BRINGING THE PRACTICE OF MINDFULNESS INTO OUR DAILY LIVES

Four sessions with Michael Ciborski and Fern Dorresty,

Dharma teachers in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh

At the Bugbee Senior Center, White River Junction

262 N. Main St., White River Junction, VT 05001

5:30 to 7:30 PM

Bring your evening meal and together we will eat mindfully.

 January 13^th – Transforming and Healing Our Suffering

We transform and heal our suffering through learning to embrace our suffering, taking time to look deeply and listen to our suffering in order to understand it, then strengthening a new way of thinking and acting which no longer causes us to suffer. This evening we will explore this process as well as learn about how our mind works through Buddhist psychology.

January 27^th – Connection and Healing in Our Relationships with Loved Ones

Exploring how the practice of mindfulness can support our relationships with others, including transforming habit energy and reactivity, the cultivation of loving speech, deep listening, and a practice of reconciliation called Beginning Anew.

February 10^th – Practicing with Love, Loss and Letting Go

This session we will look at applying the teachings on impermanence and liberation to major life changes.  Deep insight into the no-beginning/no-end nature of things can bring about great freedom and help us to let go of the suffering we feel in difficult transitions.  This is a skill that can be learned and which allows us to become light and new.

February 24^th – Practicing with our Children and Grandchildren, from tot to teen and beyond

Exploring how we can share the practice with children through both practical activities as well as how we can practice when we are with them, in order that they can directly experience the fruits of our practice, namely our true presence and capacity to listen to them, our peace, ease and joy in being alive.

We are now meeting weekly on Zoom.

If you would like to receive an email reminder with a link to the Zoom session, please email joyceandpat@gmail.com and ask to be put on the “reminder list.” 

Click here to see pictures from the mindfulness retreat, “Opening the Heart of True Love,” co-sponsored by Heart of the Valley Mindfulness Practice Center, which was held February 13-16, 2015 at Wonderwell Reatreat Center, Springfield, NH

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The Heart of the Valley Mindfulness Practice Center meets in the fellowship hall of St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 75 Beaver Meadow Rd., Norwich, Vermont.  Practicing in the supportive environment of mindful community we enjoy the collective energy of mindful sitting, walking, eating, dialogue and study every Tuesday morning from 9:00-11:30 (click on “Tuesday Practice” above for practice schedule and description of our mindfulness practices).  During the winter months the Wednesday practice group will not be meeting.  In the spring, we will resume sitting the first and third Wednesday of the month, starting at 5:30 PM.  The Tuesday Mindfulness Practice group will continue meeting through the winter months.

Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the practice of touching life deeply in every moment. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present, and at one with all that is within and around us. With the support of the practice community, we can cultivate peace and joy, as a gift for ourselves, for all beings, and for the Earth.

Our MPC was established in 1997, at a time when westerners were seeking an understanding of mindfulness and a non-religious setting in which to practice.  When we practice together, our mindfulness becomes more joyful, relaxed and steady.

We practice in the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Our MPC is non-hierarchical and consensus-based in its planning and decision-making.   We believe that each of us has insights to offer to others, and at our weekly sessions we have the opportunity to share from our hearts.

ALL ARE WELCOME!

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Directions to Heart of the Valley Mindfulness Practice Center, located in St. Francis of Assisi Church, 75 Beaver Meadow Road, Norwich, VT. – From I-91, take exit 13. Head west toward Norwich ½ mile onto Main St. –  Beaver Meadow Rd. is the first left past Dan and Whit’s Store and the Norwich Inn. After turning left onto Beaver Meadow Rd., go approx. ¼ mile. Church is on the right.

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For updates on Thich Nhat Hanh’s health condition and practices to support his recovery, please go to the Plum Village website, http://plumvillage.org and to the Heart of the Valley Mindfulness Practice Center Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/heartofthevalleympc