Tucson Community Meditation Center

Would you enjoy some serious practice in a group setting, without going away on retreat? That is the purpose of Sitting Together, a half-day of shared, silent practice.

We’ll alternate 45 minutes of sitting with 20 minutes of walking meditation. If you come in after 8:30 am, please enter quitely. You do not have to stay for the entire morning.

Masks are requested because the teacher is in a high risk category for COVID-19.

This event is offered on the first Sunday of every month. You are welcome to stay and visit afterwards.

The teacher is Steve Ross M.A., is a graduate of the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP) taught by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.

Photo by Erik Brolin from Unsplash.com

This class now meets in-person. It is offered in a hybrid format, so you can also choose to attend from home via Zoom if you prefer. For those meeting in person, we enter the building through the back door, remove our shoes, and meet in the larger meditation hall in the front of the building.

Meditation can help us find more happiness and tranquility in life. The purpose of this class is to create a community of meditators to support each other along the meditative path. Each class will begin with 30 minutes of guided meditation exploring a wide variety of mindfulness meditation techniques. The guided meditation will have ample periods of silence to deepen your practice. This class, lead by Blake Barton, is suited for beginners through advanced meditators.

Following a short break, there will be a short talk on a meditation or mindfulness related topic. There will then be a period of Q&A and discussion. The discussion will allow for optional check-ins where you will have the opportunity to share your meditation experiences, challenges and wins.

November Topics
Nov. 4 - Mindfulness of Speech
Nov. 11 - Importance of Samadhi (concentration) on the Path
Nov. 18 - Being truly grateful at Thanksgiving
Nov. 25 - Guided meditation and Q&A

You will be given optional meditation or mindfulness challenges and homework to increase your motivation and understanding. For example, meditate at least 5 minutes per day for the next week.

You may also schedule a one on one meditation coaching session with Blake to talk about your meditation practice.

When: Monday Evenings from 6:00 - 7:15 PM

Where: In-person at TCMC or Zoom, your choice.

Donations: This class and TCMC are supported by your generous donations. We have mortgage, utilities, and insurance expenses each month. The suggested donation is $5-10 per class or $20-40 per month. You may make a donation via Zelle, PayPal or credit card here: https://tucsonmeditation.org/donate-tcmc
You may donate via Venmo using this ID: @TCMC-Donate

Donations are optional, and no one one will be turned away due to inability to pay.

Registration: To register, RSVP to this meetup. If you wish to attend via Zoom please message the organizer, and we will provide the Zoom link.

TCMC has been offering meditation classes and retreats to Tucson since 1986. We are relatively new to Meetup, so there might not be that many RSVP's, but we also get participants from our website and newsletter. To see what else we have to offer please go to: https://tucsonmeditation.org/

Blake Barton - has been regularly practicing meditation for 21 years, and has been teaching meditation since 2012. He completed the 3 year Dharma Treasure meditation teacher training program. He has a lifelong interest in meditation, wellness, and health

This in-person class is taught by certified yoga teacher Lorelei Patrick.

Mindfulness Yoga is the practice of watching the breath and body to bring about Yoga, or the union of body, breath, mind, and heart. Mindfulness Yoga allows us to experience the adventure of living in the Present moment, thereby enjoying calmness of mind (including feelings) and compassion for the body.

Although posture practice plays a vital role, we engage in Mindfulness Yoga as a practice that includes standing, walking, asana (posture), movement, lying down, and sitting. In both activity and stillness, we can witness the breath or consciously use the breath and body to increase awareness of the Present.

This class bears fruit for beginners and seasoned practitioners alike. Most classes will consist of 15 minutes of stillness/relaxation and settling in, 40 minutes of posture/movement/walking, and 20 minutes of relaxation and sitting practice.

Giving the body our full attention is the key to experiencing joy, one of the many gifts this practice bestows. Please bring our own mat if you have one. If not, we have limited number of mats you may use.

“With breath, body, and mind I send my heart along with these words.
May all who read them awaken from forgetfulness, and,
realizing the true nature of no separate self,
transcend the path of fear, sorrow, and anxiety.
May all beings be free.
Frank Jude Boccio - Author Mindfulness Yoga

Suggested Donation: $7-15 per class - sliding scale. No one will be turned away due to inability to pay. Lorelei and TCMC are supported by your generous donations.

Lorelei Patrick - began practicing yoga and meditation in 1976, and has been teaching since 1986. She completed the 200 hour yoga certification offered by the Himalayan Institute in 2007 along with a certification in foot reflexology and Aromatouch. After recently relocating to Tucson Arizona she currently practices with the Tucson Community Meditation Center. She enjoys hiking, strength training, cooking naturally yummy foods, and walking.

These difficult times we are living in call for Strong Determination: More silence, Less opinion.

Every Tuesday from 5-6 p.m. all are invited to a silent, in-person peer-led meditation sit led by Barry Reflow with assistance from Molly McKasson.

This is an opportunity to return to our meditation hall, deepen our commitment to the practice, and help create an environment that strengthens everyone's practice.

Noble Silence will be in place, except when someone new to the practice is in need of basic guidance concerning Concentration, Clarity and Equanimity.

Please do not attend if you have any COVID like symptoms.

Donations are gratefully accepted to help TCMC pay operating expenses.

We enter through the back door of the building, and remove our shoes before entering the large meditation hall in the front of the building.