This course is for experienced meditators who want to probe the essential spiritual questions: Who am I? What kind of world do we live in? How do we embrace the life we are given?
This class is a great entry point for anyone who wants to learn how to meditate. Whether you’re battling anxiety, stress or depression, having a hard time focusing, seeking spiritual growth, or simply want to feel better and be more present, this class teaches the basics of establishing a mindfulness meditation practice that can have remarkable physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits. You’ll learn how to quiet your mind, get your ego in check, and live a more fully present life.
Discover a path to inner peace and spiritual growth through the timeless teachings of Buddhism. This course will focus on meditation in the context of the Eightfold Path as a way to awakening. Rooted in our mission as an interfaith mindfulness center, we provide a welcoming space for people of all backgrounds to explore the transformative power of meditation.
If you frequently feel anxious, uncertain, distressed, lonely or disconnected, you’re not alone. The suffering is real and feeling vibrantly alive is possible. Mindfulness and meditation practices can support us to get beyond just coping to a renewed sense of connection and purpose, especially when we study and practice together, grounded with a sense of community. We can find our way home by sharing the experience of interbeing. We call this course “Mindfulness for Real Life” because our focus is engagement with the tools of practice in the nitty-gritty reality of life. Whether you are a new or experienced meditator, you will learn the rationale for mindfulness and meditation, receive skillful mentoring, and experience how to cultivate your practice and keep it accessible in your daily life.
If you’re seeking to re-engage or deepen your meditation practice and are looking for connection with others in a guided group meditation practice, this course is for you. Gathering weekly will connect you with the community of other meditators and provide support and guidance by a skillful teacher, grounded in trauma-responsive mindfulness. This new continuing meditation course is open to anyone who has previously participated in at least one meditation course. Curiosity is the only other requirement. We know the benefits of mindfulness: less reactivity to stress, embodied steadiness and emotional balance, clear decision-making, compassionate action, and much more. But it’s hard to develop a consistent practice solo; practicing with a group provides accountability and provides support when questions arise and your commitment wavers. Having access to a teacher helps you to let go of expectations you might have about linear progress and re-directs you to the heart of the matter: the purpose of meditation practice is to live our lives with mindful awareness and intention.
As we engage in meditation and mindfulness, we encounter deep joys, unexpected blessings, and even the challenges of going deeper into our practice. We come face-to-face with things we do not like or react negatively toward. Our minds are busy which obscures our natural wakefulness and spaciousness. This class will teach us to see these obstacles as invitations to greater wakefulness and compassion.
Join us as we rediscover the sacredness of the natural world and how we can use its constant presence to anchor ourselves mindfully in this moment. Readings each week will explore the elements of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water, and, on the fifth week, how our consciousness draws us into relationship. Participants will be invited to select a “sit spot” both at home and on the ground of the Earth and Spirit Center, where we’ll sit in reflection on the land and recognize our interbeing with nature. Time will be given each week for sit spot practice as well as article discussion.
While we’d all love to be a little happier, what specific actions can we take to make a difference in our lives? The one-day Mindful Happiness retreat is very experiential approach that gives you the rationale, the steps to take, and the dedicated time to really delve into the transformative process. Come start your happiness journey with a motivated group of like-minded participants!
Foundations of Meditation and Mindfulness - This class is designed both for persons who are new to meditation as well as for those who already have a practice and wish to deepen it. In this brief four-week class on meditation, we will cultivate an intentional meditation practice of deepening our attentiveness to and care for our full selves and the world around.
Discover profound paths to inner peace and awareness, designed for everyone. In our fast-paced, interconnected world, the need for genuine inner connection has never been more critical. Our Contemplative Practices series offers a transformative five-part journey that bridges ancient wisdom with contemporary life, providing you with powerful tools for personal growth, mental clarity, and compassionate living. Whether you're a seasoned meditator or a curious beginner, this series welcomes all experience levels. Each session is crafted to meet you exactly where you are, offering depth and accessibility in equal measure.
More and more, spiritual seekers are intuiting that the transformative experiences they are looking for are rooted in authentic encounter with the natural world. This course offers a contemporary take on an ancient approach to that encounter, that of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. These representatives of early Christian monasticism responded to their concerns that the politics of empire were undermining the credibility of Christian witness by relocating their spiritual practices to the wilderness. More recently, Pope Francis expressed similar concerns in Laudato si': On Care for our Common Home, his famous letter addressed to "every person living on this planet." In this course, "every person living on this planet" is invited to re-wild their own spiritual practices.
Re-membering our wholeness. If you feel disconnected, broken, or wounded, you are not alone. We are all wounded in essential and frequently secret ways, and it can be difficult to know how to begin to heal. Join us for a complete reframing of what it means to be broken, and what it means to heal. In the second part of our healing series, we will focus on re-membering ourselves into wholeness. Together we will find wisdom, strength and guidance within ourselves, our community, and in the larger natural world. Together we will discover ways to re-member ourselves into wholeness.
Turn Your Stress into Strength! Manage the stress in your life using research-based techniques including deep breathing, mindfulness, and visualization. You will leave the sessions inspired and on your way to a happier, more peaceful and fulfilling life. Trained, certified, and experienced in resiliency and wellness coaching, your facilitator Paula Kommor starts with the belief that you are whole, resourceful, and creative. As a group, we will focus on your strengths and past successes to help you build a sustainable resiliency habit. Give yourself the gift of self-care.
In his book Mindful Movements – Exercises for Wellbeing, the wise Thich Nhat Hanh says “Often it helps to meditate with other people. Sitting together, breathing together, we can feel very peaceful and happy. But sometimes we need to stop sitting in one place and start to move around!” Our Meditation in Motion class we will be taking Thich Nhat Hanh’s suggestion and we will “start to move around”, bringing our meditation practice from the chair to an embodied experience. As we move in a mindful & intentional manner, we can bring mind, body, & spirit into harmony.
Mindful Movement through Qigong is appealing to individuals interested in community based classes for health, healing, and longevity. It provides movements that fit all ages and all health ranges, especially geared toward seniors, but beneficial to all.
Turn Your Stress into Strength! Manage the stress in your life using research-based techniques including deep breathing, mindfulness, and visualization. You will leave the sessions inspired and on your way to a happier, more peaceful and fulfilling life. Trained, certified, and experienced in resiliency and wellness coaching, your facilitator Paula Kommor starts with the belief that you are whole, resourceful, and creative. As a group, we will focus on your strengths and past successes to help you build a sustainable resiliency habit. Give yourself the gift of self-care.
If you're interested in accessing the evidence-based benefits of yoga: balance, focus, concentration, mental relaxation and physical well-being, this class is ideal. Beginners and seasoned practitioners alike can participate - no previous experience of yoga or ability is required. Your instructor, Anne Borders, has over 25 years of experience teaching yoga and is committed to a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for exploration, growth, and self-discovery. Come join us and embark on a journey towards greater well-being and peace.
Discover the foundations of mindfulness and wellbeing in this live, in-person workshop designed for people navigating busy, demanding lives. Over four engaging sessions, you'll build a toolkit of practical, evidence-based techniques to manage stress, increase awareness, and create a life that feels more meaningful, connected, and sustainable. Perfect for those new to mindfulness or seeking approachable, impactful ways to thrive in today’s fast-paced world.
Parenting can be challenging, and finding time for mindfulness often feels impossible amidst the daily demands. But mindful parenting is within reach! This course provides a practical approach to incorporating mindfulness into your parenting, helping you stay present, patient, and connected with your child—even when things get tough—without needing extra hours in your day. You’ll learn how to respond intentionally to the challenges of parenting at every stage, from infancy to adulthood, while also building emotional resilience for yourself.
In a world that often fuels anxiety, many of us find ourselves caught in cycles of worrying about the future or dwelling on the past. While these patterns are natural, they can be unproductive and take a toll on our emotional well-being, relationships, and overall health. This mindfulness-based course offers insights into the root causes of worry and rumination, exploring their effects and providing practical tools to break free from these cycles. Through mindful practices, participants will learn to cultivate peace, contentment, and resilience, even in turbulent times. Designed for anyone struggling with overthinking or persistent worry, the course combines informative teachings with experiential mindfulness exercises, along with suggested practices to deepen learning between sessions. Participants will explore new, mindful approaches to navigate these challenges with greater ease.
So many of us exist in a deeply conditioned, strongly reinforced view of death as the ultimate enemy. We not only fear the end of life in this form, but also avoid most exposure to alternate understandings, adopting instead a posture of denial and resistance to reality, and greatly limiting the richness of experience possible in our later years.
Why are CEOs, attorneys, healthcare professionals, counselors, educators, and the military starting to pay attention to mindfulness meditation? Why has this ancient spiritual practice suddenly become so popular? Come to this free 60-minute class to see if mindfulness meditation might be for you.