“Meet all beings with a gentle expression.”

~Zen Master Dogen

We would all like to enrich our communications, but in particular, most of us seek greater skill in dealing with those difficult, unsatisfactory dialogues in our lives. You know these situations: there isn’t a meeting of the minds, and one or both parties leave the encounter feeling compromised, unresolved, or even angry. If left unresolved, these situations fester and can unnecessarily damage a relationship.

Using mindfulness, compassion and wisdom, we can heal those difficult communications and move toward a more satisfying relationship. In this workshop we will learn and practice the process of 'ATTUNE', specifically with respect to difficult relations. ATTUNE includes the following steps:

1. Aspire– being aware of my aspiration for this difficult relationship

2. TurnToward – becoming present to what is happening in the moment  instead of becoming lost in the voices in my head - my stories and beliefs - particularly when irritation and other afflictive emotions are arising

3. Understand - gaining deeper understanding of both this person who I sometimes consider to be the cause of my difficulties AND myself

4. Nourish – listening deeply in a way that helps the other to feel truly heard and valued

5. Express – using language that is honest, appropriate, coming from a place of goodwill, and with an intention to benefit both of us.

The workshop will include meditations, instruction, and practice opportunities through interactive exercises.

The workshop will be held online via Zoom from 9:00 am to 1 pm on Saturday, May 30. The cost is $40, with a reduced rate available for those needing financial support. If you have questions, please email us at info@floridamindfulness.org.

Workshop Leader

Welcome to our Everyday Simple Vegan Cooking classes. We are so glad you will be joining us in our kitchens to share easy vegan recipes. 

The classes are scheduled for three Thursdays in June. We will start promptly at 10:00 and finish at 11:00 a.m. Please plan to arrive at least 5 minutes early so you will be ready for our starting bell and gatha. 

Mark your calendars for Thursday, June 4, 18, and 25.

Our menu for each cooking class is listed below:

• Evelyn Haseman’s kitchen on Thursday, June 4, Vegan BBQ Black Bean Sandwich with Coleslaw
• Rosy Sedhain’s kitchen on Thursday, June 18, Red Lentil Dahl, Tomato Achar Salsa, Napali Potato Salad
• Brandy Kidd’s kitchen on Thursday, June 25, Tacos and Gazpacho Soup

We will be sending you reminders for each class which will include the Zoom information and the vegan recipes we will be using. Please contact Evelyn Haseman at evelynhaseman@gmail.com with any questions.

We look forward to sharing these simple vegan dishes with you.

In our modern age, many of us find ourselves suffering in various ways due to our relationship and involvement with digital media. Now, with COVID-19, quarantines, and stay-at-home orders in place, constant digital media stimulation, endless screen time, and over-consumption of information has become the new norm for many. With so much screen time, sufferings such as burn-out, anxiety, and feeling imbalanced have become even more prevalent in our lives. From his very first Dharma talk on the Four Noble Truths, The Buddha taught that if we truly want to free ourselves from our suffering, we must first look deeply in order to understand the nature and the causes of that suffering. Only then can we skillfully create changes which will remove the suffering and bring about well being.

In this online workshop, we will look deeply in order to understand what is really going on in our relationship with digital media and the suffering that arises from it. Bryan will offer reflections and guided meditations to help us look into our own experience in order to see how the use of this technology is conditioning our minds and to uncover the underlying, and often unconscious motivations and misperceptions which drive and motivate our behavior. Bryan will also offer teachings and practices from the Buddhist tradition which will strengthen our ability to keep our minds nourished and fresh throughout the day, strengthen awareness of our behavior and motivations, and empower us to transform our conditioning around technology.

Bryan Hindert has been following the Buddhist path since 2008, when a strong desire to make changes in his life and to develop a better relationship with his mind drew him to the Florida Community of Mindfulness. This path has helped Bryan to transform his life in profound ways and continues to be a source of guidance, support, and joy in all of his endeavors. In addition to helping to develop and lead Wake Up Tampa Bay, a mindfulness and meditation group for people in their 20s and 30s, Bryan has served by teaching classes and presenting on mindfulness and on Buddhism, leading intensive practice periods, and serving as the Assistant to the Teacher.

The afflictive emotion of anger – including the range of emotions from low level irritation, frustration, resentment and jealousy to full blown rage – is one of the most destructive forces we face as human beings. This is true of anger experienced in our personal lives as well as societal anger that wreaks so much havoc upon people everywhere.

We have each acquired our own personal anger patterns due to our conditioning in life; we certainly don’t consciously choose to be irritable, resentful or angry. Thus, we can be gentle and understanding of ourselves as we are today, while at the same time knowing that with mindfulness we can create new conditions that will help to uproot anger and bring more joy into our lives.

Buddhist psychology offers much wisdom for working skillfully to transform anger through the practices of mindfulness and the cultivation of understanding and patience. These teachings have proven beneficial for over 2600 years in helping individuals to uproot anger and experience more joy in their lives. 

In our workshop we will explore the following fundamental principles essential for loosening the knots of anger, including:

• What is anger?
• The destructiveness of anger and how it has manifested in our lives
• The sources and causes of anger
• Is anger ever useful?
• Using understanding to unknot anger and cultivate patience
• What to do when anger has already arisen in the mind

The workshop will include instruction, reflections and practice opportunities through interactive exercises.

The workshop will be held at the FCM Practice Center, 6501 N. Nebraska Avenue, in Tampa from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday, April 20. The cost is $75. If you have questions, please email us at info@floridamindfulness.org.

Workshop Leaders

Betsy Arizu has been interested in Buddhism for over 30 years as a counselor and artist. Her formal study began in 2011 when she became a student of Fred Eppsteiner and a practicing member of the Florida Community of Mindfulness. In 2015 she was ordained as a member of the Order of Interbeing, a community of lay and monastic practitioners established by the Venerable Thich Nhat Hahn. She leads mindfulness workshops for educators, psychologists, school and mental health counselors and social workers. 

Bill Mac Millen has been a practitioner with the Florida Community of Mindfulness and a student of FCM's teacher Fred Eppsteiner since 2013. He is an aspirant in Thich Nhat Hahn's Order of Interbeing (OI) and a student in FCM's Dharma Transmission Program. Previously Bill worked in law enforcement with the Tampa Police Department and as an investigator in the communications industry before retiring in 2016.