Embodied - in touch for wellbeing and mindfulness

Let's start the day with a relaxed Lying Meditation. You can do it on the floor, on a yoga mat, on your couch, you don't even have to get out of bed yet. Before getting an over-active mind, you can open your senses and regulate your nerve system. This will help you to stay in a relaxed state of mind the rest of the day, even if you have many things to do.

You can join online or in-person, on the spot, in Tienhoven (Utrecht).

What is lying meditation?
Lying meditation is a form of meditation in a lying position. Unlike traditional sitting meditation, you can completely relax your muscles and focus on your breathing and your body. It is an accessible form of meditation, especially for beginners or people who have difficulty sitting still for a long time.

What kind of meditation?
Every time will be different, but the meditations will be simple, they will take about 30-45 minutes and will be easy to step in. Here are three examples of lying meditation:

• Body scan: You systematically focus your attention on different parts of your body, from your toes to your head. By becoming aware of physical sensations, you learn to release tension.
• Breathing meditation: During a breathing meditation, you focus on your breath. You follow the movement of your breath in and out, without influencing it. This helps you to calm your thoughts and be present in the moment.
• Visualization: With visualization, you use your imagination to create a relaxing environment. For example, you can imagine yourself lying on a beach or walking in a forest.

What are the benefits?

• Increased concentration: Meditation can improve your ability to concentrate.
• Relaxation: Lying down meditation helps you to reduce stress and relax your muscles.
• Reduced anxiety and depression: Meditation can help to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.
• Increased self-awareness: By focusing your attention inward, you get to know and understand yourself better.

For whom?
The meditation is open for everyone. Every body is welcome: all genders, all orientations, all ages, experienced or not. You can decide whether you want to participate with shorts, leggings, in underwear or in your pyjama. Before the meditation, we will check in with each other, to hear our names and share how we feel. The meeting will be spoken in English, unless all participants are Dutch.

Online participation
You will receive the Zoom link for participation after you have registered (RSVP) for this meetup. Make sure to have a quiet space, your (yoga) mat, a bottle of drinking water and a blanket. Click on the Zoom link which you receive at least five minutes before the start of the meetup. You will enter the waiting room and a bit later you will enter the meeting. Your camera and microphone must be switched on then, to create a safe atmosphere for everyone.

Let's take a moment to move together in a mindful way. We will make an inner journey through an alternation of intensive and subtle movement, feeling our body and our breath, listening to music and coming to stillness.

NEDERLANDS: HIERONDER

Movement and meditation may seem contradictory at first glance, but in many cultures and disciplines they have been combined for centuries. Movement can be a powerful tool to calm your mind, strengthen your body and experience a deeper connection with yourself.

There are many forms of movement meditation, think of Eastern classical movement teachings such as yoga, chi-gong and tai-chi. Modern forms of movement meditation are the active meditations of Osho, dance meditations and more subtle, slow forms such as Continuüm Movement.

Everybody welcome
The meetup is mixed, so everybody is welcome: all genders, all orientations, all ages, experienced or not. You can decide whether you want to participate with shorts, leggings or in underwear. Before the meditation, we will check in with each other, to hear our names and share how we feel. The meeting will be spoken in English, unless all participants are Dutch.

Why movement meditation?
Sitting still is quite difficult for most people because we are used to being exposed to stimuli all day long, while your body needs exercise. Movement meditation provides improved concentration, inner peace and a sense of well-being. By focusing on your body and your breathing, you can also reduce stress and anxiety. Movement meditation helps you to live more in the moment, to become aware of your body sensations and to listen to signals from your body. Regular practice ensures a calm mind and a more vital body.

Online participation
You will receive the Zoom link for participation after you have registered (RSVP) for this meetup. Make sure to have a quiet space, your (yoga) mat, a bottle of drinking water and a blanket. Click on the link below at least five minutes before the start of the meetup. You will enter the waiting room and a bit later you will enter the meeting. Your camera and microphone must be switched on then, to create a safe atmosphere for everyone.

