February :: workshop series :: breathing & Pranayama PRACTICEs of the breath
ONLINE What is meditation? How and why do we do it? Where does it come from? This session focuses on the mind. We will explore why we think what we think, and how the practice of meditation is designed to change how the mind works. Throughout the month, learn different methods of meditation and their function, as well as what modern neuroscience has learned about the efficacy of meditating.
Saturdays in February 10am – 12pm Central Time
***Eligible for 8 hours of CE forYA.***
SESSION 1 :: Saturday, February 1st Attention, Concentration & Mantra Why do we think what we think? What type of thoughts get repeated? This week we will explore what type of thoughts we have and why. How do these affect our sense of who we are and what we believe about reality?
SESSION 2 :: Saturday, February 8th Mindfulness, Vipassana & Open Awareness One of the oldest forms of meditation is 'concentration', the active attempt to reduce and stop thought. How do we do it? Is it even possible? This week we will explore the techniques to stop thought. SESSION 3 :: Saturday, February 15th The Seer, The Self A more recent form of meditation is to abstract the mind. Rather than concentrating it on a single thought or object, we cultivate a concept. This causes us to reinforce certain tendencies, like compassion or love. Surprisingly, this method has been studied by neuroscientists, who notice dramatic changes in our brains. SESSION 4 :: Saturday, February 22nd Loving Kindess & Compassion In order to think, there has to be a thinker. Who is this? Different philosophies answer this question in different ways. Here we will explore several answers. The meditation practice for this week will help us become aware of who thinks. It is one of the most powerful but most difficult methods of meditation, as it challenges our conception of who we are.
:: 4 TWO-HOUR WORKSHOPS :: $200 (lectures with guided practice)
