Overreacting? Get Over Reacting! - A One Day Zoom Retreat with Gareth Young

Description: It's easy, especially in challenging times, to find oneself in a reactive posture: reacting to the news; to politicians; to family or friends with different views; to people not wearing masks; to people wearing masks so badly they might as well not be wearing masks; to people requiring us to wear masks when we don't want to. All our externally-directed reactions (anger, ill-will, blame, judgment, etc.) invariably amplify our stress - one translation of dukkha, more commonly rendered as suffering. And when we let these reactions take over, we hurt both ourselves and those around us.

But we don't have to live this way. We can stop hurting ourselves.

In this one-day retreat we will focus on moving our posture from one of reaction to one of action; from letting external affairs control us to reclaiming our lives for ourselves. We will work with the Buddhist teachings of karma and the brahmaviharas, and engage the wisdom of Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman and others, to help us find more healthy ways of experiencing the news, politicians, those with different views, etc. As we move to healthier experience, we move from reaction to action, and in doing so we reduce our stress and that of others, and we increase our ability to be effective in our lives and in the world.

Zoom Call Details A dedicated Zoom call event will be created and details provided to participants in advance of the retreat.

Cost The retreat fee of $10 will go towards the ongoing operating costs of Red Clay Sangha which, even in times of Covid, still include rent, insurance, and other normal overhead costs.

Gareth Young has been with Red Clay Sangha since its founding. He has formally studied in both the Insight and Zen traditions and his practice is informed by these and other branches of Buddhism, as well as other spiritual practices and other faiths. His approach to practice is intentionally inclusive, open and welcoming.

Other Practice Matters Prepare a comfortable, quiet space for your retreat a couple of days ahead of time, and wear comfortable clothing for the retreat. For some people facing their monitor can help remind them of the supportive presence of other attendees; for others, this can create a distraction and facing away works better. Please feel free to experiment and find the approach that works best for you. But remember that this is a group retreat and work to be fully present. Also please do treat this as a retreat and plan to attend for the full day; the flexibility of the Zoom can allow us to drop in and out, but this is not conducive to the immersive experience opportunity and can disturb the experience of others.

Preliminary Schedule

8:45 – 9:00          Informal Online Arrival
9:00 – 9:15           Orientation
9:15 – 9:45           Sitting meditation
9:45 – 9:50           Walking meditation
9:50 – 10:15         Sitting meditation
10:15 – 10:55      Dharma Talk
10:55 – 11:00       Walking meditation
11:00 – 11:25       Sitting meditation
11:25 – 11:30       Walking meditation
11:35 – 12:00       Sitting meditation
12:00 – 1:00        Lunch
1:00 – 1:25           Sitting meditation
1:25 – 1:30           Walking meditation
1:30 – 1:55           Yoga
1:55 – 2:00           Walking meditation
2:00 – 2:25           Sitting meditation
2:25 – 3:15          Discussion/Q&A
3:15 – 3:40           Sitting meditation
3:45 - 3:50            Walking meditation
3:50 – 4:15           Guided meditation
4:15 – 4:20           Walking meditation
4:20 – 4:40           Sitting meditation
4:40 – 5:00          Closing circle

Lunch There will be a one hour break for lunch. Participants are encourage to use the break mindfully and to make no plans for administrative or household tasks, but rather to eat a healthy (light vegetarian) meal in silence, and spend the balance of the break in meditation, silent walking, or sitting silently in reflection or observing nature.

Questions or More Information? Please contact Gareth Young.