Mindfulness: A Path to Cultivating Joy and Compassion
Course Description for a 6 class course that will introduce you to essential
meditation practices in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh.
1. Calming the Body and Mind
An introduction to Mindfulness, not only as a tool for awareness but also as a practice of awakening to our capacity to cultivate a sense of joy and compassion within us. We will learn to calm and rest our body and minds thereby transform our tension and stress.
By learning to nurture our capacity for mindfulness, concentration and insight, we can modify old habits in our perceptions, our feelings and our consequent reactions.
2. Nourishing and Gladdening the Mind
Our mind is hardwired to be drawn to the negative, whether this is within us or without us. We will explore practices that cultivate positive emotions and attitudes, drawn from both Buddhist psychology and the field of Positive Psychology. These practices strengthen our energies of gratitude and mindfulness, which in turn increases our ability to be more creative and have more joy and happiness in our lives.
We will learn aboutancient teachings, that can facilitate profound happiness and goodwill towards ourselves and others.
3. Transforming and Healing Old Wounds
We will focus on self-compassion and opening up to old hurts that can affect our body and mind. Sometimes childhood wounds are deeply buried and we are not conscious of them, but an attitude of self-compassion an unconditional love can transform our pain. Learning to be present for the suffering of our inner child will make it possible to heal old wounds and open up to our innate ability to accept and love ourselves. We will also learn to embrace the goodness and positive experiences we have had in our lives.
4. Working with Difficult Emotions
In order to be at peace with oneself and enjoy emotional stability, we have to understand the obstacles in our minds that are in the way. These are painful negative mind states like anger, fear or jealousy that can overwhelm us at times and drive us to act in ways that are destructive to ourselves and our relationships.
5. Exploring Our Ancestral Roots
Our ancestral roots affect us and create habit energies in us that we are sometimes unaware of. Understanding our ancestors’ challenges as well as their strength and their joy will allow us to deepen our compassion and appreciation for them and ourselves, leading to healing and reconciliation.
6. Inter-Being
This term, created by Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, speaks to the fact that we cannot exist by ourselves alone. If we look deeply into even just our daily lives, we can see how we are inter-connected with other people and other species and we are dependent on the well being of the whole planet. From the beginning we are very relational and need others to thrive and to grow. It is essential to be connected to a community that supports our practice. We will learn about Sangha, which is a Buddhist term for community and learn about Sangha-Building.
MONDAY CLASSES: 7:45 PM - 9:45 PM
September 24, 2018
October 1, 2018
October 8, 2018
October 16, 2018
October 22, 2018
October 29, 2016
COST:
$ 175.- for 6 classes, preregistration required
REGISTRATION:
Contact me at m.romang@rcn.com
LOCATION:
The Arlington Center
369 Massachusetts Avenue
Arlington, MA 02474
781-316-0282