Just to remind you that our next fortnightly Afternoon of Mindfulness is Saturday 25th, 2:30pm to 5pm at the Friends Meeting House. Check out this page for directions. Do come a little before 2:30pm so we can start promptly.

The stuff we do in our Afternoons of Mindfulness is practice sitting and walking meditation, listen to a teaching by our teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, and share and listen to one another mindfully. We deepen our practice of mindfully, with the help each other, our brothers and sisters on the path. We welcome a donation to help support our sangha. Herbal tea and cushions available.

Other events:

Thursday 16 August – 7pm to 8:30pm: Public Display of Positive Messages
Millennium Bridge
With all the good vibes in the air lately in London, lets get together and expand it! Bring a sign with a positive message and show your beautiful smile!
More info: http://www.facebook.com/events/389638957756123/

Saturday 18 August – Action packed day!

1. Going Deeper 2.30-5pm – Friends Meeting House

A chance for those already grounded in the practice to explore The Five Mindfulness Trainings more deeply together. We look deeply into our own practice with the trainings through meditations, dharma discussion and touching the earth! Please bring some vegetarian food to share if you would like to stay for dinner or film night!

2. Film Night 7pm – 9pm – Friends Meeting House (first ever film screening!!)

A screening of Werner Herzog’s Wheel of Time – A look at the largest Buddhist ritual in Bodh Gaya, India. Amazing scenes and stories from this Tibetan festival, including interviews with the Dalai Lama. An estimated 500,000 Buddhists attended the initiation at Bodh Gaya, some travelling years on foot to participate, the film contains footage of never before seen rituals and unbelievable scenes of devotion from the pilgrims. Should be a lovely night, I hope you can join us, Please bring some vegetarian snacks to share!

3. Meditation flash mob on the Roof Terrace, near St. Pauls Cathedral 7pm – 7:40pm

Yep, we have a clash with the film night – oops!
But here’s the info: http://www.facebook.com/events/330997976983612/?ref=ts

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Peace Sit Personal sharings Pictures Wake Up London

Pictures from Tate Modern flash mob!

16 July 2012

Thanks to everyone who came! We sat at the back of the Turbine Hall. For the first 15 minutes, the space was very quiet, then suddenly, a group of performance artists motioned around us. We were told that they were practicing for an upcoming event. It felt that our stillness and their movements were part of some kind of performance art! Here’s an account by Bob Harvey, a flash mob participant:

Today I went to the flashmob meditation at the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern.. All the time I have been in Italy I have been following these events on Facebook and I was delighted that I could finally make the trip down from my new home in Lincoln.
It started with about 30-40 of us, sitting in a circle on the floor, then the numbers quickly doubled. once we had started.
Then a most amazing thing happened. Unbeknown to Wake Up London, the space we were using had been booked by a contemporary dance group to rehearse their live installation at the same time, so while we were meditating we started to hear the shuffle of feet all around us. About 50 dancers were going through a slow-motion silent routine which gradually built up speed to become a Zen Walk – racing around silently without bumping into each other. All the while our circle was in silent meditation – but the effect on the energy was amazing – as if someone had turned on a high-powered motor.
As the dance group moved away to the other end of the hall, our circle started a resonating OMMM and the energy gradually subsided.
It was the most extraordinary sensation and literally took my breath away.
I spoke to the organiser of the dance troupe afterwards, and they had no idea of teh impact of their energy on our energy. Maybe not everyone had the same experience as I had, but for me it was truly beautiful.

Click here for more pictures.

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News & Events Peace Sit Retreats Wake Up London

Upcoming events

30 June 2012

We all have the seeds of love in us.
We can develop this wonderful source of energy,
nurturing the unconditional love
that does not expect anything in return.

– Thich Nhat Hanh

Dear friends,

I hope you’re enjoying this warm and sunny weekend.

