Mindfulness Classes
Individual classes that you can take separately.
Mindful Meditation
The physical world including our bodies, is a response of the oberver. We create our bodies as we create the experience of our world.
–Deepak Chopra
Mindful Walking
We have to walk in a way that we only print peace and serenity of the Earth. Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.
–Thich Nhat Hanh
Mindful Communication
You hold in your hand an invitation…to remember that no matter where you are and what you face, within your heart peace is possible.
–Jack Kornfield
Mindful Movement
Yoga is like music: the rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.
–B.K.S. Iyengar
Mindful Eating
Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
–Victor Frankl
Mindfullness
Mindful Meditation
Mindful Meditation Class held at Lake Quannapowitt
Mindfulness Meditation is like exercise for the mind. The practice of meditation trains the mind to calm itself, focusing on the present moment, instead of dwelling on the past (the old ‘woulda-coulda-shoulda’) or fretting about the future. A wandering mind is part of the human condition and therefore it is reassuring to know that it is completely normal to get lost in our thoughts.
Bringing Mindfulness into our daily lives is a practice of living with awareness, of being where we are right now, without judgment. Mindfulness is usually first introduced by finding a quiet, comfortable place to sit, bringing attention to the breath coming into the body and exiting the body. It is the practice of simply allowing the body to become aware of itself breathing. Since we are always breathing, the breath becomes the grounding anchor which the mind can keep returning to quiet itself. With practice, this becomes an easy resource that is available at any time, just stopping to notice the breath come in and out, one after another.
No destination necessary
Mindful Walking
Kissing the earth with your feet.
Mindful Walking is a practice of lifting, placing, shifting, and noticing; perhaps looking at walking as a whole and unique experience. With this practice, we learn to bring the focal attention to the feet. Walking very slowly with deliberate intention, we pick up one foot then place it in front of the other, noticing the shifting weight, then bringing the same attention to the other foot. Like a child learning to walk, we take each step as if it was our first, placing the heel down and noticing the transfer of weight moving toward the toe.
Mindful Walking is experiential learning. As we practice, how grateful we feel and how appreciative of our feet we become. By paying attention to the act of walking, we become mindful that our feet support and carry us day in and day out, from here to there, up and down stairs, and all the while we seldom give thought to the miracle they perform.
Conversing with nature
Mindful Communication
Marie likes to call Mindful Communication heart to heart . It is perfect because Mindful Communication is speaking in the moment from your heart. It’s having a discussion with someone, listening and speaking through the vibration of the heart.
Mindfulness is about being in the moment and in touch with your inner self, mindful communication is being able to open up those channels off communication and be truly honest with yourself. Being honest with yourself is hard to do, often times it’s hard for us to face the truth. This class will teach you how to open communication channels of the moment you are in with others and with yourself.
MOVING THROUGH TIME
Mindful Movement
Mindful Movement is being curious about our actions and how our body is moving through space. This pertains to every one of us as we notice with babies trying something new for the first time. Our habitual routines take the enjoyment of moving away as they become so natural that we hardly notice when we are moving. We just do it!
Proprioception also means “sense of ” In the limbs, the proprioceptors are sensors that provide information about joint angle, muscle length, and muscle tension, which is integrated to give information about the position of the limb in space.
Human Beings are meant to move and it’s this mind, body and spirit connection that can help us appreciate our bodies once again for what they CAN do. The biggest word in Can’t is can and it is even the smallest movements that can make a difference as long as we do them mindfully.
Harmony
Mindful Eating
Eating mindfully is about paying attention to what food we put into our mouths, it’s about the quality of eating in the present moment. Shopping and prepping for food can be a wonderful focus for mindfulness. When we take in the colors, textures, and aromas of different foods, we notice their taste and smell. By using our senses, we experience the meal in a very different way. Feeling the utensils in the hands, hearing the sizzling in the pan, just noticing the ingredients you are about to eat, perhaps with a loving-kindness view. Bringing appreciation for the whole process of shopping, preparing and deliberately eating it with love.
Eating Mindfully may help us change our relationship to food, breaking the cycle of dieting once and for all. We become aware of what we are putting in our mouth and what healthy choices we are making for our bodies. We become curious about why we are eating and whether it is for emotional reasons or really hunger? We can also pay attention to when we are full or if we just eat to finish everything we have prepared. Self-Inquiry is a good mindful eating practice which can help one to understand situations and feelings that can inform their current eating habits. Mindful eating can help tell us a lot about our moods and help in determining a diet that’s best for you.
As you continue to explore the mindful eating practice, notice current habits, keep a journal asking questions like:
- Do you feel better or worse after eating?
- Do you have more energy or less?
- Does the energy last of fizzle out?