Retreats are suitable for beginning as well and continuing meditation students. This retreat will be offered online on the Zoom platform.
BEYOND MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness is well-documented to provide a kind of ease and calm and even lower blood pressure and other health benefits. It is an important tradition in our practice, to be able to place our awareness on something intentionally and be with that. However, there is also a way that mindfulness can be a limiting factor. When we approach it from the standpoint of applying mindfulness to “get somewhere” (more calm, more peaceful, less stressed) it can support a separate self which is avoiding things through mindfulness rather than being with what is. In that way, mindfulness is not a doorway to freedom but a block to freedom.
In this retreat we will look at what is “beyond mindfulness”—what is there when all the trying is left behind? We will grapple with the paradox of surrender–who is there to actually surrender? We will be using mostly silent meditations, some guided meditations and some guided contemplations.
View the retreat schedule here. Please note, the schedule is tentative and subject to change; however, it may be helpful in planning your participation.
DATES: Oct 8-11, 2020
Teacher: Lou Weir
Begins Thursday at 11 am, ends Sunday at Noon
Retreat size via ZOOM is limited to 25 persons
COST: The minimum cost of this retreat is a $40.00 registration fee, which goes to support our local center and administration.
To follow the traditional of offering dana (generosity), any additional amount over the registration fee will be offered to the teacher as your dana in gratitude and support for their teachings.