Going Nowhere: Being at Home For those of us who are privileged enough, to have a safe place to call home, and to not be an essential worker, these past 6 months have meant spending time at home. Even though the pandemic, which is the reason we are staying home, can heighten our sense of anxiety and uncertainty, we can use this time to bring our practice precisely to where we need to be, home. As Sharon Salzberg says “At a time of great suffering when there’s nothing else to rely on and nowhere to go, the return to the moment is an act of faith. Openness to possibility can arise... September 16, 2020By Silvia Garcia-Pereira teachings
IMCW Introduces New Board of Directors IMCW’s new board of directors has been busily preparing for its first meeting this month. Its goals for the coming year are to work on the next phase of the long-term visioning process begun in 2018, and to continue developing and supporting a more diverse sangha here at IMCW, including teachers, board, staff and community members. To that end, we are pleased to announce our new board... September 4, 2020By Editor announcement
Mindfulness Online: What it is Like to Participate in Retreats, Workshops, Courses and Classes via Video Conference As we settle into an extended season of protecting ourselves from the covid-19 virus, many of the gatherings we would have engaged in are shut down. For now, we cannot meet in person for any of the IMCW programs we formerly attended: retreats, workshops, courses, classes, sanghas, and Spiritual Friends groups. Fortunately, online versions are available for many of these programs, and are becoming more and more available. While initially there may be aversion to retreats and workshops offered via video conference, as we engage in them we find many benefits to the new medium as well as ways to work through the challenges we encounter. Here, then, is a listing of some of the benefits of attending IMCW programs online, as well as some tips for how to navigate the challenges.... August 20, 2020By Stan Eisenstein resources
Books and Resources for Children, Teens and Parents Books, articles and meditation apps for children and parents. . August 13, 2020By Jennifer Jordan family, resources
Black Lives Matter: A Call to Awareness for Non-Colored Practitioners of Mindfulness Like a child grabbing for a treat, white people and white institutions reach out to black people they barely know or have forgotten about over time. I am a crone, and was around the last time black people were feared and thus brought into white awareness. As a crone, a Buddhist, and a practitioner of mindfulness, I choose to understand this as reaching out rather than reaching in. Reaching in is the first obligation of practice. It is by this practice that I have found space and freedom. I have found a space -- not afforded to me as a black, female body in this world -- to discover my body, my breath, and for the purpose of this writing, the contours of my life.... August 12, 2020By Ayesha Ali SocialJustice, teachings