Have you been wanting to try meditation as a method to increase calm and focus but find that it’s difficult following through? Is your mind convincing you that meditating is not as important as everything else that’s going on in your life?
In our busy lives, sometimes it is challenging to prioritize a meditation practice. We are not taught to ‘just sit there.’ Many of us are constantly on the move with a never-ending to-do-list.
But just think— how would your life change if you did make a shift into more intentional stillness? What would it feel like to experience the joy of just being? How would your relationship to yourself and others change if you were able to cultivate more presence and compassion?
This January, we are offering an opportunity to support you in exploring these questions through our “Stepping into Meditation and Community” course. This is an online, interactive, twelve-week course divided into two 6-week sessions that will guide you to the most present, compassionate, and connected aspects of yourself. Through inner exploration and engaging with community, you will learn accessible, time-tested Tibetan Buddhist practices that will allow you to awaken into deeper peace, joy, compassion and balance in your life.
This course is a great starting point for those who are just stepping into meditation and wanting to create the habit of a daily practice, supported by others doing the same.
This new year, we hope you will join us in this beneficial endeavor that has the wonderful potential for positively impacting your personal life, your community, and the world.
Meeting Time and Duration
We will meet for six consecutive 90-minute weekly sessions starting with an orientation and ending with a closing ceremony. Each session will be facilitated by Namchak students (not Lama Tsomo).
Course Outline (Part 1)
- Week 1: Orientation—Course Overview, Intention Sharing & Body Scan
- Week 2: Deepening Intention & Exploring Shamata
- Week 3: Shamata Review & Introduction to Loving Kindness
- Week 4: Tonglen—A Compassion Practice of Giving & Receiving
- Week 5: Round Robin & Tonglen for Troublemakers
- Week 6: Exploring Our Work in the World & Closing Ceremony