Day of Mindfulness August 20: Healing and Revealing

Healing and Revealing: A Day of Mindfulness

August 20, 2011, 10-4:430

Riverside Church, 8-T

In this Day we will explore guided meditations that ‘heal and reveal.’ For example, the ‘Flower fresh’** meditation is both a meditation that can nourish and calm our body and mind and a meditation on interbeing. During the Day we will look again at interbeing through meditations using the elements: earth, water, fire, air, space, consciousness.

Thich Nhat Hanh says that “Breathing and Knowing that we are breathing is a basic practice….To practice conscious breathing is to open the door to stopping and looking deeply in order to enter the domain of concentration and insight.” This practice also includes guided meditations that use imagery: “the breathing carries the image and the image throws open the doors closed by our wrong perceptions.” [Blooming of the Lotus, pages 6-7.]

Everyone is welcome. Our Day includes sitting and walking meditations; mindful movements; eating together in silence and mindfulness; singing; total relaxation and our practice of deep listening and speaking [Dharma Sharing].

Chairs and cushions available. Lunch is around 1pm: bring a vegetarian lunch. Come for all or part of the Day. Please do not wear fragrances.

At Riverside Church, 8-T. 91 Claremont Avenue, between 120-122nd St., one block west of Broadway in Manhattan.

Facilitated by Ishmael Wallace and David Flint.

** The 'Flower Fresh' meditation is elaborated on in Touching Peace and in The Blooming of the Lotus, by Thich Nhat Hanh.

"Breathing In, I know I am breathing in.

Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.

In/Out

Breathing In, I see myself as a Flower.

Breathing Out, I feel fresh.

Flower/Fresh

Breathing In, I see myself as a mountain.

Breathing out, I feel solid.

Mountain/Solid

Breathing In, I see myself as still water,

Breathing out, I reflect things as they are.

Water/Reflecting

Breathing In, I see myself as space.

Breathing Out, I feel free.

Space/Free