April 16 – 18, 2010

with Rabbi Jeff Roth

at Congregation Nahalat Shalom in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Sponsored by Congregation Nahalat Shalom The Awakened Heart Project and The Albuquerque Tuesday Night Group

Interested in more Jewish meditation? Join us for an evening of Jewish Mindfulness in Albuquerque on Thursday, April 15.

Join us for this special three-day non-residential Jewish meditation retreat.

Rabbi Roth will lead us in an experiential approach to Jewish contemplative practice. Shabbat practice provides an excellent opportunity to benefit from the value of meditation. The Shabbat portion of the retreat will empower you with practices that can be a model for Shabbat throughout the year.

We will continue with additional practices that you can use in the course of daily life as well. These practices can enhance your relationships with family, colleagues as well as all the communities of your life.

At the core is the enhancement of the sense of the Divine Presence that pervades all of being. In addition, they cultivate wisdom, open the heart of compassion and inspire us to act with loving-kindness towards all beings. Our time together will be supported through social silence- learning to focus on our inner experience, moment by moment in the presence of supportive community.

Registration Information

Weekend Retreat: $150 minimum fee per person to cover expenses. This includes kosher dinner Friday, lunch and dinner Saturday and snacks Sunday. Overnight accommodations on your own. Rabbi Roth’s teaching will be compensated by donations from each participant.

To register, please send check payable to “Nahalat Shalom “ to:

Include name, address, phone, email & amount for retreat and for donation to Rabbi Roth.

Registration deadline: April 5, 2010.

Makes checks payable to Nahalat Shalom.

For more information contact Paula Schwartz: 505-345-8308, PaulaAmarSchwartz@gmail.com

Schedule of Events for the Weekend

Friday Evening

Introduction and Orientation- Friday evening, 5:30

Kabbalat Shabbat- Friday evening, 6:00
Join us for a contemplative approach to welcoming in the Sabbath. Through chant, prayer, silence and teaching we will explore the possibility of using the Sabbath as a vehicle to break through the sense of isolation that often accompanies us as human beings. From the perspective of Jewish mysticism we can use Shabbat practice to experience a sense of the Divine that pervades all Being.

Dinner 7:30-9PM Silent dinner with niggunim and stories/teaching
Shabbat Morning Meditation- 9:00-10:00 AM Join for an hour of Jewish meditation, exploring the connection between the breath and the four letter Divine name that captures Judaism’s sense of God. Using silence to attune the heart/mind to the Divine Presence is a powerful preparation for the Shabbat morning prayers.

Saturday

Shabbat Morning Prayers, 10:30 AM -12:30 PM
We will continue the practice of experiencing the Divine Presence through chant and silence. The morning prayers take us through a four-stage journey mirroring the four-letter name of God. We will use the chants and their meanings to see God in physicality including our own bodies. From there we move into the world of connectivity and emotions. The third world explores the unity we can experience though our highest consciousness. And finally we head to a world beyond words and separations. The morning will include a Torah service. Potluck lunch follows our prayers.

Lunch- in silence 12:30

Saturday afternoon/evening, 2-9PM
Introduction to Jewish Mindfulness Meditation
This experiential and didactic workshop will allow participants time to practice an approach to meditation that integrates body and mind experiences. Through direct attention to the sensations of the body as well as the mental processes that accompany them it is possible to begin to understand the nature of the “self.” It is in the very nature of the challenge of life as a human being that we lose a sense of the Divine Presence. Through didactic presentations on this approach and the time to practice with the teachings, participants will learn the basic skills needed to continue practice on their own. The workshop will include time for question and answers as well. Dinner will be a silent meal as well. The evening will finish with Havdallah.

Sunday

Sunday, 9AM-12:30PM
Opening the Heart through the Path of Blessing
In this morning workshop, we will learn a practice of repeating phrases of blessing in one’s own mind. This practice allows the cultivation of wholesome mind-states that increase the possibility of developing a compassionate heart towards oneself and towards all other beings as well. The morning will focus on practice and be supported by instructions as well as Q&A sessions. This practice is a powerful antidote to negative self-criticism and harsh feelings towards others. In support of the practice participants will be asked to refrain from talking to each other until the end of the morning.

Interested in more Jewish meditation? Join us for an evening of Jewish Mindfulness in Albuquerque on Thursday, April 15.