Open Arms for Syria Needs Your Help

Open Arms for Syria is a group of Toronto friends, co-workers and neighbours sponsoring a family of 5 Syrian refugees, in partnership with Humanity First. They will house and support this family for their first year in Canada.  They are in need of standard household items, please let us know if you can donate any of the following by contacting Leslie at: leslie.kirsh@gmail.com

 

Big dining room table - (6 seats)

Living room side tables

1 Queen Duvet

3 single duvets

3 sets of single sheets

3 single duvets

New(ish) set of pots/pans

Serving dishes / bowls

Coffee table

little milk server

Big Roasting Pan

Lamps

bathmat x1

5 pillows 

Non-residential Meditation Retreat

An opportunity to deepen your practice without having to leave the city.

NON-RESIDENTIAL MEDITATION RETREAT. 

An opportunity to deepen your practice without having to leave the city. 

Where: Grant's house (near Brock Ave and Dundas St., Toronto)
When: August 21, 22, 23
friday evening 7-9pm
saturday 9-12pm lunch 1:30pm- 4:15pm
sunday 9-12pm lunch 1:30pm - 2:30pm
bring lunch; alternatively, there are plenty of places on dundas or queen to buy a lunch.
zafus (meditation cushions), benches, and zabutons provided.

What: schedule will consist of 40 minute sits separated by 20 minute periods walking meditation either inside or outside, with a talk by Grant on Saturday afternoon.

Cost: attendance by donation (sliding scale suggested $40-$120)
We will be offering scholarship spots for those who would benefit from financial assistance.


Registration: 
Please complete the following questions and copy them into an email to granthut@hotmail.com. It is possible to attend only part (e.g. one day) but if the retreat fills up those who commit to the whole weekend will have first dibs . 

The Questions: 
Can you attend the full retreat?
Do you have a regular sitting practice?
How long have you practiced?
Do you have any physical or psychological conditions that would affect your participation in this retreat?
Please email granthut@hotmail.com to register.

 

NON-RESIDENTIAL MEDITATION RETREAT

An opportunity to deepen your practice without having to leave the city. 


Where: Grant's house (near Brock Ave and Dundas St., Toronto)

When: May 29, 30, 31
Friday evening 7-9pm
Saturday 9-12pm lunch 1:30pm- 4:15pm
Sunday 9-12pm lunch 1:30pm - 3pm

bring lunch; alternatively, there are plenty of places on dundas or queen to buy a lunch.

zafus (meditation cushions), benches, and zabutons provided.


What: schedule will consist of 40 minute sits separated by 20 minute periods walking meditation either inside or outside, with a dharma talk by Grant on Saturday afternoon.

Cost: attendance by donation (sliding scale suggested $40-$120)

Registration: 
Please complete the following questions and copy them into an email to Grant. It is possible to attend only part (e.g. one day) but if the retreat fills up those who commit to the whole weekend will have first dibs . 

The Questions: 
Can you attend the full retreat?
Do you have a regular sitting practice?
How long have you practiced?
Do you have any physical or psychological conditions that would affect your participation in this retreat?


Please email granthut@hotmail.com to register.

THE NEW WAVE OF YOGA: 5-DAY INTENSIVE WITH MICHAEL STONE AND KATHRYN BRUNI-YOUNG

In the last few years, rigid approaches to yoga practices have been replaced by a more exploratory approach to movement and evidence-based understandings of how the body heals, strengthens, and stretches. Following his annual 5-day intensive format, Michael has joined with Kathryn Bruni Young to offer a re-exploration of yoga (movement, breathing, psychology, philosophy) starting from the ground up.

Over the past year, Michael Stone and Kathryn Bruni-Young have sparked a friendship over their mutual desire to expand what they know of the body, mind, and the practice of yoga. They have been exploring:

  • Integrating evidence-based movement patterns into yoga practice
  • Going deeper in understanding the role of breathing in both calming and strengthening
  • Creating strength in areas of the body that get over-stretched
  • How to discover more dynamic ranges of movement than "traditional" yoga sequences allow without losing the integrity of familiar practices

This approach to practice is also something Michael is bringing to the way meditation and yoga philosophy are being offered. In this workshop, he will break down ways of practicing, understanding, and communicating the key teachings of yoga and how they apply to daily life.

This five day workshop will combine: asana, pranayama, functional physiology, and strength work. Kathryn will be teaching yoga and movement possibilities in the morning with Michael completing each morning with inversions, closing postures and pranayama. Michael will begin the afternoons with meditation instruction, followed by lectures on contemporary ways of understanding and practicing (and articulating) yoga philosophy using the language of psychology, and then Kathryn will lead a restorative yoga practice to end the day.

And all of this great material will be shared in the context of community and discussion.

This course is open to students of all backgrounds. Teachers looking for new forms of inspiration and clear methods for communicating alignment and mindfulness in their classes are encouraged to join.

Cost

$680 + HST *

*Payment plans and limited sliding scale spaces available. Email nicole@michaelstoneteaching.com for details.

Dates

March 16 - 20, 2015

Location

Hart House, University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario