In-Person: Practicing Through the Night – A Full Moon Meditation
with a Dharma Talk by Brian Simmons
Friday, May 1st, 2026 | 8:00pm – 6:00am (with 6-7am breakfast)
Location: New York Insight at 115 West 29th Street, 12th Floor
This month’s full moon gathering coincides with Vesak, honoring the Buddha’s birth, awakening, and passing.
We will practice together through the night in shared, Noble Silence. This is an overnight meditation held in community, structured in the spirit of self-retreat. While a teacher will be offering 2 short dharma talks, the majority of the night is self-guided. Participants are invited to move between all forms of practice—sitting, walking, standing, lying down, or quiet tea meditation—as needed.
Light snacks will be available during the break and a light breakfast and closing metta gathering will be held from 6:00–7:00am.
This offering is best suited for those who have previously attended a daylong sit or retreat and feel ready to sustain practice independently for an extended period. An overnight practice can stretch us. It can also be clarifying, intimate, and unexpectedly steadying.
We gather not only to sit alone, but to sit together—each tending our own practice while quietly supporting one another. There is something profound about practicing through the dark hours in shared silence. The field of metta deepens when we commit to staying.
Please plan to arrive on time. Doors will close at 9:00pm. After that time, participants may leave if needed, but re-entry will not be permitted.
Registration:
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Teacher(s)
Brian Simmons
Brian Simmons is a longtime teacher at New York Insight. He is a former award-winning Writer/Producer for Comedy Central and is currently a District Level administrator for a Westchester School District. Brian has pioneered the use of mindfulness in diverse educational environments, and published a chapter on Mindfulness in a college textbook on lowering school violence from Springer Publications in 2023. Brian has maintained an intensive daily practice since the 1990’s and completed teacher trainings at the Center for Mindfulness at UMASS Medical College as well as the Community Dharma Leaders program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. Brian’s mindfulness work in education has been featured in a documentary on Audible, a NY Times cover story and various other outlets.