Participation on location
Do you wish you participate on the spot, in the cosy little home of Tijs Breuer? Then please send a message at least two days in advance to check availability. Make sure to arrive at least 15 minutes before the meditation starts. Address: Chalet 69. Westbroekse Binnenweg 56A; 3612 AJ Tienhoven (UT), The Netherlands.

Unwind, Relax, and Recharge. Join us for a soothing and rejuvenating self-massage meetup. You will learn simple, effective self-massage techniques in a calm atmosphere. Indulge in a calming, rejuvenating experience and share tips and tricks with fellow wellness enthusiasts. This is your moment of self-care before starting your busy work week.

Self-Massage is one of the best things you can do for yourselves. And you don’t need to have experience. Everybody is welcome, no matter what’s your age, gender, orientation or body shape. It’s fun to experiences self-care with other like-minded people.

Benefits
When we massage our own bodies, we are able to improve circulation, relax the muscles, and reduce stress levels. By doing this, we are able to improve our moods, reduce anxiety and stress, increase energy levels, improve sleep quality, and relieve pain. Self-massage helps to release endorphins, to boost your mood.

What will we do?
Each time we will practice a different style or an area on the body. For example, we can do a neck and shoulder massage by using our hands to make strokes and circles. Then we work deeper with fingertips on the knots and tense spots. Other body parts can be the back area, using different tools such as a tennis ball or from roller. Or a foot Massage, using ancient Chinese reflexology techniques.

After the workshop is finished, you can stay (online or on the spot) for another 30 minutes to have a chat with other participants or to keep practicing.

Online participation
You will receive the Zoom link for participation after you have registered (RSVP) for this meetup. Make sure to have a quiet space, your (yoga) mat, a bottle of drinking water and a blanket. Click on the link below at least five minutes before the start of the meetup. You will enter the waiting room and a bit later you will enter the meeting. Your camera and microphone must be switched on then, to create a safe atmosphere for everyone.

Participation on location
Do you wish you participate on the spot? Usually, this is in the cosy little home of Tijs Breuer. Address: Chalet 69. Westbroekse Binnenweg 56A; 3612 AJ Tienhoven (UT), The Netherlands. Please send a message at least two days in advance to check availability. Make sure to arrive at least 15 minutes before the workshop starts.

**Let's start the day with a short meditation. We will create a moment of mindfulness, to find stillness and inner peace. As we will practice Vipassana, we will focus on the breath, the heartbeat, bodily sensations, or energy flow.

You can join online or on the spot, in Tienhoven (Utrecht). The guidance is donation-based.**

What kind of meditation?
Every time will be different, but the meditations will be simple, they will take about 30 minutes and will be easy to step in. They are based on the Vipassana tradition. Examples of teachers who can be an inspiration are:

• Jon Kabat-Zinn, who introduced mindfulness-based stress reduction, which is based on the Theravada boeddhistische tradition, where Vipassana was founded.
• Saki Santorelli, who was a student of S.N. Goenka from Birma and he introduced Vipassana meditation in the western world.
• Tara Brach: is an American mindfulness teacher, who combines western psycological research with the Zen Buddhist philosophy about compassion and Vipassana meditation techniques.

For whom?
Everybody is welcome, no matter what is your gender, age, body type or background. These 2-weekly morning meditations are visited by participants from our Sangha group but everybody is welcome. There is also space for co-creation, so if you would like to lead a meditation and guide the other participants, feel free to contact Tijs. Before the meditation, we will quickly say hello and check in with each other, to hear how we feel this morning.

Online participation
Join the Zoom event at least five minutes before the start time. Your camera and microphone must be switched on when you enter the online meeting room, to create a safe atmosphere for everyone. The Zoom link, Meeting ID and Passcode will be sent to the participants and will be published in the Event Comments below, about 30 minutes before the start of the meditation.