MARCH 17 JUDY BOYCHUK
Judy will be doing the upcoming session on “Introducing your Child or Grandchild to Meditation and Mindfulness.” Judy is a certified meditation and mindfulness teacher and the founder of Simplify
Meditation.
Judy will guide you through a meditation which will encompass a few different meditations she does
with kids to encourage mindful listening, visualization and helping them to be able to recognize the
difference in the way their bodies feel when they are tense and relaxed.
She will give you some ideas on how to start teaching the little people in your life to meditate and how old your child should be to start. She will share some resources that she uses – everything from books,
“Three Important Areas of your Brain” poster, a breathing ball, the “Mind Jar” (a great demonstration
for kids to understand how meditation works) and a fun “mindful eating” exercise to do with your kids.
Judy will share some of her favorite meditations she does with her students (ages 6-13 yrs) and some
research and studies on the benefits of children meditating. She will give you some mindfulness
exercises you can do as a family to help your children create mindful habits.
APRIL 5 PHIL BLUSTEIN
Wisdom of Mindfulness
One of the great gifts of mindfulness is wisdom. This implies not how smart you are but having insight into the truth of experience. In recognizing that all experience is conditioned and is an illusion this is the basis for a shift in the relationship one has with the present moment. This supports the ability to be present with non attachment in each moment. I would like to investigate the wisdom of mindfulness through various exercises and provide some techniques to use to support your practice.
APRIL 21 PHIL BLUSTEIN
MINDFUL ENQUIRY
Whatever our minds tell us we believe. However there is a way to explore the truth of what our minds tell us. I would like to explore how inner child dialogue can be a very insightful tool to discover the truth of who we are.
MAY 3 ALLAN DONSKY
A Mindful approach in Learning to become comfortable feeling uncomfortable
When we pay attention to where our mind likes to hang out, we notice it spends a lot of time in the future. This is called “futuring’. We also notice that it is “I “ or “Me” who we project into this time warp. As the future is so unpredictable and uncertainty, it automatically brings a sense of anxiety or even dread. We dislike this dis-comfort so we try to get away from it by trying to control the feeling in unhelpful ways such as avoidance or trying to control the uncontrollable. These tactics do not work and only serve to increase the very feelings we are trying to avoid. The double whammy is that we also rob ourselves of being present doing something more useful in this moment.
This talk will explore how we can begin untying this knot, how mindfulness can open space to be more comfortable with discomfort and give us some ease about tolerating the unknown.
JUNE 7 LESLIE ELLESTAD
Equanimity – Seeing the World with Quiet Eyes
Equanimity is the capacity of mind and heart to remain at peace, no matter what is happening. We will learn a practice that supports the development of equanimity. When our minds and hearts are undisturbed, we have more opportunity to respond in a wise and caring way. Our actions become more skillful, decreasing harm and increasing happiness for ourselves and others.