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Meditation Instruction | Classes & Retreats "Friends of the Heart came into my life at a time of extreme hardship. The practices I have learnt & the continue support I received, enabled me to turn this experience into a profound journey of discovery & growth. For that I will be eternally thankful." -- Andy, member of FOH. In July and August, there are open meditation classes only on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 9pm, led by teachers or senior students. Suitable for all levels. During the fall, winter and spring, Friends of the Heart runs a full schedule of meditation courses and special workshops. This includes T'ai Chi Chuan and healing work as well as meditation instruction and group practice. Instruction covers a variety of teachings suitable for beginners to advanced meditators. Check the webcalendar to confirm schedule and for any guest teachers. Click on any class title, either below or to the left, to learn more. Classes are at Friends of the Heart Meditation & Healing Centre, 2510 Yonge Street, Suite 324 (near Castlefield) unless otherwise indicated. Please click here to read an explanation of the the relationship between student and teacher written by Catherine Jetsun Yeshe, founder of FOH.
Please arrive 10-15 minutes before scheduled start time. This allows you to relax, meet the teacher and other meditators and settle in.
In the evening after 6:00pm, when the street level door is locked by the building manager, please ring the bell for Friends of the Heart.
If you are late, please ring the bell -- we would rather you join us for class than have you turn away. | ||
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Mondays |
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Tuesdays |
No Classes in August or Sep 7. Classes begin again September 14, 2010. Mindfulness Meditation (7 to 9pm) led by Gwen Robart. This fall we will focus on the Six Principles of Enlightened Living: The Six Paramitas and the Four Noble Truths. Time spent on these teachings will be, in part, determined by the class members, so please come prepared to participate in this small, yet important design of these classes. We will be referencing the teachings in ‘The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching’ by Thich Nhat Hanh. You may find it helpful to do some reading on these subjects either through this book or through your own exploration of other authors. There are many talks on the internet, and you may find it helpful to explore and familiarize yourself with these writings. Beginners and more experienced meditators are all welcome. Expect longer sits than our Wednesday classes. |
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Wednesdays |
7 to 9 pm during July and August, Summer Open Meditation Class Led by teachers or senior students. Beginners are most welcome. NO classes Sep 1 and 8, 2010. Beginning September 15, 2010: 5:45 to 7pm. Yoga with Debi Moore 7:15 to 9:15 pm. Calm and Clear Beginner Classes with David Liang Please consider joining our Yoga class before attending the Calm and Clear class. The practice of mindful yoga before engaging in a meditation session will help stretch and open the body. This will help make the practice of sitting meditation much easier and more comfortable. 5:45 to 7pm. Yoga with Debi Moore Debi provides a safe environment where the students can discover and experience their own bodies through traditional yoga postures and breathing techniques. She shares her knowledge of proper alignment, contraindications and benefits of the poses, respecting and listening to where your body is at the moment. Not all poses are for everyone, I strongly advocate finding the postures that resonate with you. Classes are suitable for all levels of experience. As you gain familiarity with your body and the poses, a deeper layer of investigation takes place. You set the pace of your yoga experience. 7:15 to 9:15 pm. Calm and Clear Beginner Classes with David Liang The regular Calm and Clear classes are an excellent introduction to the significant mental, emotional, spiritual and physical benefits of meditation. This course is suitable for beginners as well as all Friends of the Heart members. Class format includes teaching, practice, interactive discussion and sharing of experience. You can join at any time. Taught by David Liang. Starting in the Fall of 2009, we began a 3-year study of what are known as “The Three Vehicles of Buddhism” or “The Three Yanas”: Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.
Within Tibetan Buddhism, the path to peace and freedom is divided into 3 progressive stages of practice and understanding. We start first with the Hinayana. This vehicle provides the important foundation for the work of “opening” in the Mahayana and “transforming” in the Vajrayana. Without the development of this proper foundation, we will not have a stable base on which to build our practice. Each year will consist of three 10-week sessions. Each 10-week session is divided into 2 modules: Module 1: 4-weeks devoted to establishing calm and stability primarily through working with the breath and the body scan. Module 2: 6-weeks with focus on the specific meditations/teachings of that year’s particular “vehicle” or “yana”. Please note that you may choose to take any module/session you wish…in order or out of order. However, each year as well as the entire 3-year program has been set up in a way to allow for a progressive development of understanding and practice. For more detail, click here.
Wednesdays Calm and Clear Beginner Classes with David Liang Fall 2010 7:15-9:15 pm Module 1: Mindfulness Meditation: 4 weeks Wednesday, Sept 15, 22, 29, Oct 6. Cost: Non-Members: $60 This module will allow you to learn or review the fundamentals of mindfulness. We will be focusing on the body scan, breath and moving meditation. We will also discuss how to set up a home practice and how to extend practice into daily life. This will be a wonderful preparation for those interested in continuing on to Module 2. Module 2: Deepening our Mindfulness: Four Divine Abidings 6 weeks Wed, Oct 20, 27, Nov 3, 10, 17, 24. Cost: Non-Members: $100 The development of Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Joy and Equanimity are considered an essential foundation of the Buddhist philosophy of living. As a group they are known as the Divine Abidings. We will engage the student in the philosophy and contemplative practices of this important teachings and discuss how to integrate this work into our ordinary lives. NOTE: FOH founder Catherine Jetsun-Yeshe will be leading and providing an overview of this important teaching in the Oct 20th class. We will then continue to explore and expand on the meditations in the following 5 weeks.
Sign up for each module separately as a non-member or take both modules together for $125 and also receive access to all our other classes for 10 weeks! You may also become a member of FOH for $500/yr. This will give you access to ALL classes at FOH and you will be able to attend our retreats at Members prices.
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Thursdays |
No classes at the moment. |
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Fridays |
No classes at the moment. |
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Saturdays |
Open House Sept 11 from 1 to 3pm Starting September 18, 2010: T'ai Chi Chuan 10am to noon. "Moving meditation", t’ai chi is also a form of "moving medicine", and a martial art. In this class we have attempted to include some elements of Buddhist teaching, to deepen the awareness of movement as meditative.Open to all. Taught by Gwen Robart. No Classes in July and August or Sep 4, 11 |
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| Sundays | No classes July and August or Sep 5, 12. Starting September 19, 2010: Tibetan
Practice 10am to noon. This class is led by David Liang, other senior students or guest teachers. Compassion practices including Chenrezig or White Tara are followed by discussion and teaching from various texts. |
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Long Retreats (One & Two Weeks):
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