers scholarships providing a reduction of up to 50% on the base rate on our sliding scale to those who request them. Scholarships are available for a limited number of places.
Important Information
Cœur vaste, esprit libre
Teachers
Pascal Auclair
When
November 23 - 29, 2026
Where
Kio-o
Ste-Lucie-des-Laurentides, QC
To be free-spirited, to have a clear heart, to have the senses awake no matter what the circumstances - this is what the Buddhist path proposes. Is it possible? Let's find out. During this retreat, this friendly, silent gathering, this intensive meditation course, the search for happiness will involve pacifying the mind, developing clarity, receptivity and inner stability.
This retreat is taught in French.
Teacher
Pascal Auclair has been immersed in Buddhist practice and study since 1997, sitting retreats in Asia and America with revered monastics and lay teachers. He has been mentored by Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California, where he is enjoying teaching retreats. Pascal also teaches internationally. His depth of insight, classical training, and creative expression all combine in a wise and compassionate presence. In addition, his warmth and humour make Pascal a much appreciated teacher.
Registration Information
Lieu : Kio-o, 1905 Chemin 6e Rang, Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, QC J0T 2J0.
Most of the rooms are double rooms, with shared washrooms. There are a small number of single rooms. Single rooms will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the order in which registrations are received.
ARRIVAL TIME: 3:30-5:00 pm on Monday, November 23. The retreat will conclude by lunch on Sunday, November 29. Everyone is welcome to stay for lunch. The teacher requests that you plan to attend the entire retreat – please arrive on time and stay through the closing talk.
COST: TNI is dedicated to offering affordable rates to all. TNI retreat fees are on a sliding scale basis that allows participants to pay according to individual means. Fees do not include compensation for the teachings, and teachers rely on the generosity of retreatants for a sustainable income. There is an opportunity to offer dana (donations) to the teachers at the end of each retreat.
A deposit of 50% of the base rate is required to register to the retreat. The deposit is included in all of our fees.
Sliding Scale:
- Benefactor: $2 460
- Sustaining: $1 920
- Base: $1 290
- Reduced: $1 080
- Scholarship: upon request
◆ Deposit : $645
Benefactor
The Benefactor rate provides the opportunity to offer more substantial support for TNI.
Sustaining
The Sustaining rate represents the actual cost to TNI to operate our programs. If you can afford this level or higher, you assist our efforts to offer lower sliding-scale rates and ongoing financial subsidies.
Base
The Base rate covers 69 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Reduced
Payment at the Reduced rate covers only 55 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Scholarship
TNI offers scholarships providing a reduction of up to 50% on the base rate on our sliding scale to those who request them. Scholarships are available for a limited number of places.
Important Information
Presence in the heart of summer
Teacher
Roxanne Dault
When
August 7-11, 2026
Where
Kio-o
Ste-Lucie des Laurentides, QC
In the heart of summer, let's take a moment together to slow down, to approach what is alive, present in us and around us with wisdom and kindness.
This meditation retreat offers an opportunity to immerse ourselves deeply in the practice of mindfulness meditation. We'll explore the fundamental teachings of this ancient practice, cultivating a caring and balanced heart. Participants will be offered guidance on how to practice in daily life, the importance of living gently in this world and the spirit of the Dhamma that permeates everything we do.
Guided meditations, instructions and the opportunity to ask questions and discuss your practice with the teacher in group meetings, and individually on request, will make this retreat accessible to beginners and experienced meditators alike.
This retreat is taught in French.
Teacher
Roxanne Dault teaches meditation in Canada, USA and in France. She has been dedicated to this path for almost two decades, spending a few years in silence, sitting on long retreats both in Asia and in the West. A Guiding Teacher at True North Insight and an Associate Guiding Teacher at the Insight Meditation Society in the USA, Roxanne teaches in a variety of environments including in a graduate program at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), in corporate settings and in diverse organizations. Her teachings take root mainly from the lineage of Mahasi Sayadaw. She is trained in Somatic Experiencing®, a body-mind approach aimed at relieving the symptoms of trauma and stress. Learn more at: roxannedault.ca.
Registration Information
LOCATION: Kio-o, 1905 Chemin 6e Rang, Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, QC J0T 2J0
Most of the rooms are double rooms, with shared washrooms. There are a small number of single rooms. Single rooms will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the order in which registrations are received.
ARRIVAL TIME: 3:30-5:00 pm, Friday, August 7. The retreat will conclude by lunch on Tuesday, August 11. Everyone is welcome to stay for lunch. The teacher requests that you plan to attend the entire retreat – please arrive on time and stay through the closing talk.
COST: TNI is dedicated to offering affordable rates to all. TNI retreat fees are on a sliding scale basis that allows participants to pay according to individual means. Fees do not include compensation for the teachings, and teachers rely on the generosity of retreatants for a sustainable income. There is an opportunity to offer dana (donations) to the teachers at the end of each retreat.
