What is Rest?
What is Rest?
One-day Online Meditation Retreat- Date: Saturday, 9th Jan 2021
- Instructor: Cedric Reeves
- Cost: Sliding scale
We’ll learn to rest into open awareness. We’ll start with basic concentration practice to settle the mind. Then we’ll do the “what is rest?” practice. The “what is rest” inquiry is similar to Shikantaza, “Do Nothing”, Mahamudra, and Dzogchen. Pointing out type instructions will be given through out the meditation sessions. This will punctuate the restful open awareness practice with moments of investigation.
Format
- One-day Online Meditation Retreat: 10 hours, 30 mins total.
- Live Online Sessions: The live sessions will be hosted on Zoom. An email with the zoom links will be sent to you after you have registered.
- Q&A: There will be opportunity to ask questions during the Q&A section.
Attendance & Recordings
- Partial attendance is fine - however you get best results if you attend all sessions.
- Late Starts: You can join even after it has started.
- Live-only: This event will not be recorded.
Event Date & Time
The retreat runs for 10 hours, 30 mins total. Partial attendance is perfectly fine.
Retreat Schedule
| Duration | Activity |
|---|---|
| 10 mins | Lecture |
| 35 mins | Guided Meditation |
| 15 mins | Q&A |
Retreat Overview
We’ll learn to rest into open awareness. We’ll start with basic concentration practice to settle the mind. Then we’ll do the “what is rest?” practice. The “what is rest” inquiry is similar to Shikantaza, “Do Nothing”, Mahamudra, and Dzogchen. Pointing out type instructions will be given through out the meditation sessions. This will punctuate the restful open awareness practice with moments of investigation.
Practice Technique
The suggested practice is the inquiry “What is rest?”. But other practice options will be given as well.
Second Lecture plus guided meditation
Lecture on emptiness with further discussion of practice.
Walking Meditation
Brief walking meditation instruction will be offered. Most hours will consist of a 20 minute walking meditation session and a 40 minute seated meditation session. Also self-guided yoga can be done in lieu of walking meditation during those 20 minute periods. It’s also fine to take a break during the walking periods.
Yoga (optional)
Cedric will guide an hour long Yoga session. The Yoga routine will be made up of two sequences. The first is based on the “how to grow a lotus” sequence which is specifically designed to help with long meditation sitting. The second sequence is Tibetan Sun Moon Yoga. This Yoga routine is from the Mahamudra lineage. This was taught to me by a Mahamudra master. This practice supports deep meditative experience.
This retreat is suitable for beginners.
Inquiry can be weird at first. People get it more quickly once they have a background of meditation. So for that reason it is better suited for intermediate meditators with at least 100 hours of meditation.
Partial attendance, coming and going, etc.
You can come and go whenever you like based on your availability and interest. The Europeans likely can’t attend the full retreat. Full participation will yield the most powerful result, however.
Miscellaneous Notes
The schedule is similar to a Zen retreat schedule.
We’ll chant the Hakuin’s Song of Zazen at the beginning and end of the day. https://www.thezensite.com/ZenTeachings/Translations/Song_of_Zazen.htm
We'll do a guided forgiveness meditation at the beginning of the retreat to soften the mind.
At the beginning of each sit we’ll chant the Mantra “gate gate para gate para sam gate bodhi svaha!”. This means "Gone, gone, gone totally gone, enlightenment, svaha!” Chanting is very powerful and strongly recommended. It's helps us drop into the subtle mind more quickly.
There will be time for Q&A and spot coaching.
We will be doing deep work. For that reason please feel free to take a break at any point.
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Who is this for?
This program is for those of us who...
- is looking to improve their psychological health, especially those who have tried other healing modalities with disappointing results.
- has problems with exploration and self development, relationships and emotional regulation
- wants to optimise their psychological health
- wants to understand the early foundations of their psychological development
Frequently Asked Questions
About Participation
Are there any prerequisites to attend?
Is the course compatible with therapy/counselling/psychotherapy?
Technical Questions
How do I access the online event?
Once you sign up, an email will be sent out to you with a zoom link. It will allow you to access the live classes. You can add the zoom to your google calendar to be reminded.
A password will be shared with you in order to access the recordings from previous classes.
I’m having technical issues accessing the event
If you are experiencing any technical issues relating to accessing the material or live sessions, please get in touch with us. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
What is the refund policy?
If for any reason you aren’t satisfied, simply contact us and we will send you a full refund.
My payment didn’t go through / I’m having payment issues
If you are experiencing troubles with your payment, simply contact us and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
I don’t have Paypal / Card / are there alternative payment methods?
There are other payment methods listed on our donations page. Otherwise contact us for other options. If you lack any ability to make online payments, let us know and we can sign you up for free.
In what format are the recordings?
I have technical issues accessing the course or recording. What should I do?
If you are experiencing any technical issues relating to accessing the material or live sessions, please get in touch with us. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
Testimonials
This is what participants of prior Retreats have to say:
J.
Cedric I would just like to say thanks for your wisdom and knowledge of attachment issues and repair. The work you are doing really helps me and I have never come across anything as transformative for me as your meditations. Thank you so much.
J.
Great retreat, thank you so much Cedric. There is something special about Tonglen and using it with the schemas feels so healing. I feel hopeful and inspired to keep working with Tonglen.
M.
Thank you for this beautiful retreat. Feels like this is what I needed in the moment.
Registration has closed.
Please note: This program is offered for educational purposes only and is not group-therapy, counselling or any kind of other psychotherapy, nor is it a substitute for the aforementioned. The instructor Cedric Reeves is a meditation teacher, not a psychotherapist, counsellor, or otherwise therapist.