Author Archives: dharmadancer

Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation Course in Manteca

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We will be offering an Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation Course in Manteca, beginning Sept. 16th, 2013 on Monday evenings from 6:30-8:30pm at the Sandpiper Event Center, 531 W. Yosemite Ave., Manteca, CA.

The greatest benefit will be for those who can attend all of the 6-week series.  This course and ongoing meetings are offered freely, without charge, as a gift to all who wish to come.  Please register using the form below.

Donations will be gratefully accepted to help support the teacher and the Sandpiper Center, but the wish is for those donations to come joyfully from whatever generosity may arise naturally from your heart. There is no expectation or obligation to make a donation. If might even help support someone with little means by offering a donation for them.

If you wish to sit on the floor, please bring your own zabuton and zafu (or other mat and cushion or bench). Chairs will be provided.

At the end of this course, meetings will continue with an ongoing focus on mindfulness meditation practice and teachings in the Theravada tradition, most specifically those teachings which support the practice of insight and insight meditation.

Lori Wong is the founding teacher of Insight Meditation Central Valley and has been practicing Insight Meditation since 2003 under the guidance of Gil Fronsdal, who is the principal and founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Center (IMC) in Redwood City, CA.   She is a Community Dharma Leader trained through Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA.

 

Second Meeting of the Stanislaus County Mindfulness Collaborative

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We (Insight Meditation Central Valley and BHRS-Stanislaus County through the Prevention and Early Intervention Community Capacity Building Initiative) would like to cordially invite you to attend our second meeting of the Faith and Spirituality Initiative: Mindfulness Collaborative on July 31, 2013 from 12-1:30pm.  The collaborative will be held at:

Behavioral Health Recovery Services
Prevention & Early Intervention
1917 Memorial Drive
Ceres, CA. 95307

Lunch will be provided for those who attend so please RSVP by calling or using the form below:

Objectives for the collaboration:

  • Discuss needs for mindfulness training and support
  • How one can support one an­other in mindfulness training
  • Collaborate with others who have interest and or practice mindfulness

Even if you are not currently incorporating mindfulness in your organization or work, but are interested in how mindfulness might be useful or supportive of your programs or staff, please join us so we can assess what is needed or how we can utilize current resources in Stanislaus County.

Here is a tentative agenda for the meeting:

  • Developing a statement for this collaborative group, creation of a facebook page?
  • What kinds of offerings would be helpful in the county
  • Mentoring or training for mindfulness leaders
  • Possible screening of the documentary, Room to Breathe

Please send agenda items you wish to add to: Lori Wong

For more information contact:

Theresa L. Zamora
Community Behavior Health Consultant
209-541-2416 or tzamora@stanbhrs.org

or

Lori Wong
Insight Meditation Central Valley
209-343-2748 or insightmeditationcentralvalley@gmail.com

To register online, please fill out the form below and an email will be sent to Theresa and Lori. Space is limited, so please wait to receive a confirmation from Theresa of your registration.

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Daylong Saturday, August 10, 2013 with Tseme Garcia and Lori Wong – “Exploring our Practice Through SoulCollage®”

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Exploring our Practice Through SoulCollage®

Saturday, August 10th, 9 am to 4:00 pm
UUFSC Sarana Kuti, 2172 Kiernan Ave., Modesto, CA
Co-facilitated by Lori Wong and Tseme Garcia

Example1Through the weaving of expressive arts with guided meditation and reflection, we’ll spend the day inviting our spirits to play. We’ll use SoulCollage®, a technique that involves contemplatively selecting and gluing magazine images onto 5” x 8” cards as a tool for inquiring into and deepening our meditation practice.

The SoulCollage process helps us to discover and explore our authentic selves, bringing healing to ourselves and to others through creative expression. We’ll incorporate mindfulness and reflection in order to look inward using the creative process to explore our practice. We’ll engage in contemplative sharing, allowing us to learn about ourselves and listen in a safe, supportive environment.

