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Wren Zen Meditation Class
Monday, January 6 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
from January 6 to March 3 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm (except January 20)
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What is Zen meditation? Zen meditation, or Zazen, is one of the most powerful methods of Zen Buddhist practice developed in the past 2,500 years in Asia and brought to America in the 60’s and 70’s. Zazen is a practice-oriented tradition that is very simple, you “just sit,” as a Japanese master would say. We sit in an upright position, with our hands folded in our laps, while paying attention to our breathing, letting thoughts come and go, and emotions arise and pass. As we practice sitting meditation together, we will become more alert and present to our own bodily sensations and the world around us. We will learn how to maintain stillness and to relate to our pain, both emotional and physical. As part of the Soto Zen tradition, we will also learn how to integrate the concentration cultivated in sitting into other parts of our lives and routines, such as working, parenting, eating, walking, etc. Additionally, as part of a contemporary Zen practice, we will give attention to our emotional needs, attachments, and desires while examining them in an honest and heartfelt way.
About the Instructor: 
Adriana Couto Silva has been practicing Zen Buddhism for 14 years and initiated the Wren Zen group in 2022. She began her Zen practice at the Zen Mountain Monastery in Upstate New York. Currently, she is a Zen student at the Ordinary Mind Zendo, a lay Buddhist sangha located in the Upper West Side of New York City. Adriana is also a psychoanalytic psychotherapist with a clinical practice in the DC area. The Introduction to Zen Meditation class consists of 7 weekly sessions for $70. Each class includes a period of instruction and introduction to Zen practice, followed by two periods of sitting meditation. There will also be an optional period for discussion and questions. The group will meet on Mondays from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, from January 6th, 2025 to February 24th, 2025 in the Harriet Jacobs Room at the Hill Center on Capitol Hill. We will not have a meditation session on January 20th to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Day. We offer participants a choice of cushions, Zeiza bench cushions, or chairs to accommodate their physical needs. If you have any questions about this meditation group, please feel free to e-mail Adriana Couto Silva at contact@wrenzen.org.
