MINDFULNESS Meditation: the art and practice of focusing one's attention in the present moment.
This is a space in the West End of Vancouver for queer people and friends to practice mindfulness meditation with a group, and to support one another in learning mindfulness meditation.
If you've never meditated
before, and would like to try it, this is for you. If you're
comfortable with meditation and willing to support others as they
learn, this is for you.
This is a drop-in -- no need
to register or reserve a space. If you're a beginner, we hope you will consider that a completely natural place to be, and feel welcome to join us.
Come for a session, just to try it out. If you can sit quietly in a chair or on the floor for a while, that's all you need to make a beginning.
Cost: FREE
How cool is that? No money changes hands!
Who provides our space?
The space is provided by Qmunity.
They do some good work for the LGTB communities of the West End,
Vancouver, the Lower Mainland and British Columbia.
What we do
This group practices mindfulness meditation as a way to
- become more emotionally-centred,
- respond more calmly to stressful
situations,
- worry less, and
- get a little peace of mind.
What happens in a session?
- We create and occupy the setting for our meditation: in a quiet carpeted room, we sit in a circle, usually in chairs but sometimes on the floor. Ceremony is kept to a minimum. The group is just whoever shows up -- a mix of regulars and newcomers. 4 is a small group, 12 is large, and we have never run out of room.
- We go through a series of exercises in paying attention: to our breath, the sounds we hear, our bodies, our feelings, a piece of music, a cup of tea, or any other aspect of our experience during the session.
- We sometimes take an opportunity during a session to share our thoughts (if we want to), about our own learning and practice, and about the life circumstances that we hope meditation will answer for us.
- We have readings drawn from various works that relate to the practice of mindfulness meditation, helping to deepen our intentions in meditation.
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Where
Qmunity, Room 3
1170 Bute Street (at Davie) upstairs
[Regrets, not wheelchair-accessible.]
Here's a map.
When
every Wednesday
from 7:00 PM until about 8:10 PM.
What to wear/bring
Wear casual clothing which is comfortable and not too restrictive. Your street clothes are probably just fine. In the winter, the room can be a little cool, so bring a sweater. In summer, the room can be a little hot, so dress lightly and bring water if you'd like.
1st Wedneday of the month:
The body scan
On the first session of each month, we do a body scan. This is meditation lying down, on our backs, on the floor.
The floor is carpeted, but you're welcome to bring a floor mat to lie on, if that will be more comfortable for you. Some of us would rather not lie on the floor, so we do the body scan just sitting in a chair.
Who is organizing this, and why?
The organizer is Nick Dobbing. I live in the West End of Vancouver.
I believe that mindfulness meditation can be a cornerstone of emotional
balance and well-being. Early in 2008, I went looking for a
meditation practice group that I could join. Not finding one in the neighbourhood, I
decided to start my own.
I am in no way an expert in meditation or even particularly good at it, but I share what I know about how to meditate, and encourage others in the group to do the same.
Any questions?
Read about how we understand mindfulness, and our guidelines for meditation.
Contact Nick via meditation@wovenland.ca. |
