We invite you to join us for IN PERSON every first Thursday of the month morning sangha. No need to register, just come to 3812 Northampton St. NW, Washington DC 20015 (the door next to Circle Yoga).
Mindful Caregiving
These mindful caregiving sessions are open to all who identify as caregivers. The topics and discussions of this group will be rooted in mindfulness practice and will aim to support those in a parental role, caretaking for an elder, or experiencing another type of caregiving situation by creating a compassionate, reflective space to come together.
No prior experience with mindfulness is necessary—all are welcome. There are no restrictions to join. While there is no fee, we invite participants to offer dana (a practice of generosity) to help sustain the gathering. If you have questions or would like a brief introduction to the practice, please arrive 10 minutes early.
Format: 7:00 am-7:25 am meditation period and 7:25-8:00 am dharma sharing.
For questions about the Mindful Caregivers group, please contact facilitator Jenny Medvene-Collins.
Take a look at this month’s topic
Jenny shares:
Welcome to our Mindful Caregivers in-person sangha! Today, we will consider what it means to come home to ourselves and find refuge right where we are, within our own bodies. Coming Home To Ourselves is a topic that I feel is always relevant to think about but especially as it relates to experiences of caregiving. We will read two passages to help guide our discussion this morning. The first passage is from an article written by Kaira Jewel, and the second from an interview with Thich Nhat Hanh. Please see below for the passages:
“All of us go through times of transition, challenges, and difficulties. We may have faced or will face times of loss, confusion, or heartbreak, when we realize we cannot control the way our life is unfolding, whether in our personal lives or in the world around us. With mindfulness, we can learn to move through these intense, challenging times in ways that don’t add to the suffering and difficulty that are already there. We can even learn to open our hearts to the richness and wisdom these times of immense disruption can bring us.
When we bring our mind back to our body we come home. We could consider this state as our true home. This home inside of us is a home no one can take away from us, and it cannot be damaged or destroyed. No matter what happens around us, if we can find this home inside of us, we are always safe. We experience a sense of peace and even freedom, no matter how confining the outer circumstances. Coming home to ourselves feels like belonging; it is a state that holds us and enables us to hold others. This is so important because we can live our whole lives estranged from this home within ourselves.” -Kaira Jewel (https://www.lionsroar.com/come-home-to-yourself/)
In a 2012 interview, Thich Nhat Hanh was asked, “If I’m feeling a very difficult emotion, maybe anger, or deep sadness, and I try to focus on my breath, isn’t that a way of avoiding my emotions?”
His response:
“Usually people lose themselves in a strong emotion and become overwhelmed. That is not the way to handle emotion, because when that happens you are a victim of emotion. In order not to become a victim, breathe and retain your calm, and you will experience the insight that an emotion is only an emotion, nothing more. This insight is very important, because then you are no longer afraid. You are calm, you are not trying to run away, and you can deal better with emotion. Your breath is you, and you need alliance with your breath to be more of yourself, to be stronger. Then you can handle your emotion better. You do not try to forget your emotion; instead you try to be more of yourself, so that you are solid enough to deal with it.” -Thich Nhat Hanh
After reading these passages together, I will share about my own connection with the caregiving experience and how the topic of coming home to ourselves is such an important one to me. I look forward to having this time together and hearing about the experiences of others, as we share and listen to each other with compassion.
New to sangha? Click here for our Newcomers page.
No previous mindfulness or meditation experience is necessary.
No fees, donations are always welcome.