July 1 –August 26

This eight-week summer Mindful Living Path Intensive will provide an opportunity for FCM members who participated in the Winter/Spring Intensive on the Four Immeasurables to deepen their understanding and practice of these four “divine abodes.” The Winter/Spring Intensive provided an introduction to the cultivation of a warm, accepting, kind and compassionate heart through the study and practice of Loving-kindness, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy and Equanimity. We began to uncover the natural qualities of our own heart/mind and learn to live with an openness that feels connection and friendliness towards all beings, rejoices in their happiness, and desires to alleviate their suffering. We practiced meditations to cultivate these qualities in our mind, and through consistent mindfulness we began to bring them into our daily life of relationship, work and interaction with others.

In this self-development Intensive, participants will build on their previous practice of the Four Immeasurables by choosing 1-3 areas to focus on during the Intensive, such as:

• Developing a more loving accepting relationship with oneself by cultivating positive mind states and ceasing the cultivation of negative mind states
• Developing a more loving accepting relationship with one or more people we find “difficult”
• Deepening our sense of empathy, understanding and connection with others
• Strengthening our capacity to be present to suffering
• Cultivating a joyful mind that rejoices in the successes and well-being of both ourself and others

Drawing on the resources from the Winter/Spring Four Immeasurables Intensive, participants will develop an individualized plan of practice including readings for reflection and study, formal sitting practice, and daily life practice.

Participants will be provided with supports including Dharma talks by a senior student offered through Zoom,  mentoring groups through Zoom to receive individualized guidance, and bi-weekly email Instructions. 

Please note that this Intensive is open to FCM members who participated in the Winter/Spring 2019 Four Immeasurables Intensive. It is also open, with Diane’s permission, to members who participated in the Winter/Spring 2017 Intensive on the Four Immeasurables. If you have any questions about this intensive, please contact Diane at Diane.powell2010@gmail.com

The commitments for this Intensive are listed below. Before registering for the Intensive please read the commitments and reflect carefully on whether you will be able to keep them.

Commitments for each Intensive participant:

• The commitment to practice a minimum of 30 minutes of daily formal meditative practice and/or other practices related to this Intensive.
• The commitment to participate in your assigned Zoom mentoring group meetings.
• The commitment to be present for the Zoom Dharma Talks.
• The commitment to develop and carry out an individualized plan of practice.
• The commitment to attend all the practice periods of your sangha during the Intensive, as possible.

There is a suggested donation for this Intensive is $50. This is a suggested donation and participants are free to donate more or less, depending on their individual practice of Dana and their financial situation.  You may pay on-line or send your check made out to the Florida Community of Mindfulness (FCM) to Florida Community of Mindfulness, 6501 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa, FL 33604.

Registration will close on June 4. To ensure you register on time, please register immediately or mark the registration closing date in your calendar now.

REGISTRATION PROCEDURES: 

Please read the information below before you click to register.

Mentoring Groups. When you register, you will also be asked to indicate your preferences for the Mentoring Groups offered through Zoom.  The following four mentoring groups will be listed, and you will be required to score each group as one of the following:

• my first choice
• my second choice
• could do but not preferred
• cannot do 

If there is more than one group that will work well for you, please mark all these as “my first choice.” This will provide us with added flexibility in making group assignments. Please have your calendar available when you register so that you can complete this part of the registration process accurately. 

Group 1: Mondays 9:00 am.  July 1, 15, 29; Aug. 12

Group 2: Tuesdays, 7:30 am.  July 2, 16, 30; Aug 13

Group 3: Tuesdays, 3:30 pm.  July 2, 16, 30; Aug 13

Group 4: Tuesdays, 6:30 pm.  July 2, 16, 30; Aug 13