Mindful Meditation

Avalon provides a perfect place for the practice of mindfulness meditation.

Surrounded by a flower field, in the woods away from the busy-ness of daily life, the quietude of the space facilitates our innate capacity for mindfulness:  to be awake to our experience, just as it is; to be present to the moment — right here, right now and without resistance or judgment.  Mindfulness reminds us to stop and pause, to turn inward and observe the natural working of mind and body, to respond and not simply react.  We learn to reside in awareness.  The practice strengthens attention and concentration, cultivates self-acceptance and compassion, develops greater resilience and equanimity in the face of stress.

We offer several different formats for learning and practicing mindfulness for both beginning and more experienced meditators.

 

AT THIS TIME, ALL CLASSES ARE CONDUCTED VIA ZOOM,   PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED. 

PLEASE INDICATE WHICH CLASS YOU ARE INTERESTED IN WHEN REGISTERING.

 

Zoom Class ~ Beginning Mindfulness Meditation For Stress Reduction & Resilience: A Series of 2 Classes

Dates: TBD

Time: TBD   Registration: TBD

This series of Beginning Mindfulness Practice is intended to help reduce stress and strengthen inherent capacities for wellness and resilience.  We will review the fundamental elements of mindfulness and guide several core mindfulness practices to get you started and/or reconnect you with your practice.  

Open to all levels.

Join us this summer as we explore our capacity to waken the mind and relax the body!

Register

 

Half-day Silent Retreat

Date: TBD
Pre-registration only.

For those with prior meditation experience, this 3-hour period of intensive guided practice is held in the context of silence and intended to offer a time and space for you to deepen, relax and reconnect with your practice.

To pre-register and for additional program information email: dr.cherylkurash@gmail.com

Deepening Your Mindfulness Practice (DYP)

DATES:  TBD

Time:  TBD

Pre-registration required. 

Cost: by donation, $20/class suggested

Single interactive classes intended for participants with some prior meditation experience to strengthen and deepen your practice.  Each class highlights a different aspect of mindfulness meditation and offers guided practice, reflection and inquiry into your experience.  A supportive, guided way to reconnect with and deepen your practice at any stage.

Register

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Course

Dates: TBD

Known as the “Gold-Standard” for learning mindfulness meditation for stress reduction and wellness, MBSR is a 9-week 27.5 hour training developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts’s Medical Center in 1979. It has been featured in countless media segments, hundreds of research studies and is now offered all over the world in hospitals, schools, business and sports. And here at Avalon for the past 10 years!

Intended for those who are motivated to be more active in their own well-being and health, this program provides intensive, supportive experiential training to guide you in that direction.

Register

MEET DR. Cheryl Kurash

Cheryl Kurash, Ph.D., a certified MBSR and yoga teacher and licensed psychologist, has been studying, practicing and teaching meditation for the past 30 years. Her interest in the ways these disciplines intersect, diverge and inform each other deepens her understanding of mind-body integration and guides her teachings.

Cheryl completed MBSR Teacher Training and received certification with the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at UMASS Medical School, under the auspices of Jon Kabat-Zinn.

Her study of contemplative practices includes Tibetan Buddhist (Shambhala) meditation, Vipassana (Insight) meditation, and Yoga – her love of which led to Teacher Training in Kripalu Yoga.

A highlight of her study was a journey in 1987 with the Himalayan Institute for Yoga Science and Philosophy to Gangotri and Gomuk, India, the source of the Ganges River.

Email Dr. Kurash