Our practice is to take refuge in the present moment because the present moment is always available. The present moment is full of life, full of wonders. We don’t have to run towards the future to get it. You are already a wonder and surrounding you are wonders you can experience, if you know how to stop and to become fully present. – Thich Nhat Hanh

Many of us, take little time in our daily lives to come back to ourselves. We are focused on schedules and tasks, and on meeting other people's needs. A day of practice allows us to refresh ourselves and to more deeply experience the flow of life around and through us.

You are invited to join us on Saturday, August 28th.

Our Morning of Practice will take place in the Octagon at Blueberry Gardens in Ashton, Maryland. Our program is below. The suggested donation is $25—$50. Please feel free to contribute less or more according to your circumstances.

Blueberry Gardens is about 13 miles from Crossings in Silver Spring and also 13 miles from the Columbia Yoga Center in Columbia. We will faciiltate the formation of car pools to make the drive more enjoyable and to reduce gas consumption.

To register, please go to our online registration site. If you have questions, please email info@StillWaterMPC.org or call 301 270 8353. For directions, go to the Blueberry Gardens web site.

We hope you can join us. Please pass this notice on to friends or groups you think might be interested in joining with us.

Coming Home to Ourselves Schedule

Mindfulness is our capacity to be fully present in our own lives, to be aware of what we are doing as we are doing it. As we develop our awareness, an inner stillness naturally grows. We are better able to embrace the world, better able to respond wisely and lovingly. If we are not mindful, we are split -- disconnected from the life energy that is in us and in the world.

During this 90-minute workshop we will explore mindfulness as a daily practice ,and become familiar with conscious breathing, sitting meditation, and walking meditation.

There is no fee for this workshop. If you plan to attend, please register so that we can hold a place for you.

This workshop is co-sponsored by Crossings, and will be taught by Mitchell Ratner.

Mitchell has been a lay member of the Tiep Hien Buddhist order since 1993, and in 2001 received the Dharmacariya (meditation teacher) transmission from Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. A founder of the Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center, since 1994 he has taught classes and workshops focused on practicable methods of integrating mindfulness meditation with work, meaningful relationships, and the challenges of everyday life.

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Mindfulness practice is both surprisingly simple and exasperatingly elusive. The core instruction – to bring our attention to what is actually happening in us and around us – is liberating. It is a relief to realize we can let go of the regrets, fears, and stories we tell ourselves.

The exasperation comes when after months or years of practice we realize that consistently bringing our attention to the present moment is still not easy. Our old habits, resistances, misunderstandings, and ambivalences undermine our intentions. Mindfulness practice has entered our lives and many changes have occurred. However, some of the old moods and responses keep coming back, seemingly as strong as before.

How do we as experienced practitioners bring more mindfulness, joy, understanding, love, and compassion into our lives?

This Fall the Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center will look into this question through a special practice, sharing, and study program. We will identify where we are stuck, share our challenges and successes, and explore together advanced practices and readings.

Three group formats are offered:

• An in-person group will meet two Tuesdays each month, 7:30 to 9:00 pm, in Takoma Park, MD.
  
  
• An in-person group will meet two Saturdays each month, 9:30 to 11:00 am, in Takoma Park, MD.
  
  
• An on-line group will meet two Wednesdays each month, 7:30 to 9:00 pm, through telephone and internet audio-visual connections. 

Each group will meet 7 times, between September and December. (Tuesdays on 9/14, 9/28, 10/12, 10/26, 11/9, 11/23, and 12/14; Wednesdays on 9/15, 9/29, 10/13, 10/27, 11/10, 12/1, and 12/15; Saturdays on 9/18, 10/9, 10/23, 11/06, 11/20, 12/4, and 12/18.)

Spaces in each group are limited. If a group is over-enrolled (or underenrolled), participants will be encouraged to join a different group.

In addition to the twice monthly group sessions, participants will be offered the opportunity to join sub-groups of 3-4 people coming together, in person or virtually, once or twice a month, in which they can more deeply share their own practices and challenges.

An on-line forum and individual consultations with Mitchell will also be available for program participants.

Participants are also strongly encouraged to attend the Still Water Practice Retreat, October 1st to 3rd, at the Charter Hall Retreat Center in Perryville, MD., as well as to participate in the weekly Still Water sittings and programs.

A solid foundation in mindfulness practice and a commitment to daily practice are pre-requisites for participation in the Deepening Our Practice groups.  Ideally, participants will have built their foundation through:

• regular attendance for one year or more in a mindfulness practice group, such as the Thursday or Sunday evening Still Water groups, 
  
  
• participation in 10 days or more of residential attendance at retreats with Thich Nhat Hanh or other mindfulness teachers, and,
  
  
• participation in practice-focused classes, such as Mitchell’s Smiling Like a Buddha class. 

The suggested meditation practice commitment is 20 minutes of sitting meditation and 20 minutes of outdoor walking meditation per day, 5-7 days per week, along with other practices that nourish mindful attention throughout the day.

If you have questions about whether your preparation is appropriate, or other questions about the program, please contact Mitchell (Mitchell@StillWaterMPC.org or 301 270 8353). To register, please go to our online registration site.

The program is offered in accord with the spirit of Dana. Participants are encouraged to make a donation to the Still Water MPC that accords with the promptings of their heart and their personal circumstances. The tax-deductible contributions are used to support the community and provide a modest salary to Mitchell. All donations are appreciated. The suggested donation range for the seven sessions is $120 to $240.