monthly sit-together [8/14]: the stickiness of attachment

Relaxing our grip. Cultivating steadiness in the face of challenge and change. A timeless and always relevant topic was proposed for this Sunday’s monthly contemplation and discussion: Non-Attachment!

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3 Jewels Yoga Sangha will explore the sticky dimensions of attachment — including in our exploration the relationship of Non-Attachment to Equanimity (steadiness or evenness of mind); the subtle differences we might experience between Non-Attachment and Detachment; and, what the 4 Noble Truths remind us, that suffering arises from clinging or craving.

The Second Mindfulness Training | Non-Attachment to Views

Aware of the suffering created by attachment to views and wrong perceptions, we are determined to avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views. We are committed to learning and practicing non-attachment from views and being open to other’s insights and experiences in order to benefit from the collective wisdom. Insight is revealed through the practice of compassionate listening, deep looking, and letting go of notions rather than through the accumulation of intellectual knowledge. We are aware that the knowledge we presently possess is not changeless, absolute truth. Truth is found in life, and we will observe life within and around us in every moment, ready to learn throughout our lives.

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RESOURCES:

On Equanimity

On The Four Noble Truths

On The Four Parameters of Clinging + Co-Dependent Arising of Clinging/Craving

On Non-Attachment

On The Mindfulness Trainings (Plum Village)

on ground sacred and fertile

I treasure our Sunday practices and our time together on August 7th was all the more special because, for the second year in a row, I was able to spend my new year in the full embrace of Sangha.

After a week full of celebrations with loved ones (and a few more to come!), I am feeling deeply ALIGNED, AFFIRMED and INSPIRED to honor and lift up WHAT I VALUE, WHAT I WISH TO PROTECT, and WHAT I WISH TO LEAD WITH:

fostering compassion, skillful understanding, and connection through this sacred and fertile ground we cultivate in the form of a like-spirited, open-hearted, wise-minded community of practitioners who revel in silent contemplation, take delight in nature, and find refuge in communion with #‎GoodSpiritualFriends‬.
See upcoming dates below!

 

 

3 Jewels Yoga Sangha’s Practice Schedule

August 14 ~ 11 am – 12:30 pm | Monthly Sit-Together

August 28 ~ 11 am – 12:00 pm | Walking The Labyrinth

September 11 ~ 10 am – 1:00 pm | Walking The Labyrinth + Gentle Yoga with Ann Lapo

September 18 ~ 11 am – 12:30 pm | Monthly Sit-Together

September 25 ~ 11 am – 1 pm | Walking The Labyrinth (end of season)

scenes from sangha

“while our society’s goal is betterment of the self,
it is not a narcissistic self toward which we aspire,
but a connected self,
rooted in a loving transformative community.

it is because of our participation in the WE
that we learn to be an
I.

“in our communities, we not only learn how to love and grow,
we learn how to forgive, negotiate, compromise, yield, or stand our ground.
imperfect communities teach us
how to love and care for others, how to listen,
and how to share our deepest thoughts and feelings.

They teach us consideration for others,
the limitations of the self,
and again, even most importantly,
how to be an I in the midst of a WE,
how to maintain a healthy individuality
when the pressure to conform to a majority is strong.”
~ Philip Gulley

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June 26 | Special Event Series
Walking The Labyrinth + Gentle Yoga

celebrating our community —
with new friends and old

tending to body, heart and mind
with movement, mindfulness + meditation

feasting on soul-nourishing food + fellowship!

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July 10 | Walking The Labyrinth

Heavy hearts make leaden feet, I remarked after practice.
We were a small group that Sunday morning, and could
have easily completed the meditation within thirty minutes.
But we spiraled slowly inward, then out —
walking with the weight of personal sorrows
compounded by those of the community and country
raw from the heinous brutalities
we witnessed in the days before we met.
An hour later, we emerged from our silent pilgrimage
still tender but together.

touching the earth: adopting a beloved park

Old Stomping Grounds, New Refuge

As a child growing up in this Southside neighborhood, I have a lot of memories playing and swimming at Moores Park.

In recent years, it has become a place of refuge where I’ve hosted free walking meditations at the labyrinth each spring and summer. This year, 3 Jewels Yoga has officially adopted Moores Park through the City of Lansing Park and Recreation’s Adopt-A-Park program!

On June 12, Sangha participated in our first mini “cushion-to-community clean-up” and will continue our efforts to maintain the beauty of this park and the labyrinth through the practice of environmental stewardship after every meditation.

 

Landmarks to the Labyrinth

The Labyrinth is nestled in the lawn just a few steps off the Lansing River Trail, where its path funnels in from the Beal Avenue parking lot. It is bordered by two black benches and, perched above on a hill to the south of it, is a Pavilion (which can be rented out for parties).