These workshops are a safe place for us to “play” and explore—no art experience or talent is needed! Those who especially feel “I am not creative,” are encouraged to attend.Example2

The Facilitators:

Lori Wong is the founding teacher of Insight Meditation Central Valley and has been practicing Insight Meditation since 2003 under the guidance and mentorship of Gil Fronsdal, who is the principal and founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Center (IMC) in Redwood City, CA. She is a former board member and former president of IMC, a current board member of the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies (also in Redwood City), and was a founding board member of the Buddhist Insight Network. She is a Community Dharma Leader trained through Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA.

Tseme Garcia has been providing individual and small-group interfaith spiritual guidance using expressive arts and contemplative practices since 2004. She has used SoulCollage to explore her own spiritual journey for more than a decade. She guides Gyalshen Modesto Sangha and studies Bön Tibetan Buddhist meditation and spirituality under the direction of her teacher, Geshe Chaphur Rinpoche, who is the founder and resident lama of Gyalshen Institute in San Pablo, CA. She holds a Master’s degree from Sofia University; a Certificate in Expressive Arts from John F. Kennedy University; and a Certificate in Interfaith Spiritual Direction from the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction.

Registration: Please register using the form below.
Art Materials Fee:                                      $5.00
No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Necessary supplies including magazines will be provided, but feel free to bring any favorite magazine images you might wish to use.

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Donations are gratefully accepted to support the teachers, Gyalshen Modesto Sangha and IMCV.  Please bring a vegetarian dish to share for a potluck lunch, if you would like.  For additional information, please contact Lori Wong at 209-343-2748.

Soul Collage Workshop Announcement Printable Flyer.

Stanislaus County Mindfulness Collaborative

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We (Insight Meditation Central Valley and BHRS-Stanislaus County through the Prevention and Early Intervention Community Capacity Building Initiative) would like to cordially invite you to attend our Faith and Spirituality Initiative: Mindfulness Collaborative on July 10, 2013 from 1-2:30pm.  The collaborative will be held at:

Sutter Gould Education Center
1700 Mc Henry Ave., Suite 60B
Modesto, CA 95352

Objectives for the collaboration:

  • Meet with organizations and individuals that are interested in promoting and using mindfulness
  • Discuss needs for mindfulness training and support
  • Hear about Stanislaus County’s Faith & Spirituality Initiative

Even if you are not currently incorporating mindfulness in your organization or work, but are interested in how mindfulness might be useful or supportive of your programs or staff, please join us so we can assess what is needed or how we can utilize current resources in Stanislaus County.

For more information contact:

Theresa L. Zamora
Community Behavior Health Consultant
209-541-2416 or tzamora@stanbhrs.org

or

Lori Wong
Insight Meditation Central Valley
209-343-2748 or insightmeditationcentralvalley@gmail.com

To register online, please fill out the form below and an email will be sent to Theresa and Lori. Space is limited, so please wait to receive a confirmation from Theresa of your registration.

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Daylong June 17, 2013 with Marguerite Manteau-Rao on Mindfulness in Caregiving

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Join us on Monday, June 17th from 9:30-4:00pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stanislaus County, 2172 Kiernan Ave., Modesto, CA for a daylong with Marguerite Manteau-Rao on

Mindfulness in Caregiving

This daylong is an intensive mindfulness-based caregiving training for professional and family caregivers. It is also appropriate for health care providers and anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of caregiving from a mindfulness perspective.

Learn how the practice of mindfulness can help you cope with the challenges and stresses of caregiving and also greatly improve the experience of the person in your care. Unlike other forms of training that are skills-based only and tend to be quickly forgotten, this approach results in sustained attitudinal changes aimed at benefiting care partners and their care recipients. This intensive daylong requires that you already have an established mindfulness practice or are willing to commit to starting one right after this daylong. (Note: there is a 4-week mindfulness course starting on July 7th in Modesto.) You will be rewarded with a transformative experience that will sustain you over the long course of the caregiving journey.

