| The cultivation of awareness in the body, which the Buddha taught as the first foundation of mindfulness, opens the doorway to the wisdom and compassion which is our true nature. Through practicing relaxed, spacious, moment-to-moment awareness of the changing flow of sensations and energy in the body, we can begin to experience directly our deep interconnectedness with all life. Qigong, a powerful complement and support to our meditation practice, is a series of elegantly simple movements which brings a radiant openness and balance to the body and mind. Together, meditation and qigong strengthen our capacity to be present, see clearly and directly sense the body as a doorway to the boundless. The combination of sitting meditation and the meditative movement of qigong is especially helpful in awakening a joyful, embodied presence in our daily lives. This retreat will be held in noble silence, with opportunities for small group interviews with the teachers, dharma talks and instructions in both vipassana meditation and qigong. Two qigong sessions will |
