Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
"The best friend in your life, the best teacher, the best gift you can give yourself or anyone else, is a mind that has the pillar of mindfulness.
The mindfulness that knows what it's thinking, that knows what it's saying, and knows what it's doing.
The way to accomplish this is diligent daily practice my friends."
~ Thubten Kway
THE COURSE:
A six session Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation class, taught in the context of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path and the Vipassana tradition. Heart and mind trainings from a 2600 year old lineage that apply to any of us living breathing beings today.
Held in person in Valdez, Alaska on March 14, 21, 28, April 4, 11, 18.
One hour classes include a lesson and talk, guided meditation practice, and Q+A session.
Students will learn the basics of Mindfulness Meditation and various techniques they can implement at home for continued development. Additional resources and guidance will be provided at the end of the course to encourage a sustained personal practice.
All abilities, religions, and backgrounds are welcome. This is a great course for beginners, and experienced practitioners with Beginner’s Mind.
REGISTRATION:
Registration is open! I’m happy to share that the course is being offered as a Community/Non Credit Course through the Prince William Sound College. This allows us to use the studio space at the Health and Fitness Center.
Dates: March 14, 21, 28, April 4, 11, 18.
Time: 6:45pm - 7:45pm
Cost: $40. This helps cover studio space, equipment, and fees. Cost should not inhibit practice or registration, so please email me if you need a reduced rate or scholarship.
Location: Studio @ Health & Fitness Center, Prince William Sound College
Registration: Please head to this link and scroll down until you see “Mindfulness Meditation Sec. 1”, and add the course to your cart. Then click on your cart to check out. It will ask you to either log in to your existing PWSC learning portal or create an account for one, and it will take you from there!
Availability: 15 spots
The class is sequential, not a drop in. The lessons and skills build upon each other through the six weeks. Please keep this in mind when registering, as attendance will best serve you if you can make most or all sessions.
THE CURRICULUM:
WEEK ONE: What Is Mindfulness Meditation? Course Overview, History, Modern Context, and Establishing an Anchor
WEEK TWO: Mindfulness of Breath
WEEK THREE: Mindfulness of Thoughts
WEEK FOUR: Mindfulness of the Body
WEEK FIVE: Metta: Lovingkindness
WEEK SIX: Forgiveness + Continuing Practice
Can’t attend the course but want to stay in the loop for future online or in person offerings? Please sign up for the occasional email newsletter below:
“A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.”
-HHDL
About
Gabby’s resonance with the Buddha’s teachings came to light at age 15 when she first read The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama. At 19, time in monasteries and amongst lay-practitioners in Nepal led to further Buddhist study in college and the development of her personal practice. The lessons of compassion, discipline, mind training, breathing, and love carried her through life-altering suffering, debilitating anxiety and depression, caregiving, grief, and death. They also held her in transition, celebration, joy, equanimity, cosmic giggle, and ultimately- peace.
Awakened to her own Buddhanature, she strives to reflect that awakening of inherent goodness in others. In effort to do that skillfully, she is halfway through a two year Mindfulness Meditation Teaching Certification under teachers Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, and mentor Jill Satterfield.
Her personal teachers she holds dearest are her mother (living), father (deceased), Kyle (brother), and Olive (dog). Her most influential Dharma teachers include His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Baba Ram Dass, Krishnamurti, and the gentle Nepali man who, when she went to kill a bloodsucking leech from her leg, told her “that was your mother in a past life”.