Care partners will learn to incorporate mindfulness practices into various care situations. You will also learn to understand and adapt to the reality of the experience of the care recipient.

  • Learning objectives for the day:
  • Understand caregiver stress and challenges
  • Understand mindfulness and its applicability to caregiver stress
  • Understand how mindfulness can effect best care practices and improve patient care
  • Apply mindfulness with special relevance to dementia care
  • Apply solo mindfulness practices for caregivers
  • Apply mindful practices for care recipients
  • Apply an experiential model of care
  • Apply mindful care practices
  • Meet practice challenges and have ways to overcome them

MargueriteMarguerite Manteau-Rao is the CEO of Presence Care Project, and Founder of the Mindfulness-Based Dementia Care Program (MBDC) at UCSF OSHER Center for Integrative Medicine. She was just awarded a 2-year research grant from the California Department of Public Health, in partnership with UCSF Institute for Health and Aging, to study the feasibility of MBDC training in assisted living. Marguerite is a clinical supervisor and new program consultant at Lakeside Park Senior Community and Catholic Charities CYO San Carlos Adult Day Program.  She writes for the Huffington Post and is a frequent guest speaker at professional events and conferences. Marguerite is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Registered Art Therapist. She holds a Master in Social Work from Loyola University of Chicago, an MBA from University of Chicago, and an MS from Ecole Centrale de Paris.

CEs for psychologists are provided by The Spiritual Competency Resource Center which Untitledis co-sponsoring this program and is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor  continuing education for psychologists. SCRC maintains responsibility for the  program and its content. SCRC is a California Board of Registered Nursing Provider (BRN) and  a Board of Behavioral Sciences Provider (BBS). For questions about CE contact, visit www.spiritualcompetency.com or contact  David Lukoff, PhD at david.lukoff@gmail.com or (707) 763-3576.

This day is freely offered to all by Insight Meditation Central Valley. If you wish to obtain CEUs, there is a $15 administrative fee that should be made payable to SCRC.  Donations are gratefully accepted to support Marguerite Manteau-Rao and Insight Meditation Central Valley.  Please bring a vegetarian potluck dish to share for lunch, if you would like.

Here is a printable Mindfulness in Caregiving Flyer.

Please register for this event below and note whether you are interested in obtaining CEUs for this daylong workshop. Thank you.

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Introduction to Mindfulness Course Starts July 7th

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We will be offering a 4-week Introduction to Mindfulness course on Sunday afternoons from 1:45-3:15pm at the Sarana Kuti at the UUFSC.  If you are new to meditation or want to review basic mindfulness practices, this is a good opportunity to begin or deepen your practice.

This course is offered freely, although donations will help to support more offerings of this kind. You do not need any special cushions or clothing.

Please register below for this course as this will help us plan for materials that are needed. Thank you.

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Daylong July 13, 2013 with Jeff Hardin on The Abhidhamma

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Join us on Saturday, July 13, 2013, from 9am to 4:30pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stanislaus County in the Sarana Kuti, 2172 Kiernan Ave., Modesto, CA for a daylong with Jeff Hardin on:

The Abhidhamma



A Practice-Study Daylong on Buddhist Psychology

The Abhidhamma is perhaps humanity’s most precise and detailed system for understanding human thought and behavior. Found in the third basket of teachings of the Pali Canon, it describes physical and mental experience in minute detail and on the momentary level. The constituent parts of reality are analyzed and their diverse conditions and interactions are elucidated. More than mere theory, however, the Abhidhamma provides the meditator with a sophisticated yet clear map for dissecting momentary experience and realizing liberating insights into the nature of reality.

During this study-practice daylong we will look at the history, theory and practice of the Abhidhamma. Didactic, discussion and guided meditation sessions will be integrated in order to explore the deeper meanings and movements of the mind and to provide a framework for working with Buddhist psychology in one’s own meditation practice and life. Please join us for an interesting and thought-provoking retreat.

Jeff HardinJeff Hardin has been practicing meditation since 2000. His areas of interest are participating in residential meditation retreats, studying the original discourses of the Buddha (the Pali suttas), and providing international humanitarian relief work. He is on the board of the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies, a volunteer for Buddhist Global Relief, and a founder of Insight World Aid. He is a graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders program and a Sacramento Insight Meditation community mentor. His supervising teachers are John Travis and Gil Fronsdal. Jeff is an emergency room physician in the Sacramento area.

This day is freely offered to all.  Donations are gratefully accepted to support the teacher and future offerings.  Please bring a vegetarian potluck dish to share for lunch, if you would like.  For the sake of those who may have sensitivities or allergies, please do not wear scented or perfumed products.  If you have a meditation cushion, please bring it.  Chairs will be available.  Suitable for all-levels of practitioners. A printable flyer is available here.

Sarana Kuti is the small stand-alone building on the UUFSC property at the rear of the east parking lot (the building with red and gold trim). It is behind the Johnson Building.

For additional information, please contact Lori Wong at 209-343-2748

If you plan to come, please let us know (it helps to know if we need a larger space) by filling out the form below. Thank you!

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Daylong Saturday, June 1, 2013: The Gifts of Grief with Nancee Sobonya and Daniel Doane

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Please join us on Saturday, June 1, 2013 from 10am to 5pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stanislaus County, 2172 Kiernan Ave., Modesto, CA, for a daylong with film maker, teacher, and grief counselor, Nancee Sobonya, and meditation and yoga instructor, Daniel Doane, and on The Gifts of Grief.

I saw Grief drinking a cup of sorrow and called out, “It tastes sweet, does it not?”

“You’ve caught me,” Grief answered, “and you’ve ruined my business. How can I sell sorrow, when you know it’s a blessing?”     – Rumi

This daylong explores the powerful and mysterious nature of grief, using Nancee’s film The Gifts of Grief as a supportive guide in identifying; the physical, emotional and spiritual impact of grief and the various outer resources that sustain us, as well as those inner places where we find strength, love, connection and support. We will be joined on this journey by Yoga/Meditation Instructor Daniel Doane.

During this daylong, we will create a safe environment in which our grief will be honored and held as sacred through the sharing of our personal stories, exploring how loss impacts and transforms our lives and working with the emotions of grief through meditation, yoga, poetry, artwork and ceremony. We will practice a gentle movement sequence throughout the day which will facilitate the personal process of healing. No previous experience is necessary. The practice will be gentle and modified for each individual.

Participants are encouraged to bring photos and other objects of remembrances to place on a group altar that we will create in the course of the daylong to honor our losses.

ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY:

The Gifts of Grief is a compelling documentary that explores how seven remarkable people embrace their pain, learn to live with their loss and now engage in life with more compassion, courage and awareness. The personal and moving stories include those of author, Isabel Allende; Reverend Cecil Williams; Zen Monk/ Vietnam Veteran, Claude AnShin Thomas; filmmaker, Lee Mun Wah, celebrate and inspire healing and transformation. The film invites us to open to pain, learn from loss, and reminds us of the preciousness of life.

Workshop Objectives:

1) To demonstrate and validate that grieving is a natural, healthy process from which we can not only recover, but be changed by in deep and profound ways.

2) To identify how loss impacts and transforms our lives, including the spiritual, emotional and practical resources that support us through the grieving process.

NanceeNancee Sobonya, MA is an ordained minister/teacher of the Diamond Approach guiding people on their inner journey of self-discovery in the Bay
Area and Europe. She is also a Grief Counselor and Educator and the producer/director of The Gifts of Grief. She offers workshops and screenings of this highly acclaimed educational documentary at conferences, churches, retreat centers and hospices worldwide. Nancee has been working in the field of death and bereavement for the past 28 years and began practicing vipassana meditation in 1983. Her website is www.giftsofgrief.com

DanielDaniel Doane has been a student of vipassana meditation since 1983, and has taught meditation groups and practice days since 1997. He is also a yoga instructor and currently teaches several classes and groups in the East Bay.

