Hello Dear Readers,
I am starting an every-other-week meditation group in August - on Thursday, August the 25th to be exact.
The plan is to do a basic Tibetan Buddhist practice most weeks. Although this will depend on the experience level of practitioners who join. We may also do other meditations - somatic body scans, embodiment exercises, 5 element body-oriented meditations, etc.
It will be Thursday evenings at 7 - 8:30 pm (Eastern US time). Every other Thursdays starting August 25th. This will be online, unless there is a lot of interest from here in the Charlottesville area. Let me know if you are interested.
To Register: you can email me a mkirbymoore [at] protonmail [dot] com
Suggested donation of $25 / class. But really pay what you can.
About me - Kirby Moore
I have been practicing meditation since 2002, when I first met a Zen teacher in a philosophy class and got my first preliminary meditation instructions. The first couple years were not very productive as I was attempting to go it alone (without regular contact with a teacher).
In 2005, I was very fortunate to meet Tibetan Buddhist teachers and Lamas. I first began with Bon lamas - Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche in Charlottesville, Va. Then, in 2006, when I attended the Tibetan Meditation Center (TMC) in Frederick, Md (Drikung Kagyu lineage), I felt like I had come home. I have been working with these masters and heart teachers ever since - these include Khenchen Konchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche, Drupon Thinley Ningpo, Khenpo Tsultrim, Khenpo Choepel, Garchen Rinpoche, His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche and other incredible lineage holders. In addition, I have taken teachings from Nyingma lamas as well.
From 2006 - 2013, I went up to TMC in Md at least four times / year. In the spring, there were 10 - 14 days of teachings given at Spring Retreat. Then I would go up for long weekend practice (deity yoga or meditation) retreats twice a year and usually attend Winter Retreat. You can find many posts on this blog about teachings / retreats I attended - especially if you go back and check out the older posts from 2009 - 2013.
I was very fortunate to attend and then to practice the Tibetan language with Geshe Jampel Thardo in Charlottesville. He was a hidden master - manifesting signs of accomplishment at the time of his death in late 2008. I was so blessed to get to spend time with him. He strongly encouraged me to learn (and master) the Tibetan language. I'm not at that level yet, but I love practicing this beautiful language.
I have also attended meditation retreats in Charlottesville and at Virginia Beach - doing a 10-day retreat nearly every year since 2007. These were dynamic retreats where every day: we would do Zapchen Somatics for an hour or two, we would do several hours of Shamatha calm abiding meditation, Qigong, 8 verses for training the mind (or the 37 Bodhisattva practices), metta - loving kindness practice, and a group dream exploration practice in the evenings.
In addition, I completed my first 90-day meditation retreat in Charlottesville in 2020. And I have also done Advanced Somatic Retreats in Zapchen Somatics with Julie Henderson and with her senior students. Zapchen Somatics is a brilliant series of fun and playful exercises designed to sneakily get people to come down out of their heads and into their bodies - and to move toward well-being.
Not to overwhelm you with information about the teachings I have received... I have also studied nervous system repair, the polyvagal theory and trauma resolution extensively. I am certified as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and I have started a modality entitled Trauma Informed Astrology - where I teach students around the world a dynamic blend of somatic embodiment exercises, tools for nervous system repair and seeing the nervous system through the lens of the Western astrology chart.
I am grateful to have received these precious teachings from an authentic lineage of healing wisdom. Hopefully I am a suitable vessel into which my teachers have poured these elixirs of wisdom. And I wish to give back to others what I am able to.
I hope you will join us.
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