Thanks to everyone who came to practice together at our bi-monthly
Afternoon of Mindfulness. Here is the full transcript of the dharma
talk that we read together. And here is the guided self love
meditation:

May I be happy
May I be peaceful and at ease
May I be free from suffering
May I be safe from harm
May I learn to love and accept myself unconditionally
May I learn to recognize what is good, beautiful and true in me

Our next Afternoons of Mindfulness for young people (from 16 to early
30s) is Saturday 14th July.

Other stuff happening:

DAY TRIP TO AMARAVATI BUDDHIST MONASTERY – JULY 7

A few of us are going to Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Hemel
Hempstead next Saturday. We will get the 9:54am train from Euston and
then get a taxi to the monastery. Lunch is at 11:30 am and there is a
meditation workshop from 2 pm to 4 pm. Please let me know if you’re
interested in coming along so I know who to wait for in station next
week. You can also contact me on 07910675357.

WAKE UP YOUTH RETREAT IN PLUM VILLAGE – JULY 13 TO 21

The annual Wake Up youth retreat is happening from July 13 to 21 in
Plum Village, monastery and practice centre of our teacher Thich Nhat
Hanh. Please click here for more information.

MEDITATION FLASH MOB BY LONDON EYE – JULY 14

For those who are not going to be away in Plum Village, or Buddhafield
festival etc… there’s going to be a meditation flash mob by the
London Eye on Saturday 14th July – so straight after our Afternoon of
Mindfulness. Please come! RSVP and invite your friends to the Facebook
event here.

WAKE UP T SHIRTS FOR SALE

We have some medium to large navy t shirts with the ‘Wake Up’ in white
letters. They are £15 each and you can buy them at the next Afternoon
of Mindfulness. Or you can order them and I can pop one in the post to
you. Let me know.

Have a great weekend, dear friends.

Elina
info@wkuplondon.org

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News & Events Wake Up London

Save The Date – Yoga Flash Mob!

16 June 2012

We are excited to be collaborating with Wellicious for a Yoga Flash Mob this Summer to get into the Olympics spirit.

The location and teacher will be announced soon, but sign up to the event via this link below, so we can keep you posted on the details.

https://www.facebook.com/events/254340681333023/

Share this event with all your friends – we hope to see you there!

Don’t forget to come to the meditation flash mob in Leicester Square next Wednesday!

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News & Events Peace Sit Wake Up London

Upcoming Wake Up London events

24 May 2012

AFTERNOON OF MINDFULNESS THIS SATURDAY

Just a note to remind you that our next Afternoon of Mindfulness is this Saturday 26th. For those that are new, our Afternoons of Mindfulness is a space for young people, from 16 to early 30s, to practice mindfulness together, in the tradition of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. It is from 2:30pm to 5pm, and we practice sitting and walking meditation, listen to a teaching, practice mindful speech and deep listening and recite the 5 Mindfulness Trainings, which we use as a guiding light on our path. Read more here. We welcome a donation for every meeting.

If you’re coming for the first time, we will gently guide you through our meeting and offer some explanation on the practices (though, none of us are teachers, but peer practitioners).

OTHER EVENTS

Monday 28th May – Public Display of Positve Messages
6pm to 7:30pm
Bring a sign with a positive message – make the words BIG and BOLD.
Read more

Saturday 2nd June – Meditation // Drum Circle // Social Gathering at Thames Beach, Southbank
3pm onwards
Celebrating our 1 year anniversary of meditation flash mobs in London. Come along for a meditation by River Thames, drum circle and time for chilling out afterwards. Bring veggie food and drinks, musical instruments (especially DRUMS for a drum circle) and outdoor games (does anyone have twister?!)
Read more

Saturday 9th June – Afternoon of Mindfulness
2:30pm to 5pm
Our next bi-monthly meeting to practice mindfulness

Wednesday 20th June – Meditation Flash Mob in Leicester Square
6:30pm to 7:30pm
Meditate in the garden of Leicester Square, which has re-opened again after a period of refurbishment. Be the change!
Read more

Save the Date – Saturday 30th June – Walking Meditation Flash Mob (maybe)
We may organize another walking meditation flash mob since our 1st one in Oxford Street was rather enjoyable (see pictures) . If you’re interested – email us with a YES at info@wkuplondon.org

See you then! We love you!

by wakeuplondon

Heart of London Sangha Mindfulness News & Events Wake Up London

Day of Mindfulness with Zen teacher Edward Espe Brown

29 April 2012

****** bookings now full – registration is closed *************

Dear friends,

We are happy to announce an upcoming Day of Mindfulness with Zen teacher Edward Espe Brown on 5th May, organized by Heart of London and Wake Up London sanghas. Please register as soon as possible to book your place.