A deposit of 50% of the base rate is required to register to the retreat. The deposit is included in all of our fees.
Sliding Scale:
- Benefactor: $1 640
- Sustaining: $1 280
- Base: $860
- Reduced: $720
- Scholarship: upon request (limited number of scholarships are granted)
◆ Deposit : $430
Benefactor
The Benefactor rate provides the opportunity to offer more substantial support for TNI.
Sustaining
The Sustaining rate represents the actual cost to TNI to operate our programs. If you can afford this level or higher, you assist our efforts to offer lower sliding-scale rates and ongoing financial subsidies.
Base
The Base rate covers 69 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Reduced
Payment at the Reduced rate covers only 55 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Scholarship
TNI offers scholarships providing a reduction of up to 50% on the base rate on our sliding scale to those who request them. Scholarships are available for a limited number of places.
Important Information
Abiding Mindfully in the Body: Meditation and Yoga Retreat
Teachers
Daryl Lynn Ross & David Schouela
When
November 11 - 15, 2026
Where
Kio-o
Ste-Lucie-des-Laurentides, QC
The Buddha said, "There is one thing that, when cultivated and regularly practiced, leads to deep spiritual intention, to peace, to mindfulness and clear comprehension, to vision and knowledge, to a happy life here and now, and to the culmination of wisdom and awakening. And what is that one thing? It is mindfulness centered on the body." The first mindfulness practices that the Buddha taught were attending to the body— coming to our senses. Mindfulness of the body is an invitation to open to the awareness which is already present in the body. The retreat practices and teachings will support continuity of mindfulness in the body throughout all activities. A wholesome sense of being calm, grounded, embodied and present will be nourished. The practices of loving-kindness and compassion will also be woven through the days.
Yoga practice will be an integral part of this silent meditation retreat as a form of meditation in motion - there will be two or three sessions of yoga each day.
Teachers
Daryl Lynn Ross lives and transmits the Buddhist teachings from the heart with a sensitivity to the unique path of each person. She has been teaching meditation for over 30 years and is grateful to have long-time teachers and mentors from several Buddhist lineages and also within mystical Christian practice. Daryl is currently engaging in Jewish kabbalistic studies, reconnecting to her religious roots. For 22 years as a University Chaplain at Concordia University in Montreal she offered meditation practices and spiritual leadership. Co-founder and guiding teacher for TNI since 2003, Daryl teaches local groups and intensive courses, mentors and counsels in personal meetings and offers a wide range of retreats. In recent years she has completed two programs in contemplative end-of-life accompaniment, and is available to offer spiritual guidance for this important time in one’s life. Daryl is known for her clear, gentle, compassionate engagement which is both accessible and profound.
David Schouela, Co-founder of TNI, has been practicing meditation and yoga since 1996 and has been teaching yoga since 2001. David brings to his teaching the integration of Buddhist mindfulness and insight meditation with classical yoga practice.
Registration Information
LOCATION: Kio-o, 1905 Chemin 6e Rang, Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, QC J0T 2J0.
Most of the rooms are double rooms, with shared washrooms. There are a small number of single rooms. Single rooms will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the order in which registrations are received.
ARRIVAL TIME: 3:30-5 pm, Wednesday, November 11. The retreat will conclude by lunch on Sunday, November 15. Everyone is welcome to stay for lunch. The teacher requests that you plan to attend the entire retreat – please arrive on time and stay through the closing talk.
COST: TNI is dedicated to offering affordable rates to all. TNI retreat fees are on a sliding scale basis that allows participants to pay according to individual means. Fees do not include compensation for the teachings, and teachers rely on the generosity of retreatants for a sustainable income. There is an opportunity to offer dana (donations) to the teachers at the end of each retreat.
A deposit of 50% of the base rate is required to register to the retreat. The deposit is included in all of our fees.
Sliding Scale:
- Benefactor: $1 640
- Sustaining: $1 280
- Base: $860
- Reduced: $720
- Scholarship: upon request (limited number of scholarships are granted)
◆ Deposit : $430
Benefactor
The Benefactor rate provides the opportunity to offer more substantial support for TNI.
Sustaining
The Sustaining rate represents the actual cost to TNI to operate our programs. If you can afford this level or higher, you assist our efforts to offer lower sliding-scale rates and ongoing financial subsidies.
Base
The Base rate covers 69 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Reduced
Payment at the Reduced rate covers only 55 % of what is needed to run our organization. To balance our budget and to wisely steward our resources, donations must supplement our registration income.
Scholarship
TNI offers scholarships providing a reduction of up to 50% on the base rate on our sliding scale to those who request them. Scholarships are available for a limited number of places.
Important Information