Connecting the Heart, Mind and Body
A LGBTQI Mindfulness Meditation Retreat with Mira Riddiford
All levels of experience welcome
17th-—19th OCTOBER 2014, AIO WIRA RETREAT CENTRE, AUCKLAND
A retreat to explore meditating with the strength of our Lesbian and Gay community. We do this first by strengthening of ourselves through tried and true mindfulness practices, and then opening to being present for others. There will be group classes on what it is like to be part of the LGBTQI family and periods of silence so we can allow ourselves to relax into the supportive environment.
About Mindfulness Meditation:
Being present for ourselves to help us to be present for others.
When we are mindful of our environment, mindful of our bodies, mindful of our mindstates and interactions in the world, a deep transformational peace arises. The experience of stress starts to settle into a place of order and calm. This retreat is held to give the tools to relax into mindfulness.
The retreat will be in silence to help relax the mind and body and decrease inner chatter, with personal interviews, and class question and answer sessions through out the day. There will be Mindfulness in Movement sessions to help with sitting meditation and calming our minds. Mindful meditative walking sessions, which can feel deeply calming and mindful eating which can allow our digestive systems to ease.
- Explore quietly listening to your own rhythm, feeling in
balance and not caught up in other people’s expectations - Rest in the deep relief and happiness that comes from
feeling at home in your body, when we give ourselves
acceptance and start to settle discord within, we can truly
feel at peace - Give yourself the time to be in tune with your emotional
experiences, rather than feeling separate from your body
and what is arising - Meditation sessions will be scheduled in group and solo
settings – so both skills can be developed - Walking will be in the meditation hall and outside so both
practices can be developed - Mindful eating will help support our bodies, a good balance
for our modern lives, and can allow our digestive systems
to settle
Give yourself the right conditions to feel a deep peace within:
Our breathing has a unique natural rhythm, when we feel ourselves breathing, just as it happens naturally throughout the day, it becomes a very informative diagnostic tool. Being conscious of our breath helps us relax, helps us to loosen our grip on trying to control everything in the outside world (which can lead to anxiety, exhaustion and frustration), and helps us anchor into a state of connectivity and mindfulness.
Why mindfulness?
Because life is too important to make decisions without as much clarity as possible. When we are mindful, our bodies and thought processes start to develop calm, and pleasure and trust starts to be relied upon as a foundation of who we are. Most of us crave attention, perhaps the biggest gift we can give others in our lives is to be interested in understanding ourselves. When we do this by centering ourselves with our breath, everything around us can become more vivid and alive, we feel more alive and we are engaging with life at a deeper, more healthy, level. We can then be truly present for others.
Mindfulness means we are living life in truth, not fantasy, this is how we develop wisdom. When we choose to live in the present moment, this helps nurture our on ongoing mental health and body health. We give life the opportunity to be supportive.
This retreat is to helps us trust our breathing, to trust our inner goodness and intelligence in times of difficulty, in times of tiredness and stress, and in times of great happiness. When we stop these wars within, kindness and compassion is cultivated. An inner strength is built that means we have stamina to be truly helpful to ourselves and others.
About Mira: Meditation teacher with 20+ years experience
Mira began training with professional meditation teachers in 1995, and is non-sectarian, respectful of all faiths. Mira has studied meditation in her homeland of New Zealand, Canada, the U.S, India, Thailand and Nepal. She has extensive experience in long retreats, and has been trained in depth on a wide range of meditative disciplines. Mira has been teaching for over ten years.
Mira has given workshops for performance athletes on how to be with stress and anxiety when competing at the top level of their sport, and how to concentrate the mind and tune into their bodies signals for greater results. Mira has also taught for the Haemophilia Foundation of NZ on how to manage the anxiety of living with an ongoing illness. She teaches Mindfulness classes three times a week in Auckland.
Cost: $275 plus dana. Limited places. Payment secures place. Contact Louise: info@aucklandsphere.org to book or for more information
Auckland Sphere Group 