This is a a rare opportunity to experience a Day of Mindfulness with this inspirational teacher (who is also well known for being really funny too). Day will consist of guided sitting meditation, walking meditation, dharma teaching, Qi gong and mindful eating. Exact schedule not confirmed yet.

When: Saturday 5th May 2012, 09:30am to 5pm
Where: Friends Meeting House, 52 St Martins Lane, London, WC2N 4EA (entrance at 8 Hop Gardens)
Nearest tube and overground: Leicester Sq and Charing Cross
Cost: £10 or £7 for student/unwaged – you can pay on the door.
For: All ages, experienced meditation pracitiotioners, beginners, curious people

Please bring a vegetarian lunch to share. Weather permitting, we will have a picnic in St. James Park, then return to the Friends Meeting House for the session in the afternoon.

REGISTRATION

ABOUT EDWARD

Edward Espe Brown is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest, teacher and chef.

Edward was ordained as a Zen Priest by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in 1971 and has been practicing in the Japanese Soto Zen tradition of Suzuki Roshi since 1965. He has however developed an eclectic practice over the years, with extensive Vipassana training, many years practising Yoga and Chi Gung, and has taken a number of retreats with Thich Nhat Hanh in the USA, as well as visiting Plum Village during the 1990s.

Edward wrote the famous Tassajara Bread Book in the early 70s, co-founded Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, and a documentary film was recently made about him called How To Cook Your Life. He currently teaches at Tassajara Zen Center, Green Gulch Farm, and Spirit Rock, as well as heading his own Sangha in Marin County.

Watch trailer for How To Cook Your Life
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHy-hNklpAk]

His website and bio is available here.

WHAT EDWARD IS UP TO IN THE UK

Edward will be visiting the UK as a Guest Speaker at The Do Lectures in Wales during the last week of April.

He will then be in London from April 29th to May 7th:

April 29th – Day retreat with London Insight

May 2nd – Talk at The Buddhist Society in London

May 3rd – The International Zen Association in London

(May 5th – Day of Mindfulness with us)

May 6th – Workshop with Alternatives at St. James Church

—

We look forward to spending the day with you!

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Mindfulness Peace Sit Pictures Wake Up London

Another wonderful meditation flash mob last night

27 April 2012

Dear friends,

Thanks so much to those who attended yesterday evening’s flash mob. It was lovely, as ever, and I’m so happy to see the community growing so beautifully and organically with these public meditation gatherings. So many of us were from different paths and different faiths, or or none, yet we came together as a single community. What is it that binds us together like this?

Also a warm thank you to the sound healers, Amy, Paolo, Mary, Sandira, Marcin, Bea and David (and others I’m not aware of) for bring your wonderful sounds at the end of the sitting.

I wanted to share with the wonderful photos on our Facebook page.

Please check out today’s Evening Standard on page 21 – our event has been featured!

And also we were featured as TimeOut London’s top 5 events of the week!

How wonderful to be getting this much coverage!

We’ll be posting future meditation flash mobs via our Facebook page Wake Up London. You can also join the Meetup group to ensure you get invitations direct to your email, as Facebook doesn’t have that function via a page.

In May, we have some different events planned…

like meditation flash mob through Oxford Street..

And also another event which will involve holding signs displaying positive affirmations to the public, to remind passersby to reconnect to their innate goodness and beauty. We will announce that soon!

Thank you for being there!

Much love
Elina
on behalf of Wake Up London

Be the change!

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