Decisions and Options for Heart of the Valley Mindfulness Practice Center

Decision One: Future Meeting Formats

• Option One – Pre-Covid Status Quo: Before the pandemic all meetings of our sangha were in-person at two different times and two different venues.

• Option Two – Virtual Only: Abandon in-person sessions entirely.

The advantages to continuing the virtual format are:

• • Travel time is eliminated
  • Weather problems are eliminated
  • Set up of the meditation venue is unnecessary
  • We can serve practitioners who do not reside in our region
  • The monthly overhead costs for meeting venues would be eliminated

The disadvantages to continuing the virtual format are:

• • The impersonal nature of remote meetings
  • The lack of opportunity for informal dialogue with sangha siblings
  • The technological problems that can be challenging
  • The loss of practitioners who do not attend because they do not like remote meetings

• Option Three – Hybrid with Whole Sangha Sharing: Under this model, we would continue to offer weekly Zoom links for those who wish to attend remotely and convene in the pre-pandemic in-person format for those who wish to and/or are able attend. The “Whole Sangha Sharing” hybrid sit would convene in the traditional method. A camera would be trained on the facilitator for the sit, the walk, and the Dharma reading. A large screen projection of those attending remotely would be placed at one end of the meeting site on gallery view. During Dharma Sharing both remote participants and live participants would engage in sharing in one group.

The advantages of this hybrid format are:

• • We can continue to serve practitioners who do not reside in our region
  • Both remote and in-person attendees can benefit from each other’s sharing
  • Practitioners who are averse to remote attendance can return

The disadvantages of this format are:

• • Remote attendees might experience a sense of disenfranchisement
  • The scale of the group could limit the opportunity for everyone to share
  • The technological problems of Zoom will impact both those in attendance and those attending remotely

• Option Four – Hybrid with Split Sangha Sharing: Under this model, we would continue to offer weekly Zoom links for those who wish to attend remotely and convene in the pre-pandemic in-person format for those who wish to and/or are able attend. The “Split Sangha Sharing” hybrid sit would convene in the traditional method. A camera would be trained on the facilitator for the sit, the walk, and the Dharma reading. A large screen projection of those attending remotely would be placed at one end of the meeting site on gallery view. During Dharma sharing remote participants and live participants would engage in sharing in two groups: an in-person group led by the facilitator and a remote group led by a Zoom facilitator.

The advantages of this hybrid format are:

• • We can continue to serve practitioners who do not reside in our region
  • Both remote and in-person attendees can have more sharing time
  • Practitioners who are averse to remote attendance can return

The disadvantages of this format are:

• • Remote attendees might experience a sense of disenfranchisement, particularly since they would be separated during Dharma sharing
  • The differences in the size of each group could affect the quality of sharing
  • The technological problems of Zoom will impact both those in attendance and those attending remotely during the beginning sessions
• Option Five – Separate Meetings: In-person and Remote: Under this model, we would continue to offer weekly Zoom links for those who wish to gather remotely and also a group gathering in the traditional pre-pandemic in-person format for those who wish to and/or are able to attend. The in-person sit would convene in the traditional method with a 25 minute sit, 15 minute walk, and 15 minute sit followed by tea, the Dharma reading, and Dharma sharing. A separate remote sit would be held following our “pandemic” format: a 20 minute sit; 10 minute walk, 15 minute Dharma reading, and 45 minute sharing. Separate facilitators would be needed for each sit.

The advantages of the split meeting format are:

• • We can continue to serve practitioners who do not reside in our region
  • Both remote and in-person attendees can have more sharing time
  • Practitioners who are averse to remote attendance can return
  • The original format as described above can be restored

The disadvantages of this format are:

• • Remote attendees might experience a sense of disenfranchisement, particularly since they would be attending an entirely different meeting
  • The differences in the size of each group could affect the quality of sharing
  • Additional facilitators may need to be recruited
• Option Six – Return to Pre-Pandemic format: Under this model, we would offer only in person sits with the continuation of Wednesday meetings and venue to be determined (see below). In the event of a winter storm, we could offer the Zoom format for those who reside locally on an ad hoc basis.

Decision Two: Continuation of Wednesday Evening Meetings 

Before the pandemic we met every Tuesday from 9:00 AM through 11:30 AM and alternate Wednesdays in the evenings from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM. Just before the pandemic we also introduced a separate monthly “Family Friendly” sit for young parents where we provided child-care. The venue for these sits was St. Barnabas. The question for the sangha is whether we want to continue this and, if so, in what format.

Decision Three: Venue for In-person Meetings

• Option One: Status quo – We currently meet in two venues and, consequently, pay two rents. We meet on Tuesday mornings at 9:00 AM at St. Francis Catholic Church on Beaver Meadow Road in Norwich and at 5:00 PM on most Wednesday evenings at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church on Main Street in Norwich. We pay monthly rent for meeting space and to store our cushions and supplies at St. Francis and monthly rent for meeting space at St. Barnabas.
• Option Two: Consolidate to St. Barnabas – There are two major reasons for considering the consolidation: the potential to reduce our expenses and our favorable experiences with the St. Barnabas venue. The downside to consolidating to this venue is the loss of storage space available to us at St. Francis. To address that we would need to acquire some kind of storage space or downsize. Because few of our practitioners currently use the Zabutons and cushions that require substantial storage, we might consider relocating 8-12 of them to St. Barnabas and donating the balance to Morning Sun. Should we opt for this decision, a small subcommittee could explore various options. In a recent conversation with Jennie Anderson, the pastor at St. Barnabas, Joyce learned that they are in the process of upgrading their connectivity as part of their plan to offer hybrid services.

Decision Four: When to Make Change from Zoom Sits

Joyce has conferred with St. Barnabas regarding their availability and determined that they will begin offering outdoor worship services in May. The Diocesan Restart Team, which governs St. Barnabas, has indicated that they will be offering some guidance on how to re-open for indoor worship in late May. The timing of our move to any of the options outlined above, in the final analysis, will be determined by the Governor of Vermont and the governing board of the church(es) where we hold our sits. Given the coming warmer weather, though, we might consider offering some in-person outdoor sits or Mornings of Mindfulness before we implement whichever format we ultimately choose.