October 7 – December 16, 2024
Do you long to be happy, and enjoy ease and well-being in your life and relationships? Why do so many of us continue to struggle year after year with negative emotional reactivity and affliction? In spite of our best efforts, we so often suffer from dysfunctional patterns of emotionality.
In this Intensive we will embark together on a journey of healing and transformation. The core aspects of the FCM Mindful Living Path of Practice involve stabilizing our minds through the practice of mindfulness and meditation, and then healing the psycho-emotional wounds that we’ve carried for many years. This Intensive will focus on concrete practices for understanding and transforming our deep-seated emotional afflictions, so we can free up energy from endless reactivity and learn to live each day with greater well-being and equanimity.
Grounded in practices of mindfulness, we can learn to be present and open to strong emotions (such as anger, fear and sadness) instead of our habitual patterns of pushing them away or being swept away by them. Holding these feelings in mindful awareness we can look deeply into their origins in our past conditioning. We recognize emotional patterns, identify the misperceptions that feed them, and see clearly their true nature of impermanence and insubstantiality.
The readings and other supports of this Intensive will present a clear and systematic path for developing the skills and competencies that enable us to take care of our emotional suffering, and lead to self-healing and personal transformation.
A solid foundation of mindfulness and meditation is essential to our healing and transformation. This Intensive is open to FCM members who are developing the foundational support of practice by having participated in one or more of the following:
- Another FCM Intensive
- The FCM Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation 4-Week Course
- Mindfulness and meditation practice developed through other classes, retreats or in other settings.
Participants in this Intensive will be provided with a path of practice that will include specific readings, meditation practices, and daily life assignments. There will be bi-weekly Dharma Talks on Zoom, bi-weekly mentor group calls for individual guidance and support, and a Forum with our teacher, Fred.
Please note that FCM offers this Intensive approximately every two years. Even if you have taken this Intensive before you will reap the benefits of bringing a new level of maturity of practice to your process of healing and transformation.
This Intensive will be led by FCM Dharma Instructor, Betsy Arizu, assisted by Dani Hall. If you have any questions about whether this Intensive is right for you, please contact Betsy at betsyarizu@gmail.com. If you have any questions about the logistics of this Intensive, please contact Shelia at intensivecoordinator@floridamindfulness.org.
The commitments for this Intensive are listed below. Before registering for the Intensive please read the commitments and reflect carefully on whether you will be able to keep them.
The commitments for this Intensive are listed below. Before registering for the Intensive please read the commitments and reflect carefully on whether you will be able to keep them.
COMMITMENTS FOR EACH INTENSIVE PARTICIPANTS
Study & Practice:
- Spend a minimum of 30 minutes daily in formal meditative practice, study, and/or other practices related to this Intensive.
- Read Dharma texts assigned for the Intensive.
- Attend all the practice periods of your Sangha during the Intensive, as possible.
Participate in Assigned Practice Groups:
- Participate in your assigned bi-weekly mentoring group via Zoom.
- Be present for bi-weekly Dharma Talks via Zoom. (Oct 8, Oct 21, Nov 4, Nov 18, Dec 2, Dec 16)
- Participate in a Forum with Fred, Sunday, November 10, 12:30 - 1:45 pm via Zoom.
- Participate in FCM Dharma Buddies Program during the Intensive. Each participant will be assigned a Dharma Buddy. You may request a specific buddy but that person must be in this intensive. You will automatically be assigned a buddy unless you contact Evie Haseman (evelynhaseman@gmail.com) with a specific buddy request or a concern. Both buddies must contact Evie for a specific pairing request. More information about the Dharma Buddies program will be provided soon.
The fee for this Intensive is $100. This is a suggested amount and participants are free to offer more or less depending on their individual financial situation. Please pay online or send your check made out to the Florida Community of Mindfulness (FCM) to Florida Community of Mindfulness, 6501 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa, FL 33604.
Please note that participation in this Intensive is only open to members of FCM. For information about membership, please access our website at www.floridamindfulness.org.
This Intensive will begin on October 7 and end on December 16. Readings, Zoom teleconference/phone call instructions, and other pertinent dates will be announced once registration has been completed.
REGISTRATION PROCEDURE
Please read the information below before you click to register!
When you register, you will be asked to indicate your preferences for the mentoring groups offered through Zoom. The following six mentoring groups will be listed, and you will be required to indicate for each group one of the following: my first choice, my second choice, cannot do, or could do but not preferred. If there is more than one group that will work well for you, please mark all these as “my first choice.” This will provide us with added flexibility in making group assignments. Please have your calendar available when you register so that you can complete this part of the registration process accurately.
Group 1: Monday mornings, 7:30 am ET, Oct 14, 28, Nov 11, 25, Dec 9
Group 2: Monday afternoons, 4:30 pm ET, Oct 14, 28, Nov 11, 25, Dec 9
Group 3: Tuesday mornings, 7:30 am ET, Oct 15, 29, Nov 12, 26, Dec 10
Group 4: Wednesday mornings, 7:30 am ET, Oct 16, 30, Nov 13, 27, Dec 11
Group 5: Wednesday evenings, 6:00 pm ET, Oct 16, 30, Nov 13, 27, Dec 11
Group 6: Thursday mornings, 7:30 am ET, Oct 17, 31, Nov 14, Dec 5*, 12 (*one week later due to Thanksgiving)
Group 7: Thursday evenings, 6:00 pm ET, Oct 17, 31, Nov 14, Dec 5*, 12 (*one week later due to Thanksgiving)
Registration will be open until September 27. Please register as soon as you can to support our efforts to have everything organized in a timely manner.
