During this sacred season in the lead-up to the High Holydays, we typically take time to turn inwards, meeting ourselves in authentic openness, and welcoming in the willingness to change.

With the onset of Autumn, the inner world mirrors the outer as the old falls away, and new colours are made manifest. Meditation practice invites us into intimate awareness of all of this, and community supports us to know we are not alone in meeting the inevitability of impermanence, as it shows up in our day to day lives.

Our online weekly sitting groups help weave the preciousness of practice and the container of community together.

In a spirit of inclusivity, integrity, support, and mindful presence, we will draw on the wellspring of Jewish wisdom to guide our practice every week, in a way which is accessible irrespective of previous experience of either Meditation or Judaism.

Regular supported practice in community helps us to integrate our sitting more seamlessly into day to day life and experience the countless beneficial effects of Jewish mindfulness meditation in a direct and tangible way.

This current series of sittings will run from late August until late October, allowing us to dive deeply into our practice as both preparation and integration as we navigate the inner journey of the sacred season.

Both our Monday morning (Shachar) and Thursday evening (Erev) groups will be facilitated by Community Manager and Meditation Teacher Marc Frank, with guest Teacher Bev (Miri) Cohen also holding some sits too.

We ask each person who registers to commit to the full series of 8 weekly group meetings. If you are unable to attend any sessions in person, all sittings will be recorded and you are welcome to participate through watching or listening to the media instead.

The Standard rate for all 8 sessions is £40. For those who are able, we also offer the opportunity to contribute to support HaMakom with these and other offerings into the future. As a charity, all that we offer depends solely on participant contributions. Please consider contributing at the Supporter rate of £60, or Benefactor rate of £80 if either of these are within your means. All contributions are so gratefully received and help us to continue doing all that we do.

We also try not to turn anyone away due to lack of funds, so if you are in a position where you would struggle to pay the basic rate please be in touch with Marc directly at marc@hamakom.community and we can consider options together.

Every week, our sitting will begin with some teaching and reflection, drawn directly from the rich wisdom and insight of the Jewish tradition and of direct practical relevance to our meditation, inner healing and self care.

Some more information and structure for the sittings:

• We will meet every week on Zoom.
• We ask that, as much as is possible, everyone has their video on during the meeting, with a stable and quiet background. If you need to turn your video off temporarily for an unforeseen reason that is of course understood.
• The first 30 minutes will begin with welcoming, some teaching, reflection and the offering of an intention, followed by a period of meditation, which will generally include both guided and silent periods.
• The final 20 minutes will be a community space where each person will have a little time for sharing about their practice with the group. Everyone will be welcomed exactly as they are. If you don’t want to say much, you can just offer one word or phrase. It helps to build community when we give everyone the opportunity to be heard, and to listen. Our session then sometimes ends with a recitation of the traditional “Kaddish” prayer, to support anyone who may be mourning.