This day-long Jewish meditation retreat takes place in the week approaching the holiday of Tu BiShvat. Tu BiShvat is an archetypal moment in the calendar, both for renewal and for reconnection with the earth. In this spirit we will inquire experientially into the twin nature of contemplative practice as both:

(1) a return to something primordial, and
(2) a continual beginning anew.

We will see how we can engage in simple, tangible and present-moment ways the words of Jeremiah, which are sung every Shabbat: “Return us to you and we will be returned, renew our days as of old.”

We will practice bringing alive the traditions and resonances of this holiday, in meditation and beyond. 

The day will be taught by Zac Newman. It will include sitting meditation, walking meditation, chanting, teaching and time for sharing. Everyone is welcome, and no previous experience is assumed or required.

Our venue is: Jewish Vegetarian Society, 855 Finchley Road, London NW11 8LX.

Please bring your own lunch. Teas and coffee will be provided.

If you have any questions, or you would like to discuss something, please contact our Community Manager Marc Frank on marc@hamakom.community. He is here to help, and will welcome hearing from you.

Standard Rate: £35

Scholarship Rate: £20 – available to all who cannot afford the Standard rate

Supporter Rate: £55

The Supporter rate is an invitation to help keep HaMakom accessible to all by paying a higher rate, and thereby enabling those who would not otherwise be able to, to come on the retreat at a subsidised rate. We are deeply grateful to all those who allow us to offer scholarship rates to those who need them. You help to spread Jewish practices for grounding and healing.

Retreat fees go solely towards HaMakom’s operating expenses. At the end of the retreat, there will be an invitation to make a donation to HaMakom in support of our ongoing work.

If you cannot afford the Scholarship rate please contact Marc at marc@hamakom.community. No one will be turned away because of their financial circumstances.

The Benefits of Jewish Mindfulness Meditation

(adapted from the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, with thanks)

We are dedicated  to this practice for several reasons:

• to enliven and enhance Jewish prayer, celebration, ritual and community;
• to be part of working for the betterment of our fragile and vulnerable planet; and
• to recognize the true and deep sources of happiness in a world filled with seductive, competing and ultimately unsatisfying short-term fixes.

How can Mindfulness Meditation Help?

Mindfulness meditation is training the mind. Just as we go to the gym to make our bodies stronger and more flexible, so mind training helps make our minds more spacious, perceptive and most of all free.

We train our capacity to pay attention by turning our attention, like a flashlight, on our own minds. This helps us see more clearly the nature of our own minds. We become aware of the patterns and habits that run our lives but have not been previously visible.

We begin to realize that these patterns and habits may serve our goals, desires, and purposes – but often they do not. We start to realize that there actually is a “pause button” built into our system. This pause button – or “Shabbat button” – can be activated when we become triggered by an event outside ourselves and are tempted to act in reactive, patterned and unskilful ways.

The pause wakes us up, creates a space in our mind where we can ask the question: ”What is the skilful, wholesome, wise action I need to take in this moment?” “What are my choices here?” The development of this capacity for inner freedom is why we train in mindfulness. This can be profoundly useful in our lives, especially in our relationships, and in any task we undertake to realise our dreams or express our creativity.

By cultivating attention, we are also able to feel more satisfied with each moment of our experience.

We learn to rest in this moment as it unfolds.

We learn to bring our awareness to the flow of energy in the body which is the very miracle of our aliveness. We learn to be more receptive to the fullness of each moment, rather than resisting what has already occurred or projecting what is not yet here. We learn to notice the arising and passing of all experience, recognizing how short and precious this life is.

We learn to treasure each day for the wonder that it is. This is itself a source of happiness. According to modern neuroscience, the mind is a dynamic flow of experiences rather than a fixed state. When we experience this for ourselves, we feel less isolated, less caught in judgment and adversity, and more open to the mystery and majesty of this life.