LifeArt Meditation: 2nd, 3rd, 4th Mondays at 6:30pm ET
One hour guided meditation/talk/q&a sesssion 2nd, 3rd, & 4th Mondays 6:30pm (ONLINE ONLY)
In addition to our weekly Sangha, we invite you to join the monthly LifeArt Meditation Group, offered on the second, third, and fourth Monday of every month online only.
Fully Present – Exploring Mindfulness of Body and Breath with Susan Baxter
The “Secret Skill” of Meditation (It’s Not What You Think)
Most people quit meditating because they sit down, try to focus on their breath, and immediately get overwhelmed by racing thoughts. They think, “I’m completely failing at this.” But having a mind that wanders isn’t a failure—it’s just what minds do.
In Session 3 of Fully Present, we are shifting our focus to Mindfulness of Breath and rewriting the rules of concentration.
You will discover that the true magic of mindfulness doesn’t come from maintaining a perfectly blank mind. Instead, the true power lies entirely in how you respond to yourself when you lose focus.
We will be leaning into the beautiful teachings of world-renowned author and meditation pioneer Sharon Salzberg, who famously noted:
“Beginning again and again is the actual practice, not a problem to be overcome so that one day we can come to the ‘real’ meditation.”
What We Will Cover:
- A 20-minute talk detailing the neuroscience of how your breath acts as a regulatory dashboard for your nervous system.
- A 20-minute guided breath-anchoring meditation utilizing structured counting and labeling methods.
- The art of dropping self-criticism and instantly returning to awareness and being present in the moment whenever your focus drifts.
- A Q & A session to discuss any questions or concerns you may have regarding your practice.
- Practical, 60-second “habit-stacking” tools to seamlessly build mindful breathing breaks into your busiest work routines.
Give yourself permission to let go of perfection and embrace the art of starting fresh.
6:30pm – 7:30pm ET
Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/93951415744?pwd=1axPseqon30VPvGXxJCuhF8CfIarEW.1
6:15pm – room opens for catch up and settling in
6:30pm – talk begins
6:50pm – meditation
7:10pm – open discussion
Logistics:
Online only, 6:30-7:30 pm ET on the second, third, and fourth Mondays of the month.
You may RSVP on our Meetup also and get the link there.
LifeArt Meditation offers teachings on contemporary teachers, scholars, and thought leaders. In each session we discuss techniques and attitudes necessary for a robust contemplative practice. We explore ways of making our daily practice more enjoyable and more fruitful. In addition, we discuss how the effects of the practice are showing up in our daily encounters.
In other words, we seek to see how a contemplative practice really does begin to shape the tone and tenor of our moments, and our lives. While tone focuses on the specific attitude or emotion conveyed (e.g., optimistic, harsh), tenor represents the broader, underlying character, theme, or general course of thought. We want to examine just how meditation is making life better, more interesting, and maybe even more challenging.
Each session is comprised of three parts:
- a short “lifestyle” talk
- a 20 minute meditation
- a 20 minute Q&A
We invite you to spend a few sessions with each of the three teachers of LifeArt Meditation. We bring different styles, topics, and influences to each session. Lezlie Laws will lead the second Monday session (March 9th), April Koester will lead the third Monday session (March 16th), and Susan Baxter is on for the fourth Monday (March 23rd) of each month.
Logistics:
Online only, 6:30-7:30 pm ET on the second, third, and fourth Mondays of the month.
You may RSVP on our Meetup.