Alger Parks & Recreation Department will be offering a 5-class Mindfulness Meditation course on Saturday mornings starting March 9, 2019. The course (entitled Mindfulness Meditation: Growing Your Practice) is designed to explore ways to apply mindfulness practice and meditation in your daily life. Suitable for beginners or experienced practitioners, this course meets you where you are. The focal topic for this particular class series will be applying mindfulness and meditation off the mat. During each class, relevant techniques will be discussed and practiced. Students will leave each week with a suggested practice assignment, and we’ll open each class with a brief voluntary discussion of your experiences and questions.
Aside from the discussion theme, each class may include gentle stretching, guided meditation, silent meditation, and walking meditation. The 5-class session will meet for 1 hour, 9:20-10:20 a.m. on Saturdays, Mar 9, 16, 23, 30; and Apr 6.
What are the benefits of mindfulness and meditation? The scientific evidence is extensive showing a wide range of benefits. Mindfulness has been shown to improve the ability to:
- Focus on the present moment
- Be fully present and open to experience
- Accept things as they are
- Connect to nature/universe
- Practice non-judgment
- Practice non-attachment
- Practice compassion for self and others
- Experience peace and equanimity
Sometimes people needlessly worry about how to sit during meditation, but it need not be an issue: while many people do prefer to sit on a firm, thick cushion on the floor, many other people meditate while sitting on a chair or a meditation bench. Some people prefer to stand. Walking meditation is also taught. A variety of positions can be equally successful with some guidance from your instructor, whose philosophy is that the position you choose is far less important than the attitude you bring to your meditation practice!
We hope a few of you are excited to try this class. For registration form, please visit APRD’s Registration Page or the APRD Calendar.
For more information about the instruction and about Alger County’s meditation group, visit Munising Bay Meditation Circle.