Trivia + other points of interest: The Grand River, Michigan’s longest river, runs along the northern perimeter of Moores Park. This segment of the river is intersected by the Moores Park Dam, which provides power to the city’s oldest power plant.  Also sitting across the riverbank is the GM car assembly plant.

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special event series {6/26}: gentle yoga at the labyrinth

Inspired by Sangha’s spring series on Body As Nature, my dear friend Ann Lapo and I are delighted to combine our shared interests by offering three extended practices of movement + meditation at the Labyrinth.

JUNE 26  |  JULY 24  |  AUGUST 7 | SEPTEMBER 11

10 – 10:45  am ~ Gentle Yoga
11 – 12 pm ~ Walking The Labyrinth
12 – 1 pm ~ Cushion-To-Community Park Clean-Up
Food + Fellowship

MOORES PARK IN SOUTH LANSING
*weather permitting*

{Updated 10 August 2016}


ABOUT ANN

Ann is passionate about the practiceannlapo.bio2 of Yoga in all its manifestations in our daily lives. Whether through a formal posture sequence to gain awareness of the body and breath, meditation, a walk in nature, the notes in a song, a commitment to ourselves or making a deeper connection to others in work or play, Ann welcomes it all into her teachings. 
She is proud to have been an educator for over 25 years, loves playing guitar and singing with best friend/life partner, Jeff, loves the land, and cherishes this beautiful life with loved ones near and far. 
Learn more at Yoga with Ann.

Walking The Labyrinth: 2016 Season

“I understood at a very early age that in nature,
I felt everything I should feel in church
but never did.

Walking in the woods,
I felt in touch with the universe and
with the spirit of the universe.”
~ Alice Walker

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The new season kicks off Sunday, 5/1, at 11 AM!

View the Full Schedule.

Spring Series: Body As Nature

we inherited nature the moment we were born.
the moment we came into existence,
we entered the landscape of nature.
in fact, we are nature.
nature is form.
body is form.
body is nature.
nature is body.

~Zenju Earthlyn Manuel

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Inspired by our Winter Immersion reading of The Way of Tenderness in which Zenju Earthlyn Manuel offers a rich contemplation on the body as nature, 3 Jewels Yoga Sangha will look deeply into practices that support understanding, healing, and renewing our relationship with the Body.

Join us for this 3-week series:
APRIL 3, APRIL 10, APRIL 17
11 – 12:30 PM
Heartdance Studio  | 1806 E. Michigan Avenue in #LoveLansing


RECOMMENDED STUDY RESOURCES

Check back for updates to this list!

On The Five Remembrances

I am of the nature to grow old; there is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill health; there is no way to escape ill health.
I am of the nature to die; there is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change; there is no way to escape being separated from them.
My actions are my only true belongings; I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.
My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

 

On Impermanence

 

On Nourishment

 

On The Realities of The Body

March Mindfulness 2016

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It’s my fourth annual “call-to-action” to promote the practice of bringing skillful and compassionate awareness to how we engage, are impacted by, and then respond to the world around us.

March heralds the coming of Spring and, with it, a sense of renewal! Let us take a few moments to refresh our commitment to self-inquiry and spiritual self-care by tending to ourselves with loving awareness so that we may notice what moves, blooms, dissolves, transforms and even becomes reconciled within body, heart, mind, and relationships.‪

WHEN + WHERE:
MARCH 1st – 31st | RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!

HOW:
PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!
What can you do each day to foster
compassion, skillful understanding, authentic connection, inclusion, freedom, belonging?
No action is too small!

RSVP TO SHOW YOUR COMMITMENT ~
 3 JEWELS YOGA | MARCH MINDFULNESS 2016

SHARE THE CREATIVE + THOUGHTFUL WAYS
THAT YOU ARE GENERATING COMPASSION
FOR YOURSELF + OTHERS ~
Submit stories + images to be featured on 3 Jewels Yoga’s site. Email: tara@3jewelsyoga.com


Post them to 3 Jewels Yoga’s Facebook page with the hashtag #MarchMindfulness2016

SPREAD THE LOVE + INVITE OTHERS!

Happy Buddhist New Year!

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On Sunday, February 14, 3 Jewels Yoga Sangha will enjoy the mindfulness practice of Beginning Anew in celebration of the lunar new year.

Join us in cultivating authenticity and accountability as we shine the light (to see, understand, and transform unskillfulness) and water flowers (to honor our gifts, talents, and contributions) on our spiritual aspirations.

11:00 am – 12:30 pm. Heartdance Studio, 1806 E. Michigan Avenue, in Lansing.