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Dates
Thursday 10/17/2024 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Pricing
$100.00 Four Class Series Mindfulness 101
Mindfulness, or mind-training, is the practice of being awake.
By training up our ability to closely watch our mind, we become intimate with our suffering, our habitual patterns of grasping and avoiding, all the while opening a doorway to personal insight. In the words of Buddhist abbot Bante Gunaratana, mindfulness is "the practice of being 100 percent honest with ourselves." Only when we know ourselves deeply can we relax reactive habits and live with a more open-heart.
Traditional mindfulness practices are comprised of walking or sitting meditations designed to anchor the mind in the present moment. Through this effort, we are able to cultivate attentional balance (being able to choose what we pay attention to) while widening the bandwidth of experiences that we can tolerate without distress. Ultimately, we access genuine happiness, and easeful orientation that isn't dependent on life being easy.
In this 4-week series, you'll learn to practice a variety of traditional mindfulness meditation methods that:
~ calm the mind and relax the body
~ improve focus and concentration
~ develop an accepting and resilient orientation towards life's challenges
~ cultivate an open-hearted and friendly attitude towards yourself and others
Along the way, you'll find out what works for you and learn how to build your own practice.
Everyone is welcome and no prior experience is required.
Jennifer O'Sullivan
For nearly 20 years, Jennifer has helped people reconnect to the wisdom of their body, cultivate attitudinal balance, develop better attunement with others, and bring forward compassionate presence with Yoga and Buddhist mindfulness classes, workshops, and professional courses. She also offers powerful self-inquiry facilitation using the evidence-based Internal Family Systems (IFS) Parts Work model.
Jennifer has studied with exemplary teachers from many disciplines. She is most influenced by Don & Amba Stapleton of the Nosara Yoga Institute (Kripalu lineage) and Sarah Powers. Her mind is rooted in Theravada Buddhism, and her Zen heart is held lovingly by the International Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism. She is a level 3-trained IFS Practitioner with a particular interest in how culture and other external forces shape how we see ourselves.