“with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might…when you sit in your home and when you go on the way, when you lie down and when you get up…”

Inspired by the words of the Shema, which enjoin us to practise with our whole heart and soul, on this day retreat we will inquire: what is meditation for? Is it limited to something cerebral? Or, have we made an enemy of what is cerebral? We will explore some of the ways that our ideas about meditation might be broadened, some of the infinite possibilities, whether we are new to it, have been meditating for decades, or anything in between. What may open is a sense of the great range of our choices, and our capacity to make meditation practice suitable and appropriate for the details and the various dimensions of our own lives, whatever they may be, and however they evolve.

The day will include periods of meditation, chanting and teaching, as well as opportunities to share and connect with each other. It will be led by Zac Newman and other members of the HaMakom faculty. We are delighted that Maxine Levy will be joining us to offer some yoga, too; as with every aspect of the retreat, it will be gentle and optional, and adaptable according to your body and your needs. No prior experience of meditation, yoga or anything else is assumed or required in order to participate.

Our in-person venue is: Jewish Vegetarian Society, 855 Finchley Rd, London NW11 8LX

Click here for more information about the Jewish Vegetarian Society.

The registration fees are the same whether you join in-person or online.

Standard Rate: £35

Scholarship Rate: £15 – available to all who cannot afford the Standard rate

Supporter Rate: £65

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, and make available practices for grounding and healing rooted in the Jewish tradition.

Retreat fees go solely towards HaMakom’s operating expenses, and do not include payment to the teachers for leading our retreat. In the Jewish tradition of generosity/Chesed, the teachings are offered freely. At the end of the retreat, there will be an invitation to make a donation to the teachers and to offer additional financial support to HaMakom.

If you cannot afford the Scholarship rate please contact our Retreat Manager, Zac at: zac@hamakom.community. No one will be turned away because of their financial circumstances.

The Benefits of Jewish Mindfulness Meditation

(from: The Institute for Jewish Spirituality)

We are dedicated  to introducing this practice into the Jewish world 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 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 button” wakes us up, creates a space in our mind where we can ask the question: ”What is the skilful, wholesome, wise, goal oriented 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 realize 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 miracle 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 very life.