[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Dharma Book Club | June & July Events

Hi Community,

I hope you're all having a wonderful start to summer! We're excited to share both our June and July Dharma Book Club meetings. 

One update: We're going to experiment with a Partiful invite to hopefully self-manage some of the reminders, updates, and waitlists. If we don't end up liking it, we can go back to the Google Sheet in August!

June Book Club: The Untethered Soul

• Date: Sunday, 6/28 from 4-6pm
• Location: We'll meet in a central park if the weather is nice. We'll share the exact location (and inclement weather plan) in the Partiful soon. 
• Reading: The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
• Facilitator: Karen Kwok
• Sign Up Link: https://partiful.com/e/lvZpGlmcR9e8eO1PrGby?c=VWCrH2iP

July Book Club: Braiding Sweetgrass

• Date: Saturday, 7/11 from 4-6pm
• Location: the picnic area at Peirce Mill
• Reading: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• Facilitator: Jackie Powell
• Sign Up Link: https://partiful.com/e/gCX3eQ2tiKXLGhy6n4aS?c=No6appZz

Just like in May, there's no expectation that you've completed the entire book for either meeting. Come as you are, and share whatever portion of the reading resonates with you. 

With metta,
Kerrigan

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[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Tomorrow at Downtown Dharma: Wholeheartedness

Dear beloved sangha,

Tomorrow at 7:00 pm we'll gather to practice with wholeheartedly embracing the everyday to bring us toward inner peace. 

Most of us have passions--like exercise, journaling, and of course meditation--that can bring us to a connecting flow state. We lose ourselves in the moment. The offering tomorrow will be about how we can actualize that flow state in our everyday and seemingly mundane activities, like washing dishes or sitting on the bus. We may have more access to inner peace than we think! 

We’ll do some mingling; meditate; do a little QiGong, I’ll share some reflections from a zen perspective on wholeheartedness; and we’ll have small group conversations.  

This is a wonderful opportunity to gather in spiritual community and make new friends. Come join!   

  

🙏🏻♥️

Mark/Shinren

In-person: Sunday, 7:00 to 8:30pm @ Yoga District — 1910 14th Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC

Online via Zoom:  Join here  

A reminder if you're joining us in person: please arrive at least 10 minutes early as the line to check in can be long. There are plenty of friends to make while you're waiting for the formal program to begin.

--

"kind speech...has the power to turn the destiny of the nation"  Eihei Dogen.

Mark Stone (he/him)

Practice Leader, All Beings Zen Sangha allbeingszen.org

Teacher & Treasurer, Insight on the Inside insightontheinside.com

Meditation & mindfulness teacher stonemindful.com

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[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Northeast DC small group

Hi all,

For those of you who aren’t in the WhatsApp group, I wanted to share a quick note that we’re forming a small group in Northeast DC.

Our first meeting will be 6pm, June 4th at the Woodridge Library in Conference Room B. Please let me know if you’re interested in being part of this group. 

Best,

Amy

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[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] Follow up/resources for 'Upright Sitting & Beginner's Mind'

Dear Friends, 

Thanks to all of you who joined me last night for the Sunday meditation class on Upright Sitting & Beginner's Mind. It was a pleasure to be in practice with you!

Below, I'm sharing some resources related to the class, along with some upcoming offerings of mine if you'd like to connect again.

I'm also wondering whether there would be enough interest to fill a class series to go into greater depth about upright sitting posture sometime this summer?

This class would include somatic movement explorations, guided meditation and group discussion. I'm thinking of a 4-class series to begin which could possibly be extended if there is motivation to do so. If you would be interested in such a class, please take 2 minutes to respond to this questionnaire. 

Resources: 

Below you'll find some videos with guidance for finding comfortable sitting posture. I'm also happy to receive any questions you have about posture. For an overview of what I do, please check out: my website, YouTube channel, Substack

Videos about meditation posture:

Avoiding back pain in sitting meditation, part one  

Avoiding back pain in sitting meditation, part two (for cross-legged sitting) 

Working with soft palette for a longer spine

Article: 

Practice to become your true self: Learning meditation through the lenses of Shunryu Suzuki & Moshe Feldenkrais. 

Upcoming Events:

The 4 Postures of Love @ Glow House, 3110 13th St. NW - Tuesday June 2, 7:3-9:30pm

When you feel lovable and in love, kindness, connection, curiosity and play manifest spontaneously. They show up in your body, your inner voice, how you process emotions and in all your relationships. Consciously integrating these postures into your life as a practice benefits everything you do.

