Conscious Sangha Half Day Retreat and Workshop
with Christian Fox
Mechanics and Practical Application of Mindfulness:
Meeting Awareness with Kindness
Saturday September 14
1:30pm - 4:30pm
Do you feel like you “should” meditate and know it would be good for you, but find it challenging to find the time, or to just sit still when you do?
Have you tried and “failed” to meditate, so assume it’s just not for you?
Do you meditate, but struggle to bring the benefits “off the cushion” into your actual everyday life and interactions?
You’re not alone. I’ve struggled with all the above (still do sometimes!), so I think you’re in pretty good company…
The above challenges are just some of the more common ones, and are often due to barriers rooted in misconceptions about what meditation is and is not, and what it can and cannot do for us.
Stuff like:
And the MOST common one of all…
Also worth noting is a statement I often hear as to why a person doesn’t need to practice meditation. Usually something along the lines of, “Running (or exercising, playing music, or insert any hobby) is my meditation”.
Running, exercising, playing music and engaging in hobbies are all valuable activities that can provide many benefits. They can even be done mindfully, but they are not the same as formal meditation. They’re great, but different. I believe a regular meditation practice provides us the opportunity to develop a unique set of skills beyond what other familiar types of self-improvement have on offer.
During this half day retreat we’ll attempt to drop unhelpful notions, start from zero, and develop a learned, experiential understanding of the practices. My hope is that you’ll leave feeling excited,inspired to explore the practices of mindfulness and meditation on your own, both on and “off the cushion”.
What is a “retreat”?
An opportunity to sit in community, learn a few practices of meditation and working with your breath, and practice them together. During our time together we’ll cover topics ranging from how to find a comfortable posture, how to settle your thoughts, how and when to focus and when not to, how to relate to our tendencies toward distraction and unpleasant feelings like anxiety, sadness, boredom, and restlessness.
Basically, how to not feel like a crazy person who just cannot sit still and quiet their mind. Importantly, it’s an opportunity to practice together with like minded folks, ask questions, and share our experiences.
Who is this for?
For those new to meditation as well as the more seasoned practitioner. This retreat is for anyone who wants to live more thoughtfully, intentionally, and skillfully by employing these practices in everyday “normal” life.
You don’t need to be flexible or comfortable sitting on the floor. Chairs, cushions and other props exist for this reason! Seated in a chair is a perfectly acceptable, very common posture, and despite what some believe, 100% “counts” as “real” meditation.
What can I expect?
Logistically, the day will involve alternating periods of instruction and formal practice of both seated and walking meditation, each lasting from a few minutes to about 20 minutes. The practice of noble silence will be encouraged, but there will be small group sessions along with opportunities to ask questions.
If you’re new to meditation, or have tried and failed before, my hope is you’ll walk away with a sense of freedom from what you’ve thought meditation “should” look and feel like, and be inspired to beging your own personal practice, however small.
If you’ve been practicing regularly for months, years or decades, you’ll have the unique opportunity to view the practice from a different perspective, and hopefully walk away with new tools and a renewed commitment to the path.
Enlightenment not guaranteed, though I feel confident you’ll walk away feeling lighter than you came.
About Christian
I came to meditation searching for a way to more skillfully manage feelings of stress beyond TV, shopping, drugs and alcohol, food, relationships, exercise, doom scrolling, and/or any of the many distractions we quickly default to. Luckily, though I'd long considered myself a "failed" meditator after many years of attempts, I held out hope and returned over and again to the practice. This last time around, instead of listening to a guru, or trying to hold an unnatural posture and "just clear my mind", I discovered and turned toward a more inclusive, instructive and comprehensive practice--a combination of breathwork, body awareness, mindful awareness of thought and the tools to meet those thoughts with kindness --and have been reaping the benefits ever since.
After years of solo practice, including multi-day silent retreats at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA in Upstate NY with Josh Korda and Kathy Cherry of Dharma Punx NYC (the NYC-based secular Buddhist community), the COVID-19 pandemic struck. With a helpful nudge from a good friend he'll be forever grateful for, I came to see how these practices could benefit not only myself, but friends and members of my community during an unprecedented period of difficulty. Seeing this, in March 2020 I began offering the popular and continuously running Conscious Sangha sessions, sharing knowledge I’ve gained from experience in hopes of benefiting others. While continuing to teach and maintain a formal solo practice, I also continue to attend retreats (most recently at Southern Dharma) to sit with more experienced teachers to deepen my practice, knowledge, and skills.
Above all, I see contemplative practice as an integral part of the path to cultivating a life well lived, one full of compassion for ourselves as well as for others.
Saturday September 14th 1:30pm- 4:30pm
In an effort to keep pricing accessible for all who wish to attend, we're offering three pricing options:
$50* - Scholarship (I need support)
$100 - Base (I am supported)
$150 - Benefactor (I support others)
*Anyone needing further financial assistance, please email chrisfoxnyc@gmail.com
Registration is closed for this event.
