JCC Squirrel Hill: 5738 Forbes Avenue | South Hills: 345 Kane Blvd., Scott

May 5, 2024

 

The JCC, in partnership with Awaken Pittsburgh, the region’s go-to mindfulness resource, is providing our members with a number of in-person and virtual guided meditations each month.

Based on evidence-based meditation and mindfulness practices, participants will learn lifelong skills that have the power to transform lives. A proven effective tool for reducing stress and improving one’s focus throughout the day, a regular mindfulness practice not only brings powerful, personal benefits to practitioners but to those with whom they connect each and every day.

---

Mindful Writing: Cultivating Creativity Through Mindfulness
Sunday, May 5, 3-5 p.m.

JCC Squirrel Hill, Room 310

This workshop will explore the connections between mindfulness, writing, and play. How do we reconnect with our inner child to foster enthusiasm, freedom and fun in our creative lives? Participants will be guided through meditation and creative writing prompts to find focus, experiment with word choice, and discover inner landscapes.

Writers and meditators of all levels and backgrounds are welcome.

Presenters:
Derrick Jones is a Certified Mindfulness Meditation Teacher, Certified Physician Assistant, poet, writer, freestyle rapper, dancer, and an avid lover of life and learning. Derrick has held a daily meditation practice for over 7 years and attended multiple meditation retreats, including one 10-Day Vipassana Silent Meditation Retreat. Derrick has most recently taught Mindful Writing: Cultivating Creativity Through Mindfulness at the Spring 2023 Big Om Yoga Retreat.

Jodie Free is a writing coach, tutor and editor for The Writing Studio in Pittsburgh, where she works with writers of all ages. She holds an MFA in Fiction from Warren Wilson College, and an MA in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi. A member of Carlow’s Madwomen in the Attic community, her poetry, stories and essays are featured or forthcoming in various journals. She has held a daily meditation practice for over 2 years.

Register HERE

---

In-person Sound Healing Session at the South Hill JCC

As part of our mindfulness offerings in community, Awaken Pittsburgh is pleased to announce this Sound Healing session on Wednesday, May 22, 7-8:30 pm

Sound Healing

Sound baths are the perfect time to release stagnant energy, old thought patterns, and anything that is keeping you from alignment. We will start with a grounding body scan meditation and conscious breathing, flowing into sounds of birdsong and natural water, accompanied by crystal sound bowls, chimes, and various healing instruments. We will finish the session with another short guided meditation to come back to our bodies and leave with a sense of personal inspiration.

Register for this event HERE

Sound Guide: Cassie Milyak

Cassie is a practicing sound healer and meditation guide, facilitating sound baths for relaxation and alignment. She’s been on a healing journey in recent years, and has found peace in various holistic healing modalities- leading her to deeper knowledge and practice. She is an Expert Level certified sound healer through Vickie Gould of Life Changing Energy and certified meditation guide through Kevin Ellerton of Meditation Magazine. You can follow her journey on her Facebook page “Sola Dola”. Cassie is an art and nature enthusiast and can be found singing lead vocals with local rock band Stereo Scandal, or choreographing and dancing for local variety shows when she is not working as a full-time direct supports professional. She believes in leading a fun, authentic lifestyle while serving others.

---

Mindfulness Meditation (in-person and on-line)

Awaken Pittsburgh offers three monthly guided meditations open to anyone.   This is a chance to practice mindfulness in community together.

Each session follows the same format: introductions, a period of guided meditation, and then a chance to support one another, discuss how our meditations are going at home, and ask any questions we have about practice.

Pre-registration, via the links provided, helps us to prepare and ensure that we have room for everyone.

Upcoming Mindfulness Training Sessions at the JCC:

Squirrel Hill:

2nd Saturday of each month, May 11 – 8:30-9:30 am. Register HERE

3rd Monday of each month, May 20 – 7-8 pm. Register HERE

South Hills:

1^st Tuesday of each month, May 7 – 1-2 pm. Register HERE

Essential Mindfulness Training for Educators, Youth, Therapists, Employers, and Those in Helping or High-Stress Professions

Awaken Pittsburgh is a non-profit organization committed to serving people, communities and society at large through evidence-based meditation and mindfulness programs. We are the region’s “go-to” mindfulness resource. We seek to create positive, systemic change in our backyards–and beyond–by teaching lifelong skills that have the power to transform lives.