 A new name and new Logo! Our beloved Salida Sangha name has been changed so as to better reflect this beautiful community of practitioners in the Vipasana tradition (which is also known as Insight or Mindfulness practice). We have also updated the name for our FB Page. Many thanks and gratitude go out to our amazing new board member and in house graphic designer, Mike Fisher! Mike has designed our new logo and flyers and a very cool sign which will soon be installed on the 3d Street side of the sangha house. ZOOM PRESENCE Internet service has been installed at the SIMC house, For those of you who are unable to attend the annual meeting in person, please email us for the Zoom Link. NEW YEAR'S EVE Once again we will be able to hold a December 31st celebration at the sangha house at 5:00 p.m. See flyer below. We will have a 30 minute sit followed by our fire ceremony to release what we need to let go of, and to set our intentions for what we wish to embrace in the New Year. Friends, family - All are welcome and we hope to see you there! FEBRUARY RETREAT WITH BRIAN LESAGE Our next retreat will be February 18th and 19th at MeadowRock Ranch in Nathrop. Please save the dates and note that it is on President's Day weekend! MINDFULNESS IN THE JAIL Our ongoing MIJ program is still strong. For anyone who wishes to contribute to this important outreach, you can do so through Colorado Gives 2022. Here is the link: https://www.coloradogives.org/story/Mindfulnessinthejail NEW HOUSE MANAGERS Cindy Hayes has graciously taken on the role of our house manager with assistance from Christine Wierzbinski. We are delighted to have them both in charge and they would be delighted if you could help them out with some of the maintenance duties. Thank you Cindy and Christine! That's all for now folks. We are very grateful for your support and continuing practice with SIMC. Hope to see you soon! With metta, You SIMC board 
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SAVE THE DATE!
February 18-19, 2023 Retreat With Brian Lesage Registration and Details Will be Available on November 14, 2022 Salida Insight Meditation Community Annual Meeting December 4, 2022 at 5:00 pm followed by a Potluck at the Sangha House 248 D St. Salida Year end review, budget presentation for 2023, election of board members and more. New Year's Eve Meditation and Celebration December 31st, 5:00 pm at the Sangha House FALL YARD CLEANUP October 8th at 9:00 am Dress for the weather and bring gloves if you wish. Your help is very much appreciated! September Retreat Thanks to everyone who attended our recent wonderful retreat with Brian at MeadowRock Ranch. It's always great to see old friends, to meet new ones and to receive Brian's valuable teachings! Sangha House Availability Anyone wishing to access our library or have some quiet meditation time on your own please contact Paul Vosburgh at 505-350-0338 We want to extend a special thanks to the incredible Carla Jaramillo who is now shepherding both our Facebook page and our website. We love you Carla! And our deep gratitude to Kevin Wathen for all the years he tended the website. https://www.facebook.com/SalidaSangha http://www.salidasangha.org/ Thank you ALL for your presence in our community and for your practice, Your Sangha Board Don't Forget to Put Brian's Talk on Your Calendar Friend's and Family are All Welcome to Join Us!  Cindy Sasso's Awakening Joy Class Series Begins in September  "Awakening Joy - 10 steps to Happiness" is an international well-known course based on James Baraz’ teachings (which thousands have participated in since 2003) and his book by the same name. This 10-week course is designed to evoke joy through various themes, exercises and group discussion that train the mind towards more well-being and provide deeper insight. We will cultivate joy and well-being using mindfulness; thus learning to see, dwell on and enjoy the good experiences and pleasant moments when they are present. We will learn to embrace ourselves kindly in challenging situations and perhaps even learn to value our own good qualities. Gratitude will also be on the agenda as several studies show how helpful it can be to train this "muscle" as well.
The class is based on "what you practice grows stronger", as well as the knowledge about the brain and plasticity that has been found in neuroscience in this regard. Psychologist and researcher in neuroscience Rick Hanson says that "positive experiences are like teflon for the brain and negative experiences like velcro". In order for positive experiences to be registered in the brain, we need 1) mindfulness to notice the experiences and 2) to dwell / concentrate our attention on the pleasant experiences, so that new neural networks of well-being are formed in the brain. Genetically, we are wired to be on the lookout for the dangers. In this class, we help the brain to be on the lookout for the good moments in life, and we learn to relate kindly to ourselves so new neural networks of joy are formed in the brain. Board Member Opening With Elizabeth Ritchie's move to North Carolina we have an opening for a new Board Member. If you are interested in joining the board please reply to this email or phone Roberta at 719-221-1853. Yard Cleanup We had a great turnout for our recent yard cleanup and it looks great! Big THANKS to everyone who joined in!!! There will not be a Sunday Sit on September 4th because of our retreat that weekend. With gratitude and blessings to all, The Salida Insight Meditation Community Board Due to the uptick in Covid cases in Chaffee County and in cooperation with Chaffee County Public Health recommendations, Salida Sangha requires that for the time being, all people wear masks at our indoor gatherings. September 3-4 Retreat With Brian Lesage At MeadowRock Ranch in Nathrop A 2-day Insight Meditation Retreat on The Four Foundations of Mindfulness Saturday - 9am to 4pm Sunday - 9am to 3:30pm The Buddha's teachings of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness are the bedrock of understanding and practicing mindfulness. In this weekend retreat we will gather to explore each of these foundations in a way that is relevant to your formal meditation practice and to your life. We will cultivate continuous mindfulness in sitting and walking practice, and will be in silence throughout the day. Experiential meditative approaches will be offered throughout the retreat and will be supported by optional discussion times. This retreat is designed for both beginners and experienced practitioners. If you are new to this teaching, this will be a good introduction. If you are already familiar with these four foundations, deeper facets of each one will be offered to explore. Please register early as the retreats tend to fill up quickly. CLICK HERE to Register Brian Lesage Public Talk: The Weight of the World is Love: The transformative Power of Compassion Friday September 2, 2022 at 6:30 pm A Church, 419 D St, Salida, CO 81201 Please bring your friends! Everyone is welcome. Words of Wisdom From Brian We recently contacted Brian to make sure he was OK as the fires raged near Flagstaff. He sent this in return: "That is so kind of you to reach out. We, ourselves, are not in harm's way in terms of where we live and at the same time, we are heart-broken to witness at such close proximity parts of this sacred forest that has now been decimated by multiple fires just in the last couple of months. And it is an important heart break. One that is a testimony to our love and connection to this land and her beings." This is a lovely reminder for us here as well to maintain our love and connection to our land and her beings. Pride Award On June 4th the sangha received this lovely recognition from PfCA. Denise Ackert gave a very warm hearted and love-infused acceptance speech at the event. The award certificate is on display at the sangha house. We noticed when we received this that there was a lot of confusion in the audience as the what a "sangha" is. So the board made a decision to use "Salida Insight Meditation Community" as our name going forward.  And Finally...
As Buddhist practitioners we often discuss how to navigate our very troubled world. Shared with her permission, here are some helpful words from former Salidan Susan Tweit from her book "Walking Nature Home" “A civilized society is created as much by our private, every-day acts as it is by the laws we pass and the contracts we sign. Our personal behavior sets the model for what we expect of others.” It feels like humanity is wandering and quite lost, but there is something each of us can do: Be the best humans we can be. Live with love in our every days, in our every interaction. Our own behavior contributes to turning the tide of gun violence, war, climate change, racism, and all manner of other ills. Be a light in the darkness. Be the model for the world you want to see. Be fierce in defense of the world we all love. Your individual actions matter. Thank you Susan! September 3-4 Retreat With Brian Lesage Hopefully at MeadowRock Ranch in Nathrop A 2-day Insight Meditation Retreat on The Four Foundations of Mindfulