Tag Archive for: John Bruna

 

Start Your Year Mindfully

Join us on a 3-day retreat in Auburn, CA

January 2-5, 2020

John Bruna and Laura Bartels will return to the wonderful Mercy Retreat Center in Auburn, CA to guide a three-day meditation retreat. This retreat is dedicated to establishing and cultivating the foundational meditation practice of shamatha (calm abiding) meditation. Shamatha is the practice of developing single-pointed concentration, helping you develop a calm, clear and focused mind. It helps you establish the ability to consciously attend to what you choose to attend to instead of being a prisoner of every thought, impulse, worry, or emotion that arises in your mind. 

Shamatha is a universal practice that can be applied to any spiritual or religious practice or simply used to become more mindful and present in your life. It improves any other meditation practice and is foundational to establishing mental and emotional balance. This retreat is beginner friendly and also beneficial for seasoned meditators. We will focus on developing the building blocks of shamatha, relaxation, stability, and clarity,  as well as developing habits that are conducive to establishing and sustaining a meditation practice. This is a silent retreat with multiple short meditation sessions and plenty of breaks, quiet reflection time and guidance in the group teachings.

About the Facilitators

John Bruna is a former Buddhist monk, author, and mindfulness training. He is the co-founder of the Mindful Life Program™ and of Mindfulness in Recovery®. Drawing from his extensive training and personal experiences over three decades, John has become a leading voice in the field of mindfulness, authoring The Wisdom of a Meaningful Life: The Essence of Mindfulness and The Essential Guidebook to Mindfulness in Recovery, as well as presenting at TEDx and conferences throughout the country. John is known for his warmth, humor, and ability to make teachings practical and accessible. 

Laura Bartels helped to create the Mindful Life Program and regularly teaches mindfulness courses, facilitates mindfulness groups and gives public talks on living mindfully. She is one of the instructors for the year-long MLP Teacher Training and Personal Development program. She also serves as the Executive Director of the Mindful Life Program. Laura’s professional path of 20 years brought her to be a leader in the field of sustainable building and community development. This provided a unique and valuable perspective on the need for “inner sustainability.” As Laura’s path has been one of navigating what it means to live consciously and meaningfully, it’s been a natural transition to move from outer sustainability to inner sustainability; when we are not in balance, we cannot be of benefit to ourselves or others.

Dates: January 2-5, 2020. Begins with dinner on Thursday night and ends at 11:30 am on Sunday
Location: Mercy Retreat Center, Auburn, California, USA

Cost: $350 Retreat fee includes lodging, meals and use of retreat facility. Teaching is offered on a free-will donation basis. Donations for the teachings can be made at the retreat or using the donation button on our home page.