Mindfulness

March 23, 2020

Open Mindfulness Groups

Due to the COVID-19 virus and the precautions to limit the spread of the virus, we are cancelling all in person OMGs effectively immediately. Dear friends of the Atlantic Contemplative Centre (ACC), Currently, we are facing a time of uncertainty and isolation. In response, the ACC faculty want to help us stay connected while we are isolated, help us stay calm during a time of great anxiety, and give us an opportunity to care for one another. Therefore, we will be hosting 3 online Open Mindfulness Groups each week using the Zoom platform: Tuesday: 7:00-8:00 PM link: https://zoom.us/j/543141920 Meeting ID: 543 141 920 Wednesday: Noon-1:00 PM link: https://zoom.us/j/306467276 Meeting ID: 306 467 276 Thursday: 4:00-5:00 PM link: https://zoom.us/j/203966384 Meeting ID: 203 966 384 Participation in these OMGs is free and volunteer led by the ACC facilitators. All sessions will follow the OMG format: check-in, then 15 to 20 minutes of silence for mindfulness practice (some guided...

by Jim Torbert

July 7, 2019

New Open Mindfulness Groups Added

We are pleased to announce an expanded offering of open mindfulness group opportunities for 2019. New locations and times include: Spring Garden OMG, Every Wednesday, 12-1:00 PM at 5670 Spring Garden Road, Suite 902; Dartmouth OMG, Every Thursday, 4-5:00 PM at the Community Health Team office, 58 Tacoma Drive; OMG at Bayers Road, Every Thursday, 12:15-1:15 PM at the Teamworkbridge Office, 5th floor boardroom of 7051 Bayers Road; Chester OMG, Every Thursday, 10:00-11:00 AM at Our Health Centre, 3769 Highway #3, Chester, NS; Open Mindfulness in the Bay, Monthly, 4th Sunday of the month with the exceptions Jun-Aug 2019, 2:30-4:30 PM at the Tantallon Library; and Bedford OMG, Thursdays, June 6, 20; July 11, 25; Aug 8, 22 at12:00-1:00 PM Community Health Team, Bedford Place Mall, 1658 Bedford Highway. Sessions are open to anyone interested in mindfulness practice. They include guided practice and discussion and are provided free....

by Jim Torbert

September 6, 2016

Mindful Focusing:

Using the Body’s Wisdom to Overcome Obstacles, Open the Heart, and Liberate Spirit The Atlantic Contemplative Centre Lecture Series is pleased to be sponsoring the following program: David Rome, author of Your Body Knows the Answer—Using Your Felt Sense to Solve Problems, Effect Change, and Liberate Creativity, will present MINDFUL FOCUSING: Using the Body’s Wisdom to Overcome Obstacles, Open the Heart, and Liberate Spirit. This day and a half program offers a potent synthesis of mindfulness-awareness practice and Focusing, a method for directly accessing the non-conceptual knowing held in our bodies. The program will be held on Tuesday, September 13, 2016 from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.and Wednesday, September 14 from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Halifax Central Library. David Rome is a senior trainer with the Focusing Institute and Shambhala International. A student of Chögyam Trungpa and Eugene Gendlin, David has integrated mindfulness-awareness techniques and Gendlin’s felt sense work into the practice of Mindful Focusing. See www.mindfulfocusing.com for more information about mindful focusing and David Rome. Program Cost: $138.50 plus processing...

by Jim Torbert

May 23, 2016

Foundations of Applied Mindfulness

Deepening our Practice and Understanding of Mindfulness: a 6-month collaborative learning community starting Sunday, October 30, 2016. Sponsored by the Atlantic Contemplative Centre Given the many sources of information now available, knowing how best to bring mindfulness into our work/living environment can be a challenge. Faculty of the Atlantic Contemplative Centre warmly invite you to join us in a 6 month exploration of the foundations of Applied Mindfulness as part of a collaborative learning community. Who should attend this program? People with established mindfulness practice who are interested in deepening their personal practice and exploring the current concepts and practices involved in the application of mindfulness in the workplace, home, and community. You will learn: To develop confidence and skills in the application of mindfulness to create more mindful and compassionate workplaces, homes, and communities. To deepen your own personal mindfulness practice. To understand the frameworks and science that support bringing mindfulness and compassion into...

by Jim Torbert

February 15, 2016

Bringing Mindfulness to our Communications With Clients in Healthcare

A day to explore how mindful speech, discussion, and ‘inquiry’ enlivens our work with individuals and groups Mindfulness strengthens our interactions with clients (and colleagues)—whether working one-on-one or facilitating groups. In this day-long session we’ll deepen our practice of mindfulness together, and discover how mindful speech, discussion, and ‘inquiry’ support self-awareness, investigation, and insight. This is the second in a series of 3 sessions designed to support Healthcare Practitioners. Look for the third session in April. Who the program is for: Healthcare providers who have a mindfulness practice Healthcare providers training in mindfulness-based interventions including MBSR, MBCT, DBT, ACT What this session includes: Guided mindfulness practices to deepen our personal practice (body and breath; movement; listening and ‘inquiry’) Communication practices that support awareness, insight, and cohesion in mindfulness groups Date: Saturday February 27, 2016 – 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. Limited to 30 participants Cost: $125.00 includes lunch and snacks Location: Great Hall at the Cathedral Church of All Saints, 1330...

by Jim Torbert

June 7, 2015

First annual ACC Lecture on Mindfulness and Society

On Sunday May 10, 2015, a sunny Mother’s Day afternoon, Barry Boyce delivered the first annual ACC lecture of Mindfulness and Society at the sparkling new Halifax Library. The audience of twenty-five, some of who had traveled a considerable distance to hear the talk, and including a number of ACC faculty, helped create an engaged environment within which Barry explored, with both humour and deep insight, the current state of the world of secular mindfulness and the key issues involved if mindfulness is to further integrate into the fabric of society. Of particular interest was the issue of teacher training, which Barry identified as the “rate limiting step”. He pointed out the necessity for proper teacher training, certification and ongoing supervision if the integrity of mindfulness practice is to be maintained. He directly addressed a number of recent articles criticizing the mindfulness movement, including concerns about commercialization. Through his many...