MEDITATION UNDER THE STARS
Community Meditation in a Natural Hill Country Setting
Silent Meditation offering to the community monthly (see calendar below), from 7-8:30 pm, and aligned with the New Moon phase for optimal star viewing and inward curiosity.
7 pm- Brief Introduction (please arrive 10 minutes in advance), followed by meditation guidance of about 10 minutes & 20-30 minutes of silent meditation. A loving kindness metta will be offered for 10-15 minutes following the silent sit, and an optional group sharing and discussion from 8-8:30 pm.
Items to bring: A cushion, blanket or low chair to sit on (as we’ll be sitting on the ground in circle); Comfortable clothing; Water bottle. Optional items: Head lamp, Journal and pen.
Cost: FREE (donation options available below)
Make a donation
A percentage of all donations goes to local organizations that support marginalized communities and the environment, including Save Our Springs Alliance, Our Youth Central Center, and Austin Nature Center. Other recipients include meditation facilitators for their generous time.
Donations can be made via Venmo or Credit/ Debit Card. Cash donations accepted at the event.
Credit/ Debit Donations
“Meditation is the practice of experiencing who we truly are at the most fundamental and absolute level – Consciousness. When we meditate, we rest our attention on that which is beyond the temporal and relative truth of our body, thoughts and emotions, and experience the spacious, eternal nature of our being, unified with all life.” – Brenda Ryan
Brenda Ryan, Meditation Facilitator
Starting this October, I’ll be offering monthly guided meditation sessions out in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Come join us one Thursday a month at Deer Creek Hill Country Retreat, to sit under the stars and connect with your true nature of infinite peace and unconditional love. Our gatherings will be held within the dark phase of the month to align with a more inward meditative focus, and for optimal star viewing in this dark sky community.
Gathering together in the limestone grotto nestled under the cedars and live oaks, we’ll start at 7pm with a welcome and brief introduction. Sitting comfortably on our meditation cushions or blankets, we’ll first anchor into our heart space, shifting all attention from our head into our heart. I’ll then guide us in 9-round breathing technique to calm and concentrate our minds, followed by a calm-abiding and consciousness-expanding meditation called Meditation Like The Sky. In this state of calm expansiveness, we’ll sit in silent meditation for 20 – 30 minutes. Afterwards we’ll dedicate the merit of our meditation for the benefit of all sentient beings, concluding our session with 10 – 15 minutes of a loving kindness meditation. From 8 – 8:30pm there’ll be an optional group share. If you’d prefer to maintain your inner and outer silence, you’re welcome to enjoy a star-lit wander through the property or find a quiet place to sit under the stars and journal during this final segment of our evening.
Meditation Technique
This 9-Round Breathing Technique and Meditation Like The Sky, was originally taught by the Buddha as a powerful and effective technique to calm and concentrate the mind, and then abide in that calmness so that you may experience your natural state of being, as Clear Light Mind. I’ll be sharing this technique with you are it was taught to me by Antonio Pascual, in Himalayan Buddhist Meditation Centre, Kathmandu Nepal. It was passed down to him through an ancient lineage of Tibetan Buddhist lamas, and taught directly to my teacher by Lama Yeshe, Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu Nepal.