One Mindful Breath

WHAT WE DO One Mindful Breath is a secular dharma practice community in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand FIND OUT HOW SIMPLE MEDITATION CAN BE Meditation is not about trying to ‘stop your thoughts’. Instead, it’s a useful skill for living a less reactive and more ethical life. With us you can: Learn to practice mindfulness Refresh and deepen your meditation practice Find a friendly group of people to meditate with, and Discover a creative, secular approach to the dharma We can be found at the Friends’ Centre in Moncrieff St, Mt Victoria in Wellington each Wednesday evening. If you’ve never meditated before you might like to come on the first Wednesday of the month which is our beginners’ session. Doors open at 7:15pm. YOU CAN JUST TURN UP People with all levels of meditation experience are welcome, including absolute beginners. You can turn up to any Wednesday session – no registration needed. While there’s no fixed fee for our events, your contribution towards future events is gladly accepted. We are a secular Buddhist group, but you don’t need to ‘be’ a secular Buddhist to come along to one of our sessions. OUR PRACTICE IS A SIMPLE ONE We sit in silence and try to be aware of what is happening for us in that moment. Watching the breath, we may become aware of sounds, thoughts and feelings. We observe those sensations and simply allow them to go. On Wednesday evenings, we sit in chairs, but if you’d prefer to sit on a cushion and have one, you’re welcome to bring it. Walking meditation is another practice we do, and instructions are offered before we start. OUR VALUES Practising mindfulness for us is the first step in developing an ethical life. Through developing concentration in meditation, we gain insight into the mind’s habits. This allows us to cultivate more compassionate and generous states of mind, which translates into action in the world. Our practice is based on secular Buddhism. We develop our practice around the four tasks that Gotama, the historical Buddha, taught his followers.