Meditation

SUNDAY MORNING MEDITATION PRACTICE

You are invited to join us on for Sunday morning practice at 9:00 - 10:30 AM for guided Vipassana-style meditation. Our intention is to provide a relaxed place for you to come learn or practice meditation with a group of like-minded individuals.

If you have ever meditated, no doubt you have encountered what the Buddha called the Five Hindrances to Meditation, or negative mental states that stall our practice and can lead us toward unwholesome action.

As a follow-up to our January series on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, in March we will explore the Five Hindrances and how to skillfully work with them in meditation and in life.

March 4: Desire Longing for what we don't have, from material possessions to the perfect relationship, blocks our connection to the present moment. We can reclaim this presence with skillful practice.

March 11: Hatred and Aversion Our conscious and not-so-conscious feelings of ill-will toward ourselves, others and situations presents a huge barrier to awakening. We will learn and practice powerful antidotes to these unskillful states.

March 18: Sloth and Torpor Sleepiness and sluggishness are common occurances for both new and experienced meditators. Learn practical skills for working with these mental states.

March 25: Restlessness This state often manifests as physical or mental agitation, can't sit still, busy mind, feeling driven to "do" something, or the urge to control. Working with this state in meditation opens up opportunities to experience real change in our everyday lives.

April 1: Doubt Why am I doing this? What if I never get it? I'm no good at meditating. The greatest masters have been plagued with doubt about the usefulness of practice. Learn how to turn this emotion into fuel for growth.


Feel free to come in early for tea and conversation. Our instructors, Trisha Stotler, Jon Waterman, and Mary Aubry rotate their schedules, so please check the Sunday class schedule on our website to see who is leading each week.

As this is a drop-in group, there is no pre-registration required, and payment is on a "dana" or generosity/donation basis.

FORMAT: This is a drop-in class, so no prior registration is required.

FEE: This class is offered on a "dana" basis. Dana is the Pali word for generosity. Your donations allow the instructors to continue offering the class. There will be a basket for dana outside the door when you leave. Lack of funds should not be an obstacle to coming to class, so please practice generosity as you are able.


MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION COURSE (MBSR)

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
8 Week Series with Trisha Stotler
Tuesday evenings, March 27 - May 22, 2012
7:00 - 9:00 PM

FEE: $400.00, includes all materials, and half-day retreat on February 26, 2012 from 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Register on-line: www.eastmeetswestcenter.com

Meditation and Stress Reduction:

Taken daily, it can untangle tension, fight fatigue and even lower your blood pressure. It can lift your spirits and help you find inner peace. What's more, it costs nothing, has no side effects and doesn't require medical help. The "treatment" is meditation, an ancient practice that has become increasingly popular in medical settings.

Research shows meditation can help relieve many symptoms, such as pain, anxiety, stress and depression, as well as ease the fatigue and insomnia associated with many illnesses. It affects many body processes connected with well-being and relaxation. Recent studies suggest meditation may balance the immune system to help the body resist disease, and even heal.

Harvard University professor Herbert O. Benson, MD, showed that religious belief wasn't necessary to reap the benefits of meditation. It is the repetitive practice, and not a specific technique or intent, that brings about what he called the relaxation response. The relaxation response is an antidote to stress and the many conditions caused by stress, says Dr. Benson, who is president of the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

By the 1990s, meditation was becoming accepted as medicine, especially through the stress reduction program at Harvard and at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Today, more than 240 programs around the country are modeled on the University of Massachusetts program.

The 8 Week Workshop:

This workshop will teach you techniques in mindfulness meditation and movement that have been clinically proven to reduce, and in some cases eliminate, physical and emotional symptoms that are made worse by stress. In addition to an increased ability to relax, participants report greater energy and enhanced ability to cope with chronic pain and stressful situations. The techniques are especially useful in working with:

• Job Stress
• Chronic pain or illness
• Anxiety and panic disorders
• Fibromyalgia, IBS, and Crohne's
• Sleep disturbances
• High blood pressure
• Headaches
• Cancer; radiation; chemotherapy

Classes are highly participatory and practical. The course includes:

• Guided instruction in mindfulness meditation practices;
• Gentle stretching and mindful movement (appropriate for all ability levels);
• Exercises to bring mindfulness to challenging situations in everyday life;
• Daily at-home practice (20-45 minutes per day) with specially designed materials;
• Cushions, chairs & mats will be provided for your comfort; wear comfortable clothing.

INSTRUCTOR:

Trisha Stotler is a mindfulness instructor with an active practice in Northern Virginia. She has been a student of meditation for twenty years, and is on the Board of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, DC. Trisha's practice is influenced by the teachings of Depth Psychology and Core Energetics, and she was an early student of Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D. She has a keen interest in the mind-body relationship as it relates to anxiety, depression and trauma. She is also a graduate of the MBSR teacher training led by Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and the Stress Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.