Practicing from the Heart: Greeting all Beings with Eyes of Compassion
Honey Locust Sangha Winter Days of Mindfulness
Friday and/or Saturday, February 21 & 22, 2020

​REGISTRATION FOR OUR FEBRUARY DAYS OF MINDFULNESS IS NOW CLOSED. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU IN MAY AT OUR SPRING RETREAT. DETAILS WILL BE COMING WHEN THEY ARE AVAILABLE. 

In this retreat we will come together to nourish mindfulness, understanding, and compassion in each other. We will practice conscious breathing, sitting and walking meditations, mindful eating, singing, deep relaxation, and joyful togetherness. This will build a strong collective concentration, allowing us to deeply explore our theme through Dharma teachings, deep listening, care-filled discussions, and personal reflections.

Held in the tranquil setting of the Carol Joy Holling Center in the hills and forest around Ashland, Nebraska, the retreat is within easy driving distance from both Lincoln and Omaha. Both days will be will be facilitated by members of the Honey Locust Sangha and visiting Dharma Teacher Terry Cortés-Vega with Brian (Bk) Kimmel. 

During the weekend we will practice:
  • The art of mindful breathing and the art of coming home to ourselves
  • Sitting peacefully and enjoy moments of being quiet
  • Mindful walking - walking in a way that allows us to touch the wonders of life within and around us
  • Sharing meals in silence and getting in touch deeply with the food to give gratitude to the earth and enjoy being together (NOTE that all meals are vegetarian)
  • Releasing the tension and pain in our body
  • Generating feelings of joy, happiness, and handling painful feelings and strong emotions
  • Listening with compassion and using the kind of speech that can restore communication
These Days of Mindfulness will be a wonderful opportunity for us to slow down, rest, rejuvenate, and connect to our deepest source of inspiration and insight. We will practice mindful breathing, walking, and eating while observing Noble Silence in a spirit of togetherness, growing our peace, calm, joy for our loved ones, our world, and ourselves.

For people of all religious/spiritual traditions and/or people of no particular religious/spiritual tradition.

Led by Sister Terry Cortés-Vega with Brian (Bk) Kimmel
Sponsored by the Omaha Community of Mindful Living
Retreat will be held at the Sjogren Building of the Carol Joy Holling Center, Ashland, Nebraska.

For additional info: Contact Randy Reinhart at rsreinhart2@gmail.com or text/call 402-310-1959. Emails or texts are preferred but if you need to call, please leave a message and your call will be returned. 

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Sister Terry Cortés-Vega 
began her training in mindfulness in 1998 with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, and in 2012 she was ordained as a Dharma Teacher in the Order of Interbeing. She explains the Dharma by sharing her own experiences and insights at public talks, days of mindfulness, and meditation and mindfulness retreats. She has taught in Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Mexico, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, and Texas. Occasionally, she gives online Dharma talks to Sanghas from Canada to Mexico and from Pittsburgh to Boise. Terry has been described as an “insightful, heartfelt and creative” teacher of the Dharma whose talks are “humorous and relatable, simple yet profound.”

Terry’s home Sangha is Plum Blossom Sangha in Austin, Texas and she offers on-going support and guidance to Sanghas in Dallas, Ft. Worth, Grapevine, Rockwall, and San Antonio. She leads regular workshops for aspirants and ordained members of the Order of Interbeing, nourishing a thriving community of Thay’s lay students in Texas.
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​​Brian Kimmel (Bk for short) 
was offered the Dharma Name: Chan Lien Dinh, True Lotus Concentration, by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism in 2006, and the lineage name, Health-giving Music of the Heart, in 1999.

Bk is based out of Seattle, and is in private practice as a mental health counselor, bodyworker, and piano-driven songwriter, vocalist, published author, and movement educator. Bk has a number of publications including the first anthology on Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, and Gender Non-Binary Buddhist authors (North Atlantic Books, 2019). He has numerous recorded albums including the newest, "Better Now: New Dharma Pop" and "The Remnants of Rain," and tours bringing music, movement, and creative insight to mindfulness communities, retreats, and workshops internationally.