Spirit of Zen ~ Spring Meditation Practice Series ~ The Domestic Monastery (Kelowna)

April 3rd - May 8th, 2024

(no session May 1st)

5 Wednesdays 

7 a.m. & 7 p.m.

(75 minutes)

attend one or both ~

Big News! for those who live out of town (only) this series will be offered by Zoom.

For those in Kelowna, practice is held in person in the lower mission area.

Enter the Domestic Monastery in silence each Wednesday. This is the name of my garage studio. I'm a householder, raising a family with all the messiness and beauty that goes along with it.  I also love the depth and care the Zen Buddhist monastery has generously given my life for all these years. Voila ~ the Domestic Monastery.  I used to carry a full set of zafus and zabutons around town to yoga studios, empty warehouses, the sailing club etc. Now, for the third year, they have a humble home and I'm just so grateful.

We begin each session sitting zazen, followed by a shared story or reading and tea. Simple Zen form and chants will enliven our gatherings. Community members will have an opportunity to share a poem or reading each week as inspiration arises.

This series is all about what it's like to live in a body. Both the conditioned and unconditioned body. Noticing the nature of rigidity, holding, contracting, fluidity, release and spaciousness.  Our bodies are our home in this lifetime, yet they are always shifting and changing, and not always in the ways we imagine! Sometimes it's like being a complete expert and other times like being a foreigner in a strange land. Let us explore what brings us closer to being at home and marvel in body......embodiment. 

This spring series offers an opportunity to support each other in meditation practice and collective contemplation when we give our bodies permission to stop and settle into our seats.

Plus, it's springtime. Nature is bubbling up everywhere. The rush of the creek, birds, and frogs will fill our ears and encourage us along on our cushions. Perhaps even call us for a walk along the creek or some gentle somatic movement care.

This series is open to all practitioners, both seasoned and new. If you are new to practice, there will be meditation instruction offered by zoom prior to our first session.

Both the spring and fall series are invitations to deepen your commitment to practice. A commitment to show up for our own bodies and those who walk through the door each Wednesday. We hold each other upright in all of our discomfort and joy. 

You might choose morning practice, or evening, or perhaps jump into what it feels like to attend both morning and evening for all five session days. 

Perhaps your Wednesdays might become a kind of householder retreat right in the middle of your week. You might include a long walk, some writing, preparing food for family, or a neighbour in need, approaching your workday differently, using less technology and so on ~