Loving Presence - Weekend Silent Retreat

About Loving Presence Retreat

Pendle Hill is a retreat and conference center welcoming all for Spirit-led learning, located on a 23 acre campus in Wallingford, PA (near Swarthmore College and Philadelphia). The campus includes beautiful walking pathways lined with trees, lawns and buildings. Click here for Pendle Hill Information:

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WHAT IS MINDFULNESS?

Mindfulness is about having awareness in the present moment. It means simply being present in everything that we do, rather than letting our mind wander or getting lost in our thoughts about the past or future.

Additionally, whatever it is we are aware of, as we attend to our moment to moment experience, we bring a gentle, kind, loving, non-judgmental attention to it. Mindfulness is both awareness and a loving attitude toward whatever is being known. Mindfulness allows us to see ourselves more lovingly and care for ourselves and others out of love instead of fear. Loving Presence is about being connected to our inner nature of love and allowing it to radiate out to others.

HOW DO YOU PRACTICE MINDFULNESS MEDITATION?

There are many ways to meditate. We teach what is called, Vipassana, or Insight Meditation. Our teachers will guide you as we learn practices of focusing on the breath, the body, walking, and more. We intentionally set aside time to sit quietly and practice moment to moment awareness for that time. We often begin the practice by taking a few deep breaths, and then settling into observing our breath, moment to moment. Our minds will inevitably wander away from the observation of the breath, and we notice that has happened, we lovingly return to following our breath.

WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND A RETREAT?

Meditation retreats help you step out of the auto pilot mode and break out of the emotional roller coaster of daily stress. Sometimes, all it takes is silence to allow the wandering mind to slow down and tap into a bigger vision for yourself. Silent retreat is an opportunity to immerse yourself in peaceful surroundings which will help you relax and reconnect with what matters to you the most. As part of being in silence, you begin to experience improved self-awareness and stillness of mind that isn’t present when you are busy doing things.

Anyone can practice mindfulness regardless of age and body conditions. These practices are all about helping you to be fully present. Whether you are new to meditation or very skilled at it, you will benefit from this retreat.

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT AT THE RETREAT?

We will meet together as a group and our instructors will guide and direct you in the meditations. Not all of the meditation time will be guided- some of it will be sitting in silence. Our instructors will also offer some talks on different aspects of mindfulness and meditation. During the weekend (Beginning Friday after dinner through the last sitting on Sunday afternoon) we will observe “noble silence.” That means there will be no talking except for during some of the talks when you will have an opportunity to ask questions. Noble silence will be observed whether we are sitting together, or you have left for the evening to go to bed, and also during meals. We also ask that if possible, you put your electronic devices away. It is not often that you have a period of time like this to set aside for presence, and our phones and other devices can be a great distraction. We want you to get the most out of your experience here!

ABOUT TEACHERS

Wendi L. Dumbroff, MA, LPC, MMCT

Wendi completed her Masters in Counseling in 2010. She subsequently completed post-graduate training at The Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York City, in couple and family therapy, and at The Council for Relationships in Philadelphia in sex therapy. In 2019 she completed a two year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program led by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield. Wendi resides in New jersey with her husband, and she has two grown sons. She maintains a private therapy practice in Madison, New Jersey.

Email: [email protected]
Website: http://wendidumbrofftherapy.com/

Harold Kirby, LCSW, BCD, MMCT

Harold Kirby is a certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher and a certified grief recovery specialist. He owns and is the Director of the Mindful Stress & Anxiety Management Center of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Center, in addition to serving the mental health needs of the community, offers a 6-week mindfulness class and an 8-week grief recovery class. Harold also leads weekend retreats at a Quaker center teaching mindfulness to clients who have suffered trauma. He has been in practice for 27 years and is a nationally recognized speaker and expert in the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.anxietyocdbala.com

Devi Kumar, MA, MMCT

Devi is a certified mindfulness teacher, and conducts mindfulness workshops for a wide variety of audiences within her corporation, local community libraries and online communities. She was trained by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach as part of the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training program offered by Sounds True and UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center, CA. She was also trained to teach Search Inside Yourself (SIY), a popular Google inspired mindfulness based Leadership training offered by Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute. Devi is a cofounder of Hopewell based corporate mindfulness program at her workplace. Devi has a Master’s degree from University of Pennsylvania and employed full time with Bank of America. She currently resides in New Jersey with her family.

Email: [email protected]

Shazia Zaman, MLIS, MA, MMCT

Shazia Zaman is a meditation practitioner and teacher, and offers meditation classes for the public at the Ocean County Library system, in New Jersey. She is a certified Mindfulness Meditation teacher and has completed a two-year certification program, conducted by Dr. Tara Brach and Dr. Jack Kornfield, through UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center, CA and Sounds True, CO. Shazia has also trained in Self-compassion with Dr. Kristin Neff. In 2013, Shazia developed a daily practice of meditation through The Monroe Institute in Virginia, where she experienced expanded states of consciousness. Shazia’s desire to teach others to practice peace, enhance awareness and mindful presence helped her develop meditation classes that can empower practitioners at any level. She started teaching Mindfulness Meditation to the public in January 2017. Shazia is also a certified Reiki Master and practitioner.

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.meditatewithshazia.com