Nirodha will organize an Awakening Joy workshop with James and Jane Baraz at 12 AM – 4 PM on July 20, 2013, in Helsinki, Finland. Please arrive 15 minutes earlier for arrangement. The workshop is held in English, and it is suitable for both beginning and more advanced practitioners.
Awakening Joy
The workshop gives tools to develop your natural capacity for well-being and happiness. It is based on the popular Awakening Joy online course, with thousands of participants since 2003.
We will learn basic principles and experiential exercises drawn from Buddhist psychology, along with supportive practices presented in a user-friendly way. Techniques for developing gratitude, learning to love yourself, opening up to the hard stuff as a path to joy, and finding joy in the happiness of others will be offered.
Perhaps you can not imagine yourself skipping through a meadow with childlike exuberance. If the word ”joy” is a stretch, don’t worry. Truly happy people are not happy all the time. They feel sad and angry and have the whole range of human emotions. Joy is a general feeling of aliveness and well-being that is characterized by engagement with life, meeting its ups and downs with authenticity and perspective. It can look very different from person to person, from a quiet sense of contentment to bubbly enthusiasm. That will be one of your discoveries—identifying how joy expresses itself uniquely through you. Please note: You do not have to be a “joyful person” to benefit from this workshop—though you might have fun anyway.
Who’s teaching?
The teachers of the Awakening Joy workshop are James and Jane Baraz. James Baraz has been teaching meditation since 1978 and the popular online Awakening Joy course since 2003. He is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center where, in addition to leading retreats, he created the Community Dharma Leader program and the Kalyana Mitta (Spiritual Friends) Network, and is the teacher advisor to the Spirit Rock Family and Teen program. James coauthors the book Awakening Joy. He lives in California with his wife, Jane.
Jane Baraz has been practicing meditation since 1976 and leads Awakening Joy workshops internationally. She served on the board of directors at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and helped start the Spirit Rock Family Program. Jane is a life coach who helps women live with more purpose, balance, and fulfillment.
Where’s the workshop venue? What to bring?
The venue of the workshop is the Helsinki Zen Center, Kalevankatu 4. See map here.
Please bring some snacks, if you wish. Tea, instant coffee and cookies will be offered. It is possible to sit on a chair or on the floor. Meditation mats, cushions and benches are available. After the workshop there will be time for some spontaneous socializing.
How much does it cost? How can I sign up?
There is no fixed price but we accept voluntary donations to cover the rent of the workshop venue, and a part the travel expenses of the teachers. The teachers will not receive any payment for their work, but there will be an opportunity to give a donation to the teachers after the workshop.
You can sign up by filling the registration form. Please tell if you would like to have a chair. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at nirodha.ilmo@gmail.com.
With warm regards,
Helena Creutz (+358 40 513 1442)