The Buddhist Mind & Yin Yoga & The Four Foundations of Mindfulness

With Whit Hornsberger

This is your opportunity to learn more about Buddhist theory, exploring and integrating in detail The Four Foundations of Mindfulness and vipassana meditation with the practice of Yin Yoga.

A 3 day Intensive with Whit Hornsberger

4 x 3 hour workshops

Dates:

Friday April 19th:  19.00 - 22.00

Saturday April 20th:  11.00 - 14.00 & 15.00 - 18.00

Sunday April 21th:  10.00 - 13.00

This 3 day intensive is only available to join as a full course to get the most benefit from this teachings.

 If you are not able to join in the studio, there is the opportunity to attend this weekend online from your own home as well. When you sign up for the online version you will have access to join live online or with the recording afterwards. This recording is available to use till May 1st.

If you are interested in this, please make sure you sign up for the ONLINE VERSION only (you find this on our workshop page)

€175

More info:

Each of our sessions will include dhamma talks and application of one of the foundations of mindfulness to our meditation and Yin posture practice, build-ing systematically and progressively throughout this weekend. Through direct felt experience each practitioner will bare witness to insights capable of radically shifting how we engage with the mind, body and life itself.

These workshops are created for and are accessible to all levels of practitioners and to anyone who is curious about Buddhism and yin yoga.

The transformative teachings of the Buddha are becoming increasingly popularized by the rapidly growing interest in mindfulness and the practice of vipassana or insight me-ditation among western yoga enthusiasts. Mindfulness is being applied everywhere and in all realms from yoga studios, to athletic training to increasing corporate profit. But what exactly is mindfulness and from where did this ideal of living intimately within the present moment emanate?

The practice of insight (vipassana) meditation is built upon the teachings of the Buddhist discourse, the Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta or The Four Foundations of Mindfulness. The Foundations of Mindfulness form the bedrock of mindfulness meditation practice and are considered the domain of the meditator. Once established through ardent applica-tion, The Four Foundations of Mindfulness give rise to transformative experiential in-sights into ultimate reality, liberating the individual from the fetters of physical and men-tal suffering.

The sessions of this 3 day intensive include:

Session 1: Foundation #1 - Contemplation of the Body (kayānupassanā)

In the first foundation of mindfulness, the Buddha expounded upon the contem-plation of the physical body. Although fourteen different ways in which the body can be contemplated were taught, in this workshop we will focus upon the most relevant and accessible of these bodily contemplations: the contemplation of the breath.

Developing mindfulness (sāti) of the breath is vital for the development of insight. It is through the foundation of mindfulness upon the breath that a platform of concen-trated stability arises (samādhi), enabling the practitioner to explore and investigate the myriad psychophysical phenomena from an objective perspective.

Session 2: Foundation #2 - Contemplation of Feeling (vedānanupassanā)

The second foundation of mindfulness is the contemplation of feeling tone, the mental experience of physical sensation. The Buddha taught that physical sensation and the accompanying mental feeling tone are experienced by the mind in three ways: pleasant, unpleasant and neutral.

In this workshop we will integrate foundation #1 and foundation #2, applying con-centrated stability (samādhi) to objectively observe the unadulterated expression of sensation and feeling tone, from the refuge of witness-consciousness.

Session 3: Foundation #3 - Contemplation of Consciousness (cittānupassanā)

The third foundation of mindfulness is the contemplation of consciousness or more specifically, the study of those mental factors which colour and condition con-sciousness.

From anger to fear, joy to sadness, this workshop will provide the practitioner, through the integrated support of foundations 1, 2 and 3, the opportunity to observe objectively and thus study the true nature of all emotionally charged mind-states.

Session 4:Foundation #4 - Contemplation of Phenomena (dhammānupassanā)

The fourth and final foundation of mindfulness is an extensive contemplation of sensory-phenomena. In this final workshop we will contemplate what are referred to as the six-internal and six-external sense bases:

eyes / visual objects; ears / audible objects; nose / olfactory objects; tongue / gustatory objects; body / sensations; mind / mental factors.

This final practice will integrate all four foundations of mindfulness, providing the practitioner the opportunity to apply and experience the transformative practice of vipassanā meditation.

The integration of mindfulness meditation (vipassana) with the methodology and prac-tice of Yin Yoga has yielded life changing insights for Whit and the many students with whom he has worked via this approach. The extended stays and stillness of theYin posture practice provide a fertile and potent receptacle for the arising of insight as taught by the Buddha.

More info about With Hornsberger:

Whit Hornsberger (Vancouver Island, Canada and residents now in Portugal) is a student and teacher of the wisdom traditions of Classical Yoga and Theravada Buddhism.

A former athlete, Whit found the path as a result of a career ending knee injury and the subsequent emotional and mental suffering inherent in losing one’s (supposed) self-identity and self-worth. By integrating knowledge from his degree in primatology with over 20 years of
dedicated practice and 15 years of teaching, Whit has developed a unique spiritually scientific approach to the understanding of the mind and body. 

His daily practice and teaching methods stem from the traditional practices of Vinyasa Krama (Krishnamacharya), Buddhist mindfulness meditation (Mahasi Sayadaw) and Yin Yoga. A passionate advocate of traditional teachings, Whit expounds the ancient wisdom of these lineages in a relevant manner, making them readily accessible to students at every stage of the path.

A lover of surf, travel and nature, Whit offers international and online classes, workshops, courses, retreats and trainings in Canada on Vancouver Island, Portugal and Europe and Mexico.

https://www.whithornsberger.com/