Softening the grip and letting go | B.mindful

Softening the grip and letting go.

the continuous practice of mindfulness

A 6- weeks course including 2 daylong practice days

with Bee Cohen

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness (sati in Pali) has its roots in Buddhism and is the quality of the mind to be aware and intentionally pay attention to what is happening in the present moment without judgment or rejection, but with curiosity and kindness. It means being with what is happening in the very moment without the desire to have it differently or change it. This helps create inner space and calmness and then allows to respond (not automatically react) and make appropriate and wholesome decisions in how to deal with a situation. Regular practice may lead to improvement in health, inner freedom, emotional balance, confidence and peace of mind.

What is stress?

Stress means experiencing a situation (physically, emotionally, mentally) as disturbing and even as a threat to our well-being and as one that we are not willing to accept, nor that we are open to deal with in the present moment. Instead of being with what is and responding in a wise and wholesome way, we are busy struggling and putting all our effort into rejecting and trying to avoid it - often by experiencing restlesness and unease, feeling stuck, "in a loop", helpless and overwhelmed and by (automatically) reacting with anger, fear, avoiding or shutting down. Not seldom physical symptoms (e.g. head-, stomach-, or back pain, as well as sleeping disorders) can be experienced as a consequence.

Letting go leads to more lightness, space, authenticity, freedom.

But letting go of what? And how to do it? Why does it often feel so hard to do?

When wanting to let go, we need to ask ourselves:

"What am I actually HOLDING ON to?"

The answer to this is not always obvious nor comfortable and often accompanied by different experiences of feeling stressed. We might feel stuck, trapped, in a loop, lost, and/or numb.

We need to be MINDFUL- to be aware, to look deeply and notice what is really going on. Without judgment. With courage. With kindness and curiosity. With an open heart, especially for ourselves. This is how we soften the grip.

During this course we will practice being mindful to the gross as well as the subtle tightness we can sense in the body, heart and mind when we are "clenching our fist (and hearts)".

What can we notice in this moment?

What feeds this inner burning and churning fire when holding on to tightly?

What energies and qualities of the mind and heart can we invite to gently and kindly offer our attention and be WITH whatever we are judging as so unwanted?

We will practice mindfulness of all 6 senses (the mind is a sense) as well as metta meditation (meditation of loving kindness/ compassion) while moving, walking, sitting and lying down.

It is an ongoing journey to more kindness and compassion, creating more inner space that allows to welcome and iclude whatever is met and experienced on the way moment by moment.

I'm excited and grateful for deepening the mindful path together.

Theme of this course

"What you practice gets stronger".

Mindfulness can be practiced in two ways: informally (in daily life) and formally ("on the cushion", in meditation practice). Daily practice is the first step towards a more mindful way of life. Just like we find time for all sorts of daily routined habits (having a coffee, being on the phone, checking social media etc.), meditation practice should become a new regular in our daily schedule if we want to enjoy its effects.

As part of the course, we will meet for a daylong retreat of 5 hours. During this retreat we will RETREAT from the daily routine and worldly race that we are running and take a PAUSE and re-treat ourselves. We will have the privilege to be 100% available only for ourselves, 5 hours of quality time with ourselves.

No phone. No mails. No decisions to be made. No attending to anyone else but ourselves. No communication with others - meditative silence. We will spend the day allowing ourselves to be present from moment to moment without anything to achieve, slowing down and zooming in. We will practice softening the body and mind from within. We will practice while sitting, walking, lying and in simple and gentle yoga movements.

It is quality time with ourselves. Noticing and welcoming anything that is present already, from one perfect moment to the next.

There is the option of meeting for a second daylong after the closure session (*this is dependant on the numbers of participants). This daylong is an additional opportunity to go deeper and spend the day practicing what we have practiced during the course, an additional opportunity to practice in a calm and safe (in means of not needing to react to external stimuli) evnironment and with the energy of practicing as a sangha (community).

When and where will we meet?

Where?

When?

Registration Fee:

Tel Aviv, area of Maze/ Rothshild

June - July 2023

Wednesday, 18:30-21:00

14/6 21/6

Saturday daylong, 11:00 - 16:00

24/6

Wednesday, 18:30-21:00

28/6 5/7 12/7 19/7 (closure session)

Saturday daylong (*optional*), 11:00-17:00

22/7

300 NIS

When deciding to take part and register in this course, you are actively taking part in enabling us to embark on this journey.

Thank you for being part in this, for allowing this course to happen.

By paying the registration fee, your spot is saved.

Course Fee:

(incl. registration fee)

1500 NIS (incl. 2 daylongs)

1300 NIS (incl. 1 daylong)

The spots in this course are limited.

Kindly note:

The course fee is for the participation in the course as a whole.

The complete fee is please to be paid before the course starts.

The option of paying in up to 3 installments (until the end of the course) is given to prior personal agreement.

The registration fee is not refunded (unless the course itself is cancelled).

In case the course should have to be cancelled, any amount you have paid before the course has started will surely be fully refunded.

Are you interested in participating in this course or in further information?

Please fill out the form below and I will be happy to get back to you as soon as possible.

A bit about myself:

Bee (Sibille) Cohen

Originally coming from Germany and having lived in the US for a few years, I found myself feeling at home in Israel when I finally moved here to stay in 2009. Today I speak Hebrew fluently, live in a little and beautiful place in the Judean Foothills, surrounded by the quiet of fields, hills and forests together with my dog Mila and am self-employed as an English tutor and mindfulness/ MBSR teacher.

The "mindful spark" in my personal journey was ignited by experiences while travelling in the Far East (especially Thailand and India) that started enriching my life in the early 90's until today. What started as a spark is today a way of living. Getting the possibility of sharing and passing on this spark is a great gift for me.

What personal and professional background are my mindfulness teaching skills based on?

Practicing Hatha Yoga since 1998,
Practicing mindfulness and meditation as an integrated part of my daily life,
Regularly taking time off for practice on longer retreats,
Continuous professional, practical and spiritual studies with long-term experienced, outstanding and inspiring teachers,
More than 20 years experience as a dedicated (English-) teacher, mentor and group tutor (elementary, junior high and high school),
Integrating mindfulness skills in English tutoring classes (such as support in mastering the challenges of ADHD, stress and test anxiety),
Guiding and leading mindfulness groups for teenagers and adolescents with the focus on coping with stress,
Teaching mindfulness/ MBSR in groups and workshops and as individual programs/ sessions (courses in Hebrew and in English),
A second degree - MA of education (M.Ed),
Annual mindfulness in-depth course at Reichman University (IDC) in Herzelia's Muda Institute for Mindfulness, Science and Society, Israel,
Annual MBSR teacher training at Reichman University (IDC) in Herzelia's Muda Institute for Mindfulness, Science and Society, Israel,
Annual training course for Mindfulness for Children and Teenagers in Mindbody Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, with Nimrod Sheiman,
Annual training course for Sfat Hakeshev - Mindfulness Skills for Children and Adolescents with Simi Levi.

sibille.b.mindful@gmail.com 054-6409351