Saturday 20 May 2023 (09:30 -17:30)
Sunday 21 May 2023 (09:30 -16:30)
Main meditation hall
Registration
Open to all! This course is open to all, however, we strongly recommend that you have some experience in meditation, either through completing a course at Shambhala or another organisation or having attended our open sitting sessions on a Monday or Wednesday.
As human beings, our fundamental predicament is that we want certainty and safety but live in an unpredictable world of constant change. The events of the last few years have made this all too obvious and have left so many of us feeling anxious and afraid. The Buddhist teachings offer us the possibility to embrace uncertainty and change, they point us towards the discovery that we possess the resourcefulness and flexibility to move with the ever shifting tides of life.
On this weekend, we will explore material from the first section of Pema Chodron's wonderful book - Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change. We will work with the discomfort that arises when we feel threatened or things do not go as planned and we will engage with practices that help us relax into life as it is, let go of some of our habitual patterns and embrace the groundlessness of being human. While letting go may evoke a sense of loss, we are letting go of the very things that cause us to suffer. Groundlessness may sound intimidating or confusing, yet it offers us freedom to contact our heart and live from a place of warmth, compassion and wisdom.
'The bad news is you’re falling through the air, nothing to hang on to, no parachute. The good news is there’s no ground.' – Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
This programme will take place in person at the London Shambhala Meditation Centre but can also be attended online - Please contact Katrina on [email protected] if you would like to participate remotely.
About the Teachers
Vinita Joseph has been involved with Shambhala for over thirty years. She has enjoyed careers both as a family lawyer and as an academic in creative writing and brings this experience to her teaching within Shambhala. She has run meditation groups and courses for many years and currently works as a coach helping professionals lead more balanced lives. She lives with her wife in Whitstable.
Jez Taylor first discovered Shambhala in 2004 and has been an active member of the community since 2008, holding numerous volunteer roles within the organisation. He has also held the part-time paid role of Centre Manager since 2014.
Payment Terms and Conditions
Please register and pay in full on registration, ensuring you click on the relevant price option to go through to PayPal where you can also pay by credit/debit card. Cancellation up to 1 week before the programme will receive a full refund, after that there will be a £20 fee charged for cancellation up until two days before, after which no refund is granted.
The early bird registration fee of £75 is available until two weeks prior, after which time the fee will be £90. A concession fee of £60 is available for those earning below £20,000 per annum and a concession fee of £50 is available for those earning below £15,000. Please contact [email protected] to arrange a concession.
We do not want cost to be a barrrier to anyone attending and understand that these are challenging times financially for many people - please do not hesitate to contact us if you require a further concession.
If you are in the position to do so and would like to pay our Pay it Forward price of £100, to help us support those who cannot pay the full price and to help keep the Centre running, please contact Katrina on [email protected].
This course is part of the London Meditation Centre's Foundational Buddhist Series 2023. You can register for the whole series for a discounted price, see details here.
Sunday: Tea/coffee 9.30am, start 10am. Finish 4.30pm
Lunch will be provided, if you have any food requirements, please include them in the information section when you register.
For further information please email: [email protected]