This day is freely offered to all. Donations are gratefully accepted to support the teachers and Insight Meditation Central Valley’s future offerings. Please bring a vegetarian potluck dish to share for lunch, if you would like. For additional information, please contact Lori Wong at 209-343-2748. Here is a printable flyer.

If you plan to attend, please fill out the form below to let us know you’re coming.  Thank you!

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Daylong May 18, 2013 in Stockton: Exploring Lovingkindness

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Exploring Lovingkindness Daylong Retreat with Lori Wong

May 18, 2013
9:00 am to 4:00pm

Where: Unity of Stockton
2025 W. March Lane, Stockton, CA

This day will be an opportunity to explore the Buddha’s teachings on Lovingkindness with silent meditation, walking practice, guided instructions and some interactive exercises.

Please bring a vegetarian dish to share for a potluck lunch. Dress comfortably. There will be limited cushions and zabutons. Please bring a cushion if you have one. Chairs will be available.

This retreat is suitable for all levels of practitioners. Donations are gratefully accepted to support the teacher and to support Unity of Stockton.

LORI WONG is the founding teacher of Insight Meditation Central Valley and has been practicing Insight Meditation since 2003 under the guidance and mentorship of Gil Fronsdal, who is the principal and founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Center (IMC) in Redwood City, CA. She is a former board member and former president of IMC, a current board member of the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies (also in Redwood City), and was a founding board member of the Buddhist Insight Network. She is a Community Dharma Leader trained through Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA.

May 18 Printable Flyer

Daylong “Un dia dedicado a cultivar bienestar y paz” on May 11, 2013

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We will be offering our first mindfulness daylong in Spanish taught by Andrea Castillo from Insight Meditation Center on May 11, 2013 at the Learning Institute, County Center 3, Modesto, CA 95355.

On this day we will learn about mindfulness and meditation. these practices provide multiple physical and mental benefits and form the basis of a lifestyle that is helpful for everyone, but especially for people suffering from anxiety, depression, or physical or mental pain.

En este día aprenderemos sobre la atención plena y la meditación. Estas prácticas ofrecen múltiples beneficios físicos y mentales y forman la base de un estilo de vida que es de gran ayuda para todos, pero especialmente para personas que padecen de ansiedad, depresión, o dolor físico o mental.

Para la comida: favor traer un platillo vegetariano para compartir.

Día: Sábado 11 de Mayo de 9 a.m. a las 3:30 p.m. Lugar: Learning Institute, County Center 3, Modesto, CA 95355

Costo: El curso se ofrece a base de donaciones

Andrea Castillo, who was born in Mexico, has reinvented her life several times: as a performer and ballet teacher; as a flutist, playing chamber music; as a musicologist, teaching at the University of the Americas Puebla, Mexico, and at Stanford University as part of the Ph.D., which she completed in 2009, and finally as a sentient being teaching Dharma in Spanish and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Andrea has practiced Insight Meditation with her teacher, Gil Fronsdal, since 1998 and has participated in many residential retreats. She has taught at the Insight Meditation Center, since 2011 where she offers a weekly meditation and dharma talk in Spanish.

Andrea Castillo, originaria de la ciudad de México ha reinventado su vida varias veces: como ejecutante y maestra de ballet; como flautista tocando en grupos de cámara; como musicóloga enseñando en la Universidad de las Américas de Puebla, México y en la Universidad de Stanford como parte del doctorado que terminó en 2009. Andrea ha practicado la meditación introspectiva con su maestro Gil Fronsdal desde 1998 y ha asistido a innumerables retiros residenciales. Andrea ha enseñado en el Insight Meditation Center desde el año 2011, donde ofrece una meditación y plática de dharma en español cada semana.