Tending the Heart in Mindfulness Series

How do we cultivate our capacity for caring and compassion toward ourselves and others?

"Compassion and love are not mere luxuries. As the source both of inner and external peace, they are fundamental to the continued survival of our species." His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama

This 4-week live online (or in-person) mindfulness meditation program invites us to explore and cultivate the boundless qualities of the heart with the practice of:

Lovingkindness - Monday, May 2

Compassion - Monday, May 9

Sympathetic Joy - Monday, May 16

Equanimity - Monday, May 23

In-person sessions at Yogaview:

Monday, May 2 - 12 PM to 1.30 PM

Monday, May 9 - 12 PM to 1.30 PM

Monday, May 16 - 12 PM to 1.30 PM

Monday, May 23 - 12 M to 1.30 PM

Online sessions on Zoom:

Sunday, May 1 - 9.30 AM to 11 AM

Sunday, May 8 - 9.30 AM to 11 AM

Sunday, May 15 - 9.30 AM to 11 AM

Sunday, May 22 - 9.30 AM to 11 AM

We cannot choose how or what we feel, but we can choose how we wish to function in and respond to the world. While meditation is clearly beneficial as an introspective discipline, it really flourishes when we can use the qualities we develop on the cushion, to inform and enhance the relationship we have with the world around us.

Loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity are the four expressions of love that we train in, not just to make space for others in our heart and mind, but also, to see ourselves and others as we truly are – interconnected.

Those noble qualities of the heart are great removers of tension, great peacemakers, and great healers of wounds suffered in the struggle of existence. These qualities of the heart awaken the generosity that is already there, within us, stimulate joy, create peace and harmony, even in the midst of a storm. They are called "abodes" because they should become the mind’s constant dwelling-places where we feel “at home”.

Each session is 90 minutes long and builds on each other. It includes a check-in, a talk, guided practice, and time for Q&A. 

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

- Understand and practice benevolence /loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity as meditation practices as well as ways of being in daily life

- Cultivate harmonious and warm relationships with oneself and others

- Learn how to give and receive unconditionally

- Move beyond the limitations of self-centeredness

- Experience genuine compassion

- Bring a sense of care and joy in every aspect of your life

- Create peace in equanimity

WHO CAN JOIN?

Anyone aspiring to tend their heart. Suitable for beginners with little or no experience and those who would like to jump-start their meditation practice.

PREPARATION FOR ONLINE PRACTICE:

Make sure you are in a quiet and comfortable place at the time of the practice.

We recommend you download the Zoom app on your laptop, desktop, or phone.

Please test your audio/video in advance.

You can practice seated on a chair.

Plan for a 90-minute session.

Have some water available to drink.

For any questions, please contact Veronique at moonstonesanctuary@gmail.com

About the teacher

Veronique has been practicing various traditional forms of meditation for 15 years in Europe, Japan, and the US. These mainly include Zen, Insight, Mantra, and Mindfulness meditation practices. Veronique is currently completing the two-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP) with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. Aside from meditation, Veronique teaches Usui Reiki Ryoho at the Japanese Culture Center in Chicago and Yogaview in Wilmette. For more information, please visit her website www.moonstonesanctuary.com