MINDFULLY HOLDING DIFFICULTY
July 13, 2021
“When we numb [hard feelings], we numb joy, we numb gratitude, we numb happiness”
-BRENÉ BROWN
A Moment with Stephanie
Dear Friends –
One of the biggest gifts I have received through my meditation practice is the ability to sit with difficulty. Prior to becoming a mindfulness practitioner, I would often have a sense of overwhelm or devastation when life’s inevitable hardships or crises would come my way. Meditation or mindfulness cannot take those challenges away. But my practice helps me to stay centered and more at peace with whatever is going on in my life. Maybe it seems a bit contradictory, but the practice actually helps move towards the pain, the grief, the disappointment (or whatever else might be arising) instead of trying to escape from it. The ability to be with what is most difficult allows the pain, the sorrow, or the shame to subside and through that I find equanimity. And that allows space for joy.
This month of July we are exploring how to use our mindfulness practices to deal with life’s difficulties. I hope that you can join us on our online community of practice or one of the open meditation sessions mentioned below.
Stephanie Romero, Ed.D.
Founder & Executive Director
Awaken Pittsburgh
How Can We Support You This Summer?
Saturday Online Guided Meditations: July 17 & 31 @ 9:30am
Awaken Pittsburgh is offering guided meditations open to anyone twice a month! This is a chance to practice in a community together. Each session follows the same format: introductions, a period of guided meditation, and then a chance to support one another, discuss how our meditations are going at home, and ask any questions we have about practice. We hope to see you there!
Join us Saturday the 17th at 9:30am In July, our topic is making mindful contact with difficult emotions. On the 17th, we’ll be exploring shame and how it shows up in our bodies and our minds. We will discuss what information our personal experience of shame holds for us and how we can acknowledge and respond to it.
We are pleased to have Helen Stickney guide our July 31st open mediation. Helen will explore creating a safe space in our minds and bodies for opening to the wisdom of grief.
Helen Stickney is an end of life doula and death educator specializing in contemplative and somatic approaches to mortality and grief. In 2014 she left a career in academia in order to work with people who are facing death. As a doula, she supports dying people and their loved ones through the various phases of the end of life process — this can include the very practical aspects of preparation for death, but most often focuses on the emotional and spiritual processes that people go through during this time. Helen has been a practitioner of meditation for almost 40 years, and mindfulness and deep listening are integrated into all aspects of her work.
To find more about Helen and the work she does check out: https://pghdeathcare.com/
This month of July we are exploring how to use our mindfulness practices to deal with
life’s difficulties. I hope that you can join us on our online community of practice or one of the open meditation sessions mentioned below.
How is Awaken Pittsburgh Impacting the Community?
In a project funded by the Birmingham Foundation, Awaken Pittsburgh is working with the Hilltop Family Care Center in collaboration with Children’s Hospital’s this summer. This video is being shared with the families that signed up for the program & is delivered by Mark, our newest program deliverer. It is geared towards pre-k/early elementary aged children, but I think people of all ages will love it!
Enjoy!
How can you support our work?
- Donate. Awaken Pittsburgh needs additional support to continue to provide programming to those who cannot afford it, which allows us to continue connecting mindfully to those most in need. Please donate and support our work.
- Volunteer. Want to join our team? Do you have a skill or talent that could support a growing nonprofit? We are always looking for folks to help out. Find our postings here.