Hula is the Hawaiian indigenous dance, also poetically known as the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people. Originally danced in the temples, Hula is growing in popularity and is recommended for developing core strength, coordination and flexibility through its gentle yet powerful movement.
There are elements of mindful centering, flowing and breath-work involved with the dance. This relaxes the body and mind making your movements like the gentle breezes through the palm trees or the ocean gently lapping along the shore. All ages can benefit. No experience necessary.
Rev. June Yoshiko Kaililani Ryushin Tanoue, MPH is an ordained Zen Priest in the White Plum Lineage. She co-founded the Zen Life & Meditation Center (formerly known as the Zen Community of Chicago) in 2004 and Zen Center of Hawaii in 1993 with her husband, Robert Joshin Althouse, Roshi.
She is a Kumu Hula, a master teacher of the Hula and began her hula school, Halau i Ka Pono in 2009. She studied with Kumu Hula Michael Pili Pang on the Big Island of Hawaii. She teaches hula in Chicago and New York City. She also studied la'au lapa', Hawaiian spiritual healing with herbs, with Henry Auwae. The la'au lapa' practitioners were the medical doctors in old Hawaii. June is also a Reiki master with her Reiki III attunement from Rose Mattax in Oak Park, IL. She has worked in food banking for 24 years.
Meridian Touch™ Effortless Yoga is based on ancient Daoist exercises and Zen Shiatsu stretches. It is a restorative and qi cultivating exercise that anyone can do. With deep breaths and gentle relaxation the meridians are stretched and released allowing qi to flow. This brings a feeling of renewal. Conscious hara (belly) breathing is a way to bring attention to the truth of the body at the moment. There is no perfect form or asana, but with each breath we let go into the asana and honor the limits of the body and what it may tell us.
The movement and partnering in Meridian Touch allow for the sense of the middle way: never forcing (too tight), never unaware (too loose). Movement supports qi flow. Pairing with partners engages our mindfulness, our compassion and our body awareness so that we are present to the existing condition of our self and our partner. We touch (literally) into our interconnectedness with each other.
Participants are guided to a felt sense of body awareness and a nonjudgmental appreciation for the body-mind’s ability to meet their own flexibility and tightness. It is a joy to feel the breath’s importance in connecting with one’s natural aliveness and not be separate from the body.
Because of the importance of never overextending and being mindful of the body’s limitations, Meridian Touch Effortless Yoga is especially wonderful for those who have felt that yoga or energetic exercises are beyond their abilities.
Jennifer O'Hara, Diplomate of Asian Body Therapy (NCCAOM), and Certified Practitioner of the American Organization of Body Therapies of Asia has been an acupressure therapist for over 10 years. To further support qi balancing she often instructs her clients in Eight Pieces of Silk Qigong, Meridian Touch™ Effortless Yoga, and mindfulness meditation. Qi exercises cultivate qi (energy or life force), support health and bring one's intrinsic harmony to their life. Jennifer has been teaching qigong and Meridian Touch™ for over 5 years. She is affiliated with the Heartwood Center for Body Mind Spirit in Evanston, and the Chicago Acupuncture Clinic in Lakeview. She teaches Embracing Qi at the Shambhala Meditation Center of Chicago and Eight Pieces of Silk at Blossoming Life Studio in Evanston. She is a Shambhala Buddhist and has a background as an artist and poet.
The regular, rhythmic counted motion of knitting is one way to approach a state of peace, relaxation, and meditation. It can quiet monkey-mind, occupy antsy-hands energy, and allow for mindfulness and being-in-the-moment. Like prayer beads, stitches can articulate mantra and metta. A thread of yarn weaves in and out of the Golden Chain. Liz will discuss as well as demonstrate how knitting can embody Buddhist concepts, and make suggestions for dana projects. Participants are invited to bring their own works in progress to the talk. Handouts, patterns, and some materials will be available, but no specific instruction will be given. Beginners, non-knitters, and crocheters are welcome.
Liz Stout is an ordained Interfaith Minister who has studied and engaged in Buddhist practice for 20 years. Visiting different faith communities is a part of her world picture. She is a spiritual director for clients in the Christian-and-inquiring tradition, mentors Buddhist lay ministers in interfaith matters, and convenes the Evanston Interfaith Clergy Association. For 10 years Liz wrote and edited articles for other spiritual guides. She has made warm hats for bareheaded monastic presenters at past years' Midwest Buddhist Women's Conferences, and has been knitting ever since she was first allowed to handle sharp, pointed objects alone.
This workshop will focus on the following subjects and techniques to practice in your daily life along with meditation.
- Four Fields for Cultivating Peace: mind, body, family and activity.
- Four Steps for Handling a Problem: face it, accept it, deal with it, and let go of it.
- Four Practices for Helping Oneself and Others: feeling grateful, feeling thankful, reforming yourself, moving others through virtue.
Venerable Chang Hwa (Chang Hwa Fa Shi), resident of the Chan Meditation Center in New York City, is Director of Dharma Drum Mountain International Development and the Chan Meditation Center. She received monastic training and ordination under the guidance of Chan Master Sheng Yen, founder of Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association. Closely following the spirit of Chan (Chinese Zen) as taught by Master Sheng Yen, and using a lively teaching style, Chang Hwa Fa Shi leads meditation retreats and workshops that emphasize how to relate Chan practice to our daily lives.
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