Learn more/register

Musicality of Being workshop @ Rock Creek Park - Saturday, June 6, 10am-1pm

Soak up the sun and nourish your breath as you connect with your body, your heart and your community in this unique walking meditation which reawakens your felt sense of participating in the interconnectivity all things.

Learn more/register

Online workshops - calendar

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Re: [Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] This Sunday: Upright Sitting & Beginner's Mind with Seth Dellinger

Hi Judea (and community),

Thanks for your interest!

If you’re coming in-person, please sign up for the session beforehand on https://www.yogadistrict.com/. (No need to RSVP if joining on Zoom.)

We will have lots of cushions so no need to bring yours. 

Thank you for asking about donations. Please see information here: 

https://www.downtowndharmadc.org/faq/#how-do-i-offer-dana-generosity

We look forward to seeing you then!

With metta,

Ava

El El vie, may 22, 2026 a la(s) 11:47 a.m., Judea I. Lawton <judeailawton@gmail.com> escribió:

Thank you for the invite. I would love to attend the meditation. 

Do I need to RSVP? Do I need to bring a donation, or a sitting pillow? 

Thank you,

Judea I Lawton 

On Fri, May 22, 2026, 10:26 AM Seth Dellinger <sethbdellinger@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Friends, 

I'm looking forward to being with you for this Sunday's meditation. We'll inquire into Upright Sitting & Beginner's Mind.

• In-person: Sunday, 7:00 to 8:30pm @ Yoga District — 1910 14th Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC

• Online via Zoom:  Join here  

Below you'll find a bit more description about what to expect along with some resources that you can use leading up to our time together if you want to take a deeper dive. 

---

Upright Sitting & Beginner's Mind

In my experience, there are two obstacles that prevent many people from developing a sustainable and fruitful long-term meditation practice:

1) not knowing how to sit upright for sustained periods without discomfort 🧘🏽‍♀️🧘🏻‍♂️
2) ongoing distraction coming from various ways of worrying about . . . "Am I doing this right?!" 😬

If you didn't see it already, I published an article this week that is a nice preview for Sunday:
Practice to become your true self: Learning meditation through the lenses of Shunryu Suzuki & Moshe Feldenkrais. 

Suzuki was a Zen master best known for introducing Zen to the West. Moshe Feldenkrais was a somatic educator who created the Feldenkrais Method, which I am trained in. I describe it as "a wisdom practice disguised as a movement practice." The article includes dozens of quotations from these two teachers and some of my personal story of learning to meditate. The article also includes two instructional videos on sitting posture for meditation, based on the Feldenkrais Method, covering some of the same principles we'll explore together (part one & part two). If you are curious to dive in ahead of time, you might get even more out of the Sunday class. 

In addition to the postural work, we'll inquire into our basic attitude towards learning - in particular, learning how to meditate. We'll be guided here by the idea of "beginner's mind", articulated by Suzuki as follows: 

“In the beginner’s mind there is no thought, ‘I have attained something.’ All self-centered thoughts limit our vast mind. When we have no thought of achievement, no thought of self, we are true beginners. Then we can really learn something.” (From Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind)

Ahead of Sunday, I invite you to contemplate the following questions which we'll discuss together: 

- How do you define "meditation"?

- What motivates your practice?

- What do you find difficult about meditation?

- Do you have any notions about "right" or "wrong" ways to meditate?

I look forward to exploring wiith you!

Warmly, 

Seth Dellinger

sethdellinger.com

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Re: [Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] This Sunday: Upright Sitting & Beginner's Mind with Seth Dellinger

Thank you for the invite. I would love to attend the meditation. 

Do I need to RSVP? Do I need to bring a donation, or a sitting pillow? 

Thank you,

Judea I Lawton 

On Fri, May 22, 2026, 10:26 AM Seth Dellinger <sethbdellinger@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Friends, 

I'm looking forward to being with you for this Sunday's meditation. We'll inquire into Upright Sitting & Beginner's Mind.

• In-person: Sunday, 7:00 to 8:30pm @ Yoga District — 1910 14th Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC

• Online via Zoom:  Join here  

Below you'll find a bit more description about what to expect along with some resources that you can use leading up to our time together if you want to take a deeper dive. 

---

Upright Sitting & Beginner's Mind

In my experience, there are two obstacles that prevent many people from developing a sustainable and fruitful long-term meditation practice:

1) not knowing how to sit upright for sustained periods without discomfort 🧘🏽‍♀️🧘🏻‍♂️
2) ongoing distraction coming from various ways of worrying about . . . "Am I doing this right?!" 😬

If you didn't see it already, I published an article this week that is a nice preview for Sunday:
Practice to become your true self: Learning meditation through the lenses of Shunryu Suzuki & Moshe Feldenkrais. 

Suzuki was a Zen master best known for introducing Zen to the West. Moshe Feldenkrais was a somatic educator who created the Feldenkrais Method, which I am trained in. I describe it as "a wisdom practice disguised as a movement practice." The article includes dozens of quotations from these two teachers and some of my personal story of learning to meditate. The article also includes two instructional videos on sitting posture for meditation, based on the Feldenkrais Method, covering some of the same principles we'll explore together (part one & part two). If you are curious to dive in ahead of time, you might get even more out of the Sunday class. 

In addition to the postural work, we'll inquire into our basic attitude towards learning - in particular, learning how to meditate. We'll be guided here by the idea of "beginner's mind", articulated by Suzuki as follows: 

“In the beginner’s mind there is no thought, ‘I have attained something.’ All self-centered thoughts limit our vast mind. When we have no thought of achievement, no thought of self, we are true beginners. Then we can really learn something.” (From Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind)

Ahead of Sunday, I invite you to contemplate the following questions which we'll discuss together: 

- How do you define "meditation"?

- What motivates your practice?

- What do you find difficult about meditation?

- Do you have any notions about "right" or "wrong" ways to meditate?

I look forward to exploring wiith you!

Warmly, 

Seth Dellinger

sethdellinger.com

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Read More :- "Re: [Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] This Sunday: Upright Sitting & Beginner's Mind with Seth Dellinger"

[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] This Sunday: Upright Sitting & Beginner's Mind with Seth Dellinger

Dear Friends, 

I'm looking forward to being with you for this Sunday's meditation. We'll inquire into Upright Sitting & Beginner's Mind.

• In-person: Sunday, 7:00 to 8:30pm @ Yoga District — 1910 14th Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC

• Online via Zoom:  Join here  

Below you'll find a bit more description about what to expect along with some resources that you can use leading up to our time together if you want to take a deeper dive. 

---

Upright Sitting & Beginner's Mind

In my experience, there are two obstacles that prevent many people from developing a sustainable and fruitful long-term meditation practice:

1) not knowing how to sit upright for sustained periods without discomfort 🧘🏽‍♀️🧘🏻‍♂️
2) ongoing distraction coming from various ways of worrying about . . . "Am I doing this right?!" 😬

If you didn't see it already, I published an article this week that is a nice preview for Sunday:
Practice to become your true self: Learning meditation through the lenses of Shunryu Suzuki & Moshe Feldenkrais. 

Suzuki was a Zen master best known for introducing Zen to the West. Moshe Feldenkrais was a somatic educator who created the Feldenkrais Method, which I am trained in. I describe it as "a wisdom practice disguised as a movement practice." The article includes dozens of quotations from these two teachers and some of my personal story of learning to meditate. The article also includes two instructional videos on sitting posture for meditation, based on the Feldenkrais Method, covering some of the same principles we'll explore together (part one & part two). If you are curious to dive in ahead of time, you might get even more out of the Sunday class. 

In addition to the postural work, we'll inquire into our basic attitude towards learning - in particular, learning how to meditate. We'll be guided here by the idea of "beginner's mind", articulated by Suzuki as follows: 

“In the beginner’s mind there is no thought, ‘I have attained something.’ All self-centered thoughts limit our vast mind. When we have no thought of achievement, no thought of self, we are true beginners. Then we can really learn something.” (From Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind)

Ahead of Sunday, I invite you to contemplate the following questions which we'll discuss together: 

- How do you define "meditation"?

- What motivates your practice?

- What do you find difficult about meditation?

- Do you have any notions about "right" or "wrong" ways to meditate?

I look forward to exploring wiith you!

Warmly, 

Seth Dellinger

sethdellinger.com

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https://www.downtowndharmadc.org/
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Read More :- "[Downtown Dharma Sangha Listserv] This Sunday: Upright Sitting & Beginner's Mind with Seth Dellinger"