SanghaLive is an online meditation community offering daily live group sittings and weekend online retreats with rotating teachers from the broader Insight tradition and adjacent contemplative streams. The platform was developed to provide structured live group practice for practitioners who do not have an in-person sangha within reach, or who want consistent daily group practice alongside their local sangha. Live sessions run multiple times per day across time zones, with teachers in the US, UK, Australia, and continental Europe rotating through the schedule. The community model differs from on-demand meditation apps. Sessions are live, scheduled at specific times, and held in a video group with the teacher and other participants visible to one another. The synchronous group element is the platform's distinctive feature: practitioners sit together in real time, not with recorded talks. The model recreates some of the texture of an in-person sangha (showing up at a specific time, sitting with named people in a recognizable group) in a video-conferencing format. Subscription pricing covers unlimited access to the daily live sessions, weekend online retreats, and a smaller set of structured courses. Teachers are drawn from the Insight tradition and adjacent contemplative streams. The platform is one of several online meditation communities that grew during and after the pandemic; the daily-live-group emphasis differentiates it from app-based meditation services and from teacher-specific platforms. For practitioners using SanghaLive as a primary container, the model works best alongside some in-person practice or longer in-person retreats; the daily group practice supports continuity, but the absence of physical presence and silent multi-day retreat container has limits the platform itself acknowledges. SanghaLive is best understood as a daily group-practice complement rather than a full replacement for in-person sangha and residential retreat.
Daily live sessions typically run 30 to 60 minutes: a brief welcome from the rotating teacher, a guided meditation, a short dharma reflection, and a few minutes of group sharing or questions. Weekend online retreats compress the form into a multi-session weekend with extended sittings, dharma talks, and group elements. Sessions are run on video-conferencing software with cameras typically on for the group element. Posture and setup are at the participant's home: cushion, chair, or whatever the home environment allows. There is no monastic schedule structure; participants attend as fits their daily life.
The teaching faculty draws primarily from the Western Insight tradition, particularly the IMS / Spirit Rock stream, with some teachers from adjacent contemplative traditions. The platform is multi-teacher rather than carrying a single lineage; rotating teachers give different sessions and carry their own training backgrounds.
Yogis without an in-person sangha within reach who want consistent daily group practice in the Insight tradition.
Practitioners with a local sangha who want additional daily live sittings between in-person events to maintain continuity of practice.
Practitioners traveling, working irregular schedules, or in time zones underserved by in-person sangha who can find live sessions at workable hours.
For a first session, register online and join the video call at the scheduled time. The teacher welcomes participants, gives a brief instruction or reflection, and leads the sit. Cameras may be on or off depending on the session and participant preference. Participants sit at home in their own setup. After the sit, brief sharing or Q&A often follows. Sessions end on time. The practice continues in the participant's daily life between sessions.
The platform is online; there is no physical facility. Practitioners sit at home with their own cushion, chair, and meditation setup. A reliable internet connection and a device with a camera and microphone are needed. Sessions are run through video-conferencing software the platform provides.
The platform operates on subscription pricing, typically around USD 25 per month for unlimited access to live sessions and online retreats, with annual options at a reduced rate. Some introductory sessions are free for new participants. Pricing is published on the platform's site.
Daily live group sittings online, with rotating Insight teachers across time zones.
Meditation apps like Calm, Headspace, and Ten Percent Happier offer recorded content for on-demand listening. SanghaLive is built around live, synchronous group sessions: practitioners sit together at scheduled times in a video group with the teacher present. The synchronous group element is the platform's distinctive feature.
Typically yes. Most sessions allow cameras on or off according to participant preference. The synchronous group element works without every camera being on; teachers and other participants are typically visible while individual participant cameras are at the participant's discretion.
For some practitioners in geographically isolated locations, it is the closest available container. For most practitioners, the platform is best understood as a daily group-practice complement to in-person sangha and residential retreats rather than a full replacement. The platform itself acknowledges these limits.
Rotating teachers drawn primarily from the Western Insight tradition (IMS / Spirit Rock stream) and adjacent contemplative streams. The schedule lists each session's teacher and topic. The platform is multi-teacher rather than carrying a single lineage.
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