The Heart of the Holidays
We are pleased to continue to bring Insight Meditation practice to life at the Retreat Center with a meditation retreat on December 3. We are equally delighted that Carla Brennan, the founding teacher of the Bloom of the Present Sangha in the Santa Cruz and San Lorenzo Valley area, will be leading this retreat.
When: Saturday, December 3 • 10am to 4pm
Where: IRC: 1906 Glen Canyon Rd, Santa Cruz
No registration necessary. Please bring a bag lunch and meditation cushion if you use one.
Carpooling: Because our parking is limited, carpooling is important. To coordinate carpooling, contact:
Volunteers needed to help with parking, set-up and clean-up. For more information or to volunteer: Contact Betsy at 831-566-3960
Now is the season to know That everything you do Is Sacred. -Hafiz
Carla describes the intention for this retreat as follows:
Although many wonderful qualities are at the root of the end of year holidays – gratitude, generosity, connection, joy, peace - we often get sidetracked into excessive consumption and activity. It can also be a time when we are reminded of past losses and struggles. The sacred meaning of this season of celebration and reflection is easily forgotten.
We will step out of the holiday rat race for a day, finding respite and sanctuary within our true refuges of silence, meditation and sacred community. Slowing down, finding quiet and ease, and reconnecting to our true nature, will be emphasized.
As Thomas Merton warned, “to allow oneself . . . to surrender to too many demands, to commit to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything is itself to succumb to the violence of our times.” We will temporarily put down our lists and plans to open to our present experience, our own hearts and deepest intentions.
This retreat is suitable for both beginning and experienced meditators. There will be teachings, instructions, and alternating sitting and walking meditation.
CARLA BRENNAN is an Insight Meditation teacher in the Santa Cruz and San Lorenza Valley area and offers weekly meditation groups, classes, retreats and other programs with the Bloom of the Present Sangha. She is a visiting teacher with Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Before founding Bloom of the Present in 2009, Carla taught with Vipassana Santa Cruz for five years. She also regularly leads nature-based retreats to encourage her students to open to the primordial wisdom of the natural world. www.bloomofthepresent.com