[Sold out] Day of Mindfulness with Vari McLuskie: No Mud No Lotus

Posted on 20/09/2024 by kingadmin

UPDATE: This event is now sold out. We are operating a waiting list. Contact the sangha if you’d like to be added.

Join us this November for a retreat day with Vari McLuskie from Plum Village UK.

Vari was ordained by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in 1995 into the Order of Interbeing and as a lay Dharma teacher in 2012. She has shared mindfulness in corporate settings as well as through Plum Village UK retreats and the Be Calm, Be Happy courses which she co-developed.

She is joining us to lead a day of mindfulness on the theme: No Mud, No Lotus.

“If we can learn to see and skillfully engage with both the presence of happiness and the presence of suffering, we will go in the direction of enjoying life more. Everyday we will go a little further in that direction, and eventually we realize that suffering and happiness are not two separate things.”

Thich Nhat Hanh

At this day we will have the chance to slow down and to enjoy the peace and nourishment of a day of mindfulness, where we can look deeply into the Art of Happiness (the Lotus) and the Art of Suffering (the Mud). This will provide us with both practical ways to engage mindfulness to benefit us in our daily life but also the opportunity to touch the spiritual dimension underlying all of life.

There will be a number of different activities including guided, walking and silent meditations, gentle movement, dharma teaching, mindful eating, inquiry and sharing.

When: Saturday, 30th of November 10:00-16:00
Where: Kingston Quaker Centre

Tickets:
Please choose the type of ticket you can afford:
– Supporter: £25 (to support those who have less means to come)
– Regular: £20
– Supported: £15

If you would love to come and cannot afford the supported rate, we have a limited number of concessionary tickets available at £5. Please contact us at infokmmg@gmail.com to enquire.

There are 30 tickets total available for this retreat. Once the tickets are sold out, waiting list will be in operation.

BUY TICKETS

On the Day:

Registration will open from 09:30. We will begin the day at 10:00.

Wear something comfortable – we will be doing a little mindful movement and stretching. We sit on chairs but you are welcome to bring your own meditation cushion as well.

Please bring some vegetarian or vegan food to share for lunch if you feel comfortable sharing, otherwise bring your own lunch.

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Day of Mindfulness: Exploring eight worldly winds – 13th July 2024

Posted on 07/06/2024 by kingadmin

The eight worldly winds are gain & loss, success &  failure, praise & blame, pleasure & pain. Let’s come together on the 13th of July to explore how the winds touch our lives, what we can do to respond to them, and how our awareness of the worldly winds can transform our experience.

Join us for a lovely day of mindful meditation, reflections, and sharing practice to gain insight and experience a taste of balance.

There will be a number of different activities including guided, walking and silent meditations, gentle movement, dharma readings, mindful eating, inquiry and sharing.

The day is suitable for all levels, including anyone with no previous experience of mindfulness or meditation.

When: Saturday, 13th of July 10:00-16:00
Where: Kingston Quaker Centre

Tickets:
Please choose the type of ticket you can afford:
– £25 (to support those who have less means to come)
– £15
– £10
– £5 (concessionary)

Regular members of the sangha, please pay directly to our bank account or pay by cash at one of our Wednesday evenings.

New members and guests, please buy your ticket here.

On the Day:

Please arrive from 09:30 for registration. We will begin the day at 10:00.

Wear something comfortable – we will be doing a little mindful movement and stretching. We sit on chairs but you are welcome to bring your own meditation cushion as well.

Please bring some vegetarian or vegan food to share for lunch if you feel comfortable sharing, otherwise bring your own lunch.

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Day of Mindfulness: Letting go and creating space – 16th March 2024

Posted on 10/02/2024 by kingadmin

We all have something in our lives we’d like to let go of, something that doesn’t serve us any more, or which never really served us.

What happens when we really let it go? It creates space for something new.

Join us for a lovely day of meditations, reflections, and sharing, practicing to let go and create space for self-compassion, equanimity and joy. 

The day is suitable for all levels, including no previous experience of mindfulness or meditation. There will be a number of different mindfulness activities including guided meditations, silent sitting, walking, gentle movement, dharma readings, eating, inquiry and sharing.

When: Saturday, 16th of March 10:00-16:00
Where: Kingston Quaker Centre

Tickets:
Standard: £20
Supporter: £25 (to support those who have less means to come)
Supported: £15 (concessions and those on low-income)

If you would love to come and cannot afford the supported rate, we have some bursary spaces at £5 please contact us at infokmmg@gmail.com to enquire.

Regular members of the sangha, please pay directly to our bank account or pay by cash at one of our Wednesday evenings.

New members and guests, please buy your ticket here.

On the Day:

Please arrive from 09:30 for registration. We will begin the day at 10:00.

Wear something comfortable – we will be doing a little mindful movement and stretching. We sit on chairs but you are welcome to bring your own meditation cushion as well.

Please bring some vegetarian or vegan food to share for lunch if you feel comfortable sharing, otherwise bring your own lunch.

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Festival of Light 2023

Posted on 10/12/2023 by kingadmin

We are delighted to invite you to our annual Festival of Light on Wednesday 20th December 7:30-9pm at the Kingston Quaker Centre.

Our festival is a wonderful time for sharing and connecting.
We begin with some meditation. And then there is an opportunity for all to share, or just listen. We share short stories, poems, songs and music. And after you are welcome to stay for a cup of tea, a biscuit/mince pie and a chat 🙂

All are welcome, if you are new to the sangha please contact us to let us know that you are coming

Everyone is welcome, regardless of circumstances. We invite a donation of £5, more if you are flush, less if you aren’t, nothing if you are broke, to cover the hire of the hall.

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Day of Mindfulness: Practicing Happiness – 18th November 2023

Posted on 10/11/2023 by kingadmin

Practicing happiness – meditations, reflections & sharing to create a deep sense of well-being.

“Happiness is not just a fleeting emotion…or mood. Happiness is a deep sense of flourishing…an optimal state of being…a skill that can be developed”  – Matthieu Ricard

Join us for a lovely day of meditations, reflections, and sharing, practicing to create a deep sense of well-being within. 

The day is suitable for all levels, including no previous experience of mindfulness or meditation. There will be a number of different mindfulness activities including guided meditations, silent sitting, walking, gentle movement, dharma readings, eating, inquiry and sharing.

Join us for this lovely day on Saturday, 18th of November 10:00-16:00 at the Kingston Quaker Centre. 

Tickets:
Standard: £20
Supporter: £25 (to support those who have less means to come)
Supported: £15 (concessions and those on low-income)

Book your tickets here


If you would love to come and cannot afford the supported rate, we have some bursary spaces at £5 please contact us at infokmmg@gmail.com to enquire.

On the Day:

Please arrive from 09:30 for registration. We will begin the day at 10:00.

Wear something comfortable – we will be doing a little mindful movement and stretching. We sit on chairs but you are welcome to bring your own meditation cushion as well.

Please bring some vegetarian or vegan food to share for lunch if you feel comfortable sharing, otherwise bring your own lunch.

There will be an opportunity to donate to support the Kingston Mindfulness and Meditation Sangha during the day. The money raised will be used for ongoing costs of rental and provisions to benefit the Sangha such as books and candles.

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Day of Mindfulness: We Are Nature – 15 July 2023

Posted on 15/07/2023 by kingadmin

Join us for a day of mindfulness “We are Nature – meditations and reflections on interbeing with all things “on Saturday 15th July at the Kingston Quaker Centre.

Interbeing is the word Thich Nhat Hanh used to share the deepest teachings of Buddhism – interdependence, non separateness and empty of intrinsic existence.
We are not separate, we are not the idea of who we think we are, nothing is, we are a dance of creation, a reflection of life, we are part of everything, everything is part of us. We are nature.

On this day we will be exploring nature, and ourselves as nature through mindfulness & guided meditations. It will be led by experienced members of the sangha and held inside and outside (weather permitting) the Kingston Quaker Centre.

The day is suitable for all levels, including no previous experience of mindfulness or meditation. There will be a number of different mindfulness activities including guided meditations, silent sitting, walking, gentle movement, dharma readings, eating, inquiry and sharing.

Join us for this lovely day on 15th July 2023 10:00-16:00.

Tickets and booking:
Standard: £20
Supporter: £25 (to support those who have less means to come)
Supported: £15 (concessions and those on low-income)

If you would love to come and cannot afford the supported rate, we have some bursary spaces at £5 please reply to enquire.

Book tickets

If tickets are fully booked please use the booking system to be added to the waiting list. You can also cancel through the booking system. Please note there are no refunds on cancellations less than a week prior to the mindfulness day.

On the Day:

Please arrive between 09:30-09:45 for registration and a cup of tea. We will begin the day at 10:00. Wear something comfortable – we will be doing a little mindful movement and stretching. We sit on chairs but you are welcome to bring your own meditation cushion as well.

Please bring some vegetarian or vegan food to share for lunch if you feel comfortable sharing, otherwise bring your own lunch.

There will be an opportunity to donate to support the Kingston Mindfulness and Meditation Sangha during the day. The money raised will be used for future bursary spaces on retreat days, ongoing costs of rental and provisions to benefit the Sangha such as books and candles.

“To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.”

– William Blake

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Updated In-Person Sangha

Posted on 22/02/2022 by kingadmin

We are delighted to announce that wearing masks is no longer a requirement, in line with government regulations.

All are now welcome, and if you would like to wear a mask and keep your distance please let one of the facilitators know and we will ensure you have some space.

Please do not attend if you do have any Covid symptoms.

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Festival of Light 2021

Posted on 22/12/2021 by kingadmin

We are delighted to invite you to our annual Festival of Light on Wednesday 29th December 7:30-9pm (government guidance permitting).

Our festival is a wonderful time for sharing and connecting. We begin with some meditation. And then there is an opportunity for all to share, or just listen. We share stories, poems, songs and music. And after a cup of tea and a biscuit and a socially distanced chat 🙂

We will be wearing masks and taking them off to share. If you are exempt you are still welcome to join.

Please contact us if you want to attend so that we can keep an eye on numbers.

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Separate In Person and Online Sangha meetings

Posted on 09/10/2021 by kingadmin

We are moving to separate in person and online Sangha meetings with the wonderful support of our sister sangha in Richmond.

We will continue to meet in person at the beautiful Kingston Quaker Centres on Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm. Everyone is welcome, no need to book.
If you feel unwell please attend the Thursday Richmond online sangha instead.
If you have any questions please contact us.

And for those who wish or need to remain online, we will be sharing Richmond’s online sangha on Thursday evenings at 7:30-9:30pm. Please contact them for the Zoom link.

Richmond and Kingston used to be one sangha in Ham until 2016 when we outgrew our room. So all the practices will be very similar to what you are used to.

You are very welcome to one or both evenings.

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In Person Sangha

Posted on 18/05/2021 by kingadmin

 Wednesday 19th May 7.30- 9:00 pm

After over a year apart, we are thrilled to be able to return to the Quaker Centre and hold our meetings iN-person. We are planning to continue to run zoom alongside in-person live from the centre. 

Initially, we plan for our online meetings to be 15 mins longer and in-person 15 mins shorter, finishing at 9pm, as we adjust them to fit together.

In order to hold our sangha, we have to follow some restrictions which are for everybody’s wellbeing and health.

We have space to seat 25 people with one meter spacing between each chair. This means that we might need two circles rather than one.  This is also the maximum number of people the centre allows, so regretfully we would have to refuse entry to anyone once 25 people have arrived.

Please email us if you are planning to attend and if you change your mind. You are welcome to come along if you haven’t emailed, but if we do hit capacity you may not be able to attend.

Other rules that the Centre have implemented:

  • A mask must be worn inside the Quaker Centre unless speaking during our practices.

  • The kitchen will not be available to us, so please bring your own drink with you.

  • Toilets are available -please observe any Covid notices in the centre regarding using the loos.

  • The Centre requires us to sign in with our contact details which we will give them after each sangha. There will be a signing-in sheet – please ensure that you sign in when you arrive.

  • The door to the garden must be kept open. (Make sure you wear something warm)

In view of the above changes, we are having to make changes to our practices as well. On arrival, please keep your shoes on until you are seated, they can be left under your chair. You may decide to keep them on. Please put your shoes on again before you leave the meeting so that the exit from the meeting room remains free.

Changes and reminders for our in person  practice:

We are not allowed to chant yet, so we are exploring alternatives to The Om Practice. We will probably be humming!

At the moment we will be keeping the online format for Dharma Reading with one person offering to read it to us every week.

Please arrive by 7.25pm so that we can start promptly at 7.30pm

Donations:
During lockdown, we have been able to send donations to support other organisations within our wider sangha as we have not had to pay for the hire of the meeting hall.  From May 19th we will be paying for the use of the hall so we will be relying on our own generosity once again.  As before we need to raise around £75 per week. All donations large or small are welcome and as before we invite a donation of £5 or more, if you can afford it. This generosity helps to support those who are less financially fortunate to be able to attend the Sangha. We will accept cash, but would prefer bank transfers if possible.
Zoom members are now also invited to donate, if you can afford, to support the Sangha. Please contact us to get our details.

Please do not come to The Quaker Centre Sangha if you have symptoms suggestive of Covid-19 such as a new continuous cough, fever, or loss of taste or smell or if you have come into contact with someone with coronavirus or coronavirus symptoms. Please visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ for more information

Finally.  Welcome Back! We are so grateful that we are in this wonderful Sangha together, and we look forward to seeing you in person or on Zoom very soon.

Wishing you love and peace, courage and wisdom, good health and happiness
KMMG

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