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About Mindfulness Meditation

For centuries Himalayan practitioners have used meditation to quiet the mind, open the heart, calm the nervous system, and increase focus. Now Western scientists, business leaders, and the secular world have embraced meditation as a vital tool for brain health.

Whether you’re a beginner, a dabbler, or a skilled meditator seeking the company of others, join expert teachers in a forty-five-minute weekly program designed to fit into your lunch break. Each session will be inspired by a different work of art from the Rubin Museum’s collection and will include an opening talk, a twenty-minute sitting session, and a closing discussion. Chairs will be provided.

Presented in partnership with Sharon Salzberg and the Interdependence Project.

RELATED ARTWORK

Vasudhara The Goddess of Abundance Nepal; ca. 13th century, Metal Rubin Museum of Art Vasudhara The Goddess of Abundance Nepal; ca. 13th century, Metal Rubin Museum of Art Vasudhara, The Goddess of Abundance, Nepal; ca., 13th century, Metal, Rubin Museum of Art, C2007.23.1 (HAR 65791)
Vasudhara, The Goddess of Abundance, Nepal; ca., 13th century, Metal, Rubin Museum of Art, C2007.23.1 (HAR 65791)

Theme: Gratitude

The goddess Vasudharais, whose name means “shower of wealth,” is associated with autumn in the Kathmandu Valley, where she is worshiped after the rice harvest. Depicted here in the lalitasana or pose of royal ease, she sits with her lower right hand open and her palm facing forward in a gesture of offering while her middle left hand holds a rice stalk. After the rice is harvested, her image is placed upon piles of rice stalks as a means of expressing gratitude for the abundance of the season. Much like rice stalks, her body has a yellow hue, which is also the color of generosity.

About the Speaker

Kate Johnson works at the intersections of spiritual practice, social action, and creative expression. She teaches mindful yoga in NYC public schools, teaches Buddhist meditation at the Interdependence Project, and facilitates an embodied approach to organizational and leadership development for social change agents and communities. Johnson holds a BFA in dance from the Alvin Ailey School/Fordham University and a MA in performance studies from NYU. She has trained at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, the Interdependence Project, Laughing Lotus Yoga, and the Presencing Institute. She is working on a book about waking up to power and oppression as a spiritual practice, to be published by Parallax Press in fall 2017.

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