Our meditation and contemplation practice is offered to anyone who would like to sit in generative silence with others to exercise inner stillness.   Participants can use the time to refine other inner skills such as breathwork or asanas.  

Monday through Fridays at 8- 8:30 am

 If you have further questions, you may call the church office at 814 724 4023 or contact Peggy Bell.

30 MINUTES FOR 30 DAYS CHALLENGE

September is the time of newness and change; the tilt of the Earth’s axis signals shorter days, and regardless of the temperature, we anticipate changing weather.   Summer gardening is coming to a close, schools and colleges are back in session and people are generally back to a routine. 

In the spirit of positive change I invite you to join me in a 30-day meditation challenge. You can join me weekdays from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. in the sanctuary either live or remotely, or find a routine that works for you.  You can divide the 30 minutes into two 15 minutes sessions or even 3 10 minutes sessions if it helps.  I recommend using the timer or app on your smartphone.  You can use the clock timer or I can recommend a free app called insight timer which works great. 

I put my phone on silent so that annoying distractions are minimized–but test your phone to be sure that you will still hear the end chime.     

One of the goals of sitting in silence is to quiet our minds, but for most of us this is an ongoing practice.  I suggest bringing self-compassion; instead of arguing with yourself about having thoughts, in a spirit of détente, don’t argue when thoughts arise, just don’t attach to them.  Meditation teachers talk about letting the thought pass without attaching to it or starting a dialogue with it.  They liken a thought to the water passing under a bridge, it will soon pass and dissolve away unless it is fed with additional thoughts. When we can still our mind we can tap into an expansiveness that strengthens us mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.   

Start your challenge anytime after you’ve read this and when it works for you.  If you have questions, concerns or experiences to share I would love to hear from you. 

Peggy Bell