WE RISE life is beautiful
29 January - 25 February
5:30-6:30am Eastern
6:30-7:30am Atlantic
11:30am-12:30pm UK
12:30-1:30pm Europe
1:30-2:30pm West Africa
Investment
$200 for first time meditators
$50 for dedicated practitioners
A central theme of the Tantric worldview is that life, and everything in it, is beautiful because it is all an expression of 'the most beautiful one.' The invitation to engage with this philosophy can be both comforting and confronting. On the one hand, something in our soul deeply resonates with the sentiment that we, and all of reality, are expressions of divine consciousness and creativity. On the other hand, when we look at all that can so easily be described as 'ugly' in our world, our mind throws up barriers of resistance to anything ascribing it a label of 'beauty.'
Some may suggest that this worldview serves as a means for sugar coating reality or spiritually bypassing the blatant suffering. And, yes, if taken merely at face value one could use this philosophy to avoid the deep and dirty work of sitting with our own suffering or confronting our inner tendency toward cruelty.
That is not what we are about.
Rather, it is my belief that contemplation of the worldview that life, and everything in it is beautiful, because it is all an expression of 'the most beautiful one' is an invitation to engage more fully, more consciously with the pain and suffering of the world - beginning with our own - and truly seek within it signs of grace. Where is the divine at work in its most mysterious ways?
This is precisely the question we will seek to answer every day - for 28-days - through guided meditation and contemplation.
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WE RISE is a recurring 28-day daily guided group meditation practice. Each 'round' of WE RISE focuses on a different theme - all of which support the tenets of Tantric Yogic philosophy. The practices all orient toward Vishoka Meditation stages one and two, including the preparatory techniques rooted in the foundations of healthy breathing.
We open each practice with a few minutes of candle gazing, stating our collective resolve, and chanting the Himalayan Tradition's daily prayers. We then practice various techniques of pranayama culminating in an opportunity to experience a state of meditation. At the conclusion of the practice we hang out together for a while longer to reflect on specific contemplation questions and chat about our experience.
I love offering WE RISE for many reasons. It gives me an opportunity to drop into my own practice with a nourishing blend of duty and love. I am also exceedingly fond - and proud - of our international community of meditators. It is a collection of humans committed to their own spiritual growth as well as supporting that of every other member of the group. Every day we gather I am filled with gratitude for their compassion, their tenacity, and their genuine acceptance of one another's humanity.
You will be a welcome addition to our community.
If you feel compelled, take the leap.
Join us.
Together WE RISE.
8 Lessons