Taphophiles of Central Florida

In India and Tibet, yogis and other spiritual seekers can sometimes be found in the charnel grounds (where corpses are placed above ground for putrefaction) contemplating their dharma (life-path), confronting their fear of death and coming to terms with their mortality and their own eventual and inevitable death. On a philosophical level, death (personified through Kali-Ma) is experienced as the death of the Ego (personified through the Asuras) and reborn in heaven (Enlightenment).

Wherever you may be in your connection to Death, we invite you to join us at Greenwood Cemetery for a quiet, introspective and contemplative yoga practice. Sunday mornings at 9 as available.

May occasionally need to postpone due to weather or personal circumstances on behalf of the organizer, Tabitha.

We will be outside the entire time, so there will be bugs, dew and sometimes heat or other people. We hold this free community offering in the morning hours to avoid all of this as much as possible. Please visit Greenwood Cemetery (Orlando) to view their rules for conduct in the cemetery and remember that it is a sacred space.

What to bring:
*Yoga Mat/Towel/Blanket
*Bug Spray

Recommended:
*Yoga Straps
*Yoga Blocks
*Knee Pads (for sensitive knees)

"Pale death, with impartial step, knocks at the hut of the poor and the towers of kings."

- Horace

Join us the Sunday before All Hallows Eve after our weekly yoga for a picnic honoring our ancestors. After setting up, we will gather in a circle for a prayer of remembrance and invite the memory of a passed loved one that you wish you could have "just one more meal with". We will then load up our plates and find a spot to sit and eat. We will have an area for people who want to talk and share stories about their loved ones and an area for people who would like to sit in introspection. If a loved one is buried at Greenwood, it's a great time to sit next to them. Around 12:30, we will ping a brass bowl to bring everyone back to the space and close the meal time with a prayer. After the meal, everyone is invited to go on a self guided scavenger hunt using the scavenger hunt list provided below.

We will set up for a picnic at the picnic tables in the northwest end of the cemetery. Please bring a dish to share that was passed down in your family, a favorite of a passed loved one or popular in your culture. Please label if a food is gluten free, dairy free, nut free or vegan as well as notify us about any allergies so we can label things accordingly to avoid food allergy or sensitivity issues.

Parking is limited by the sextant's office but there are a few there, as well as by the wetland park that is next to the cemetery and along Greenwood St. I will meet people by the sextant's office between 11 and 11:20. It is the building immediately past the gates to your left as you enter from Greenwood Street.

Please review the Greenwood Cemetery rules and stay respectful of the cemetery- remember that even the city considers it sacred grounds.

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Cemetery Scavenger Hunt:

1. Someone with the same name as you (first or last)

2. Someone who lived to be one hundred

3. Someone who died as a baby

4. An epitaph mentioning God

5. An epitaph not mentioning the word “God”

6. A headstone that mentions the cause of death

7. A last name beginning with the letter T

8. A last name that begins with Q

9. A boy’s name that begins with E

10. Someone with a three letter last name

11. Someone with a three letter first name

12. A headstone that has a crack in it

13. Someone born the same year as you

14. Someone who lived to be your age

15. Someone who died this year

16. Someone who died the year you were born

17. A tombstone with an animal on it (can be a picture on the headstone)

18. A headstone with an American flag in front of it

19. A soldier who died during a war

20. A name with more than 9 letters (example: Zimmermann)

21. A headstone with more than 2 names on it

22. A headstone that reads “Mother”

23. A headstone that reads “Father”

24. A headstone that reads “Baby”

25. A headstone that reads “Grandmother”

26. A headstone that reads “Grandfather”

27. A headstone that reads “Friend”

28. A headstone with an Angel on it

29. A headstone with a stuffed animal near it (i.e. in front of, on top of, etc.)

30. A headstone with real flowers in front or on top of it

31. Someone with a picture of themselves next to their grave

32. A curse word on a tombstone (example: Assman)

33. Someone who has a street, road, park school or library named after them

34. A headstone that lists the profession

35. A headstone with a foreign country named on it

36. A headstone with only dates in the 1800s

37. An all white tombstone

38. Tombstone that has been knocked over (on its side, or on its back, etc)

39. A grave with a piece of trash on it

40. A new grave (i.e. looks like fresh soil)

41. A headstone that has the first, middle and last name on it (just one person)

42. A headstone that has the name of someone you know

43. A headstone with name, birth year and no death year

44. A headstone statue

45. Mausoleum

46. An obelisk

47. Foot markers

48. A bench

49. Trash can

50. Water spicket

In India and Tibet, yogis and other spiritual seekers can sometimes be found in the charnel grounds (where corpses are placed above ground for putrefaction) contemplating their dharma (life-path), confronting their fear of death and coming to terms with their mortality and their own eventual and inevitable death. On a philosophical level, death (personified through Kali-Ma) is experienced as the death of the Ego (personified through the Asuras) and reborn in heaven (Enlightenment).

Wherever you may be in your connection to Death, we invite you to join us at Greenwood Cemetery for a quiet, introspective and contemplative yoga practice. Sunday mornings at 9 as available.

May occasionally need to postpone due to weather or personal circumstances on behalf of the organizer, Tabitha.

We will be outside the entire time, so there will be bugs, dew and sometimes heat or other people. We hold this free community offering in the morning hours to avoid all of this as much as possible. Please visit Greenwood Cemetery (Orlando) to view their rules for conduct in the cemetery and remember that it is a sacred space.

What to bring:
*Yoga Mat/Towel/Blanket
*Bug Spray

Recommended:
*Yoga Straps
*Yoga Blocks
*Knee Pads (for sensitive knees)

"Pale death, with impartial step, knocks at the hut of the poor and the towers of kings."

- Horace

So often does our purpose for living come into question! Death must happen and it will. For what purpose are we led to it? Why must we exist as each of our identities if we must die? How has death, both metaphorically and physically, impacted our lives? How has death helped us to appreciate Life more? Or has it done the opposite?

These questions would spark a different answer from everyone. Join us for open discussion about Death. Let's explore our dynamic of living and dying at our monthly Death Cafes!

Momento Mori, Momento Vivere!