All are welcome to share peace and serenity at our Riderwood meditation opportunities.
About Meditation. Meditation can bring serenity and peace. The meditation groups at Riderwood Village provide a quite time to allow this rest and renewal. Reducing stress and clearing one’s mind not only can bring mental clarity and emotional peace but strengthens the brain’s memory and ability to focus. The practice of mediation also may improve a person’s physical well-being. Residents may find phone and email information for the contacts listed below in the Resident Directory on MyErickson.
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Mindfulness Meditation
Whatever one frequently thinks and ponders upon, that will become the inclination of the mind. — Buddha
We gather for 30 minutes, via Zoom, at 9am on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning. The sessions begin with 15 minutes of guided meditation followed by silence. There is time for comments or questions about the meditative experience. These sessions do not cover the Buddha’s teachings per se, but rather universal mental and physical skills he discovered and shared 25 centuries ago.
This form of meditation has become widespread for people of various religious traditions or no tradition. Mindfulness uses qualities of concentration and kindness to open our ability to be with and to reshape our response to both pleasant and unpleasant experience, resulting in greater peace of mind.
9am: Tues, Thur, Sat, on Zoom Contact Catherine Brousseau
Christian Centering Prayer
You are that which you are seeking. —Saint Francis
This Meditation Group meets every Thursday from 11am-12 noon in the Chapel. It practices Christian Centering Prayer. A brief teaching is followed by a 20-minute meditation and 30 minutes of Lectio Divina, which is a personal sharing on the Holy Spirit inspired message received from reflecting on a Bible passage.
Centering Prayer is a method to facilitate contemplative prayer. It presents ancient Christian wisdom teachings in an updated form. Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other kinds of prayer; rather it casts a new light and depth of meaning on them. This method of prayer is a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with him.
Thursdays: 11am-12noon in the Chapel Contact Joe and Kate Finan or Jim and Sue David
All-Faiths Contemplative Practice
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. —Max Ehrmann, Desiderata
The Friday Meditation group at Riderwood meets Fridays 10-11am in the VSQ Music Room. We are a spiritually diverse community. Swami Chidbrahmananda from the Vedanta Center says this about religion—all religions are the same at their core: the end of religion is for each of us to figure out who I am and to love. Our group is dedicated to that idea—that we each are seekers on our own path and that we can learn from and support each other in community.
Following 20 minutes of silent meditation, we reading out loud a short reflection on spiritual practices from Richard Rohr, a Franciscan friar, wisdom teacher and leader. Then we discuss the reflection. We follow guidelines that promote careful listening to keep the space safe and preserve confidentiality. We close by saying a mantra together. We welcome newcomers, so please try us out.
Fridays: 10-11 am in the VSQ Music Room Contact Terry Dowd
Joy of Living, UU’s of Riderwood
Great wisdom abides in the body.–The Hevajra Tantra
This monthly gathering explores the practice of meditation as taught by Tibetan
Buddhist master Mingyur Rinpoche. Working from his bestselling book The Joy of Living and instructional videos, the group works with practices designed to calm the mind and develop compassion. These classes take a secular approach and are appropriate for people of all traditions, as well as those who are not religious. There is no need to attend every session, and all are welcome.
Each meeting is facilitated by Rev. Ashley Burczak, who splits her time as a chaplain between the Unitarian Universalists of Riderwood and the Jewish Social Services Agency Hospice. Contact UUs@riderwoodlife.com
Take a Minute — Guided Meditations on Riderwood TV, Channel 972
These meditations include guided visualizations, progressive relaxation, and practicing mindful awareness recorded by Paula Butler (Fitness Manager) and Erica Greenspan (Medical Center Social Worker). The videos are available on a regular schedule on Riderwood TV, Channel 972 (see the Reporter for times) and can be accessed at any time online by visiting Riderwood TV’s video on demand exercise collection. Some of these may also be found in the Classes on Demand section of the Fitness tab on MyErickson.