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:
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> escribiΓ³:
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 π§π½♀️π§π»♂️
2) ongoing distraction coming from various ways of worrying about . . . "Am I doing this right?!" π¬
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
https://www.downtowndharmadc.org/
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