What we’re about
We provide a variety of mindfulness meditation experiences (classes, workshops, retreats, mentoring, one-to-one teaching, and therapy), including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) 8-week classes.
"As long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than there is wrong with you, no matter how ill or hopeless you may feel." - Jon Kabat-Zinn
Our mission is to help you open up to all that you are and all that you can be through mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness:
Mindfulness is "paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, without judgement" - Jon Kabat-Zinn
Mindfulness is a form of meditation that stems from Buddhism and is often referred to as Insight Meditation or Vipassina Meditation. Mindfulness meditation is not just practiced on the cushion, through sitting meditation, but it is incorporated in all that we do in our daily lives, moment by moment. In mindfulness we learn to clear our minds, open our hearts, and live life fully through our bodies. Through this process we open up to a greater sense of wholeness and wellbeing within ourselves and a vast connectedness with others and the world. As we build the muscles of mindfulness meditation, we live more fully in the present moment and experience life from a greater stillness, which aids us in relating to both ourselves and others with increased clarity, compassion, calmness and creativity, and less fear, anxiety, and stress. Thirty years of research has indicated that mindfulness meditation is associated with significant decreases in stress, pain, physical and emotional distress (including depression, anxiety, grief and loss), and improvements in sleep, energy, health outcomes, and quality of life.
TEACHERS:
NANCY BRUTSCHÉ, MSN, RN, PMHCNS-BC
STAN EISENSTEIN, MSW
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Inviting Chronic Pain and Illness to Tea - 17-Week Course - OnlineZoom Video Conference, Maryland, MD
NOTE: You must register through IMCW (see below) in order to get the link to the class.
REGISTRATION AND INFO through IMCW
ABOUT THE COURSE: “Inviting Chronic Pain and Illness to Tea” is a 4-month live, online course. The purpose of the course is to help participants come to a greater sense of well-being in the presence of chronic pain and illness.
The mindful approach to chronic pain and illness is to turn toward the experience, to gently lean in. We learn how to come to a greater sense of ease in the presence of pain and illness. We learn to return home into our bodies, instead of trying to escape. We learn how our thought processes keep us trapped, and how we can start to think differently to create greater freedom and well-being.
This mindful approach takes time to learn and integrate (hence the 4-month long course). It requires a variety of practices including:
*cultivating SELF-KINDNESS
*cultivating a deeper sense of RELAXATION as we encounter pain and illness
*learning to bring AWARENESS more fully INTO THE BODY
*noting our HABITUAL THOUGHT PATTERNS and their effects
*cultivating a sense of GRATITUDE – even for some of the aspects of our lives that challenge us
*learning to reframe our sense of IDENTITY
*spending time getting to know the pain and illness more intimately – forming a RELATIONSHIP
*becoming part of a supportive COMMUNITYDATE/TIME:
FREE INTRO CLASS: Tuesday, January 7, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time
[REGISTRATION]17-WEEK COURSE: Tuesdays starting January 21, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
[REGISTRATION]The course is run through the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, the organization started by mindfulness teacher Tara Brach.
COURSE FEE and SCHOLARSHIP: The course tuition is $700.
We are aware that many people who have chronic pain and illness may be underemployed and/or have challenging medical expenses.
SCHOLARSHIP funds are available. No-one will be turned away for lack of funds.TEACHERS: STAN EISENSTEIN and RUTH ZANONI
Info about the teachers can be found here.TESTIMONIALS from Past Participants:
"I have learned so many new ways to relate to my very real challenges, with acceptance, with perspective, with self-compassion, with an understanding of the effects of negative thoughts on my body, and of needing things to be a certain way." ~Lucy
"A life changer! I have gained a new perspective on how to be ok with the disease instead of wanting it to go away....The safe space created, a sense of community for healing and growing. Being in the body instead of resisting it." ~Luciana
"The 17 weeks, alternating class with practice session was really beneficial in allowing me to fully grasp material of one class over two weeks. The small groups fostered a sense of community which was great. Stan and Ruth, both good teachers with a lot compassionate and patience, they balanced each other well." ~Mary Ellen
QUESTIONS: Contact Stan
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) 8-Week Course: ONLINEZoom Video Conference, Maryland, MD
NOTE: To participate, you must register at the links below. RSVP at this meetup is not sufficient.
REGISTRATION:
8-week course beginning January 23 with a free introduction class on January 9 (register for the 8-week course and, if after attending the free intro you decide not to continue, you will receive a full refund)ABOUT THE COURSE:
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an eight-week program, developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, that assists people who want to learn to use their own internal resources to respond more skillfully to stress, medical and psychological conditions, and promote healthy living. MBSR has been highly researched since its onset in 1979, and research strongly supports its effectiveness in improving difficulties in multiple areas of health and wellness.Some reasons people come to the group include: job, school or family stress; chronic pain; hypertension; attention deficits; enhancement of quality of life/happiness; mild or situational depression; gastrointestinal disorders; wellness and self-care; cancer; anxiety and panic; anger-management; life transitions; developing and deepening a meditation practice.
Intentional, present-moment awareness, developed through mindfulness meditation practices, helps us experience whatever is happening in our life as it unfolds with curiosity, non-judging attention, and compassion for ourselves and others. Engaging with our life in this manner helps us to become more skillful and creative in our responses while gaining insight into how to free ourselves from habitual patterns of reacting.
This program can be a complement to current medical care, as well as promotion of health and well-being.
DATES (all times Eastern Time):
Free Introductory Class: Thursday, January 9, 6:30 - 8 PM
8-Week Course: Eight Thursdays, January 23 - March 13, 6:30 - 9 PM
Daylong Retreat: Sunday, March 2, 10 AM - 4:30 PMTEACHER: Stan Eisenstein
Stan is the founder and teacher of the Columbia Insight Meditation Group (a weekly drop-in meditation and mindfulness community). Stan is a teacher for the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW) with senior teacher Tara Brach.
Stan is a mentor for the Power of Awareness meditation course and for the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, both published by Sounds True with teachers Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. Stan teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness for Teens, Meeting Chronic Pain and Illness, and Deepening MBSR courses. Stan also holds daylong workshops on Relationships, Heart Practices, Forgiveness, and Working with Strong Emotions. Stan has a Master’s Degree in Social Work.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE CLASS:
Follow this link to see comments by participants in recent classes.LOCATION:
The Course will be held Online. Zoom links will be sent to registrants about a week before the course beginsCOST & PAYMENT:
Introductory Class: Free (register for the 8-week course and, if after attending the intro on January 9 you decide not to continue, you will receive a full refund)Total cost of the 8-Week Course: $550
Includes 18 guided meditations in mp3 format and an online workbook.Some SCHOLARSHIP is available. For more information, contact Stan
REGISTRATION:
8-week course beginning January 23 with a free introduction class on January 9 (register for the 8-week course and, if after attending the free intro you decide not to continue, you will receive a full refund)QUESTIONS:
Contact Stan
