Do you feel like you’re surrounded by a great deal of noise? Are you longing for a place and time where there is just quiet? A chance to learn how to create inner stillness? If that sounds like a path you’d like to try, join us at 9 a.m. on the last Sundays of the month for a silent mediation practice group. Our first practice will be March 30, in the Chapel. We will continue to meet on the fourth Sundays of succeeding months.
The group will be open to all levels. We will follow the practice of Soto Zen style of sitting meditation, focusing on mindfully following the breath during sitting mediation. Our first gathering will begin with an introduction to the practice of sitting mediation, followed by 30 minutes of sitting. For the first session we will have bells every 10 minutes allowing people a chance to stretch, shift to walking mediation or exit the meditation. In the weeks to follow, mediation will begin at 9 a.m. and last for 40 minutes with one bell after 20 minutes.
We hope this format will be inviting for people who would like to try sitting meditation yet still provide an atmosphere conducive for more seasoned practitioners. Please click here to sign up for the group, so we have an idea of how large a room we’ll need. Walk-ins are always welcome! Feel free to bring your own cushions if you have them. For those without experience who can’t attend the March 30 practice, instruction will be provided at future practices on an as needed basis.
The group will be facilitated by Rev. Brian Eslinger, who trained at Clouds & Water Zen Center and led mediation groups during his time as the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames.
UUCM Happenings 