Back in the day…, our studio offered free Community Meditation Nights (CMNs) regularly. I’m happy to announce that we are reinstating that practice as part of our Gloucester retreat during the weekend of May 2-3 in two weeks.

Details of the whole weekend are below.

If you want to attend only the free CMN, that’s cool. It will be Friday May 2nd 2025 at 7pm at the Blue Shutters Inn 1 Nautilus Rd, Gloucester, MA 01930 but I do hope you’ll consider attending other events at our retreat weekend too.

Reply to RSVP for any of the events listed below so that we can prepare a meditation cushion for you.

I’m getting excited for this meditator’s group trip to the beach!
See you soon, I hope!

Gena Bean

Lead Teacher at MBZ1

Weekend Schedule

Friday

Friday May 2nd-
Arrive & Socialize
Attendance on Friday is optional, just for fun.

• 6pm— Members: After work on Friday, between 5:30 and 6pm-ish, paid members are invited to come to Gena Bean’s 2nd floor kitchenette at the Blue Shutters Inn for a simple soup & bread dinner. Members’ Simple Soup is from about 6pm to about 6:50. RSVP is required so that we can get enough soup.
  

• 7pm— CMN. Free & open to the public: 7pm to 8pm.
  Free Community Meditation Night (CMN) classroom is on the first floor in the inn’s public living room.
  Invite your friends to this public event! There’s plenty of parking.

  

• 8pm-ish— After the meditation class is over, Ed is hosting an outdoor fire pit (weather permitting) with marshmallows for us on Friday night.

• No wine/beer pls, this retreat has an intention towards reduced intoxicant use as we move towards sobriety in our mindfulness practices.

• It’s optional to get a room at the inn for Friday night. You can also stay elsewhere and commute.

• Travel Logistics:
  -There is a commuter train from Boston nearby, so you don’t need a car.
  -But if you do want to drive, there’s plenty of parking at the Inn.
  -The Inn is a 60min drive away from Boston, so some folks will arrive just for the Saturday morning events. Attendance on Friday is optional, just for fun.

Saturday

Saturday May 3rd-
MBZ1’s Spring Summit
Attendance at the Studio’s Summit is reserved for paid members of our studio, please join the membership if you are attending on Saturday.

The Main Event!

8:30am
Coffee, muffins(?), breakfast snacks.
Members who are commuting in for the day arrive.

9:00am
Conversations about meditation, stress, and the meaning(s) of true rest.9:15am
Start time for our 2 hour guided meditation practice. Yoga Nidra.
No late entry.11:15am
End of practice period.11:15 -12pm
Wrap up, and next steps.

12pm: Official end of our retreat. The afternoon can be an open schedule. You have the freedom to explore Gloucester’s beaches, nap, join the group for lunch at the Seaport Grill, or simply end your day early.

Saturday lunch note:

Even though lunch is not officially included in the retreat, we have tentative reservations at the Seaport Grill for those who are interested in a restaurant lunch. It’s expensive, but worth it. Plan for $30-$70 per person, depending on what you order. Have a look at their menu and decide if you want to RSVP to have lunch with our group. It’s arguably the best fish around.

Sunday

Sunday May 4th-
Sunday Relaxation Day

Staying at the inn through Sunday is optional, just for fun. There are no official meditation events scheduled.

Do you need an extra day for self care?

• 9am
  Coffee and muffins? Walk on the beach?
• 11am - check out.
  Packing up and transitioning to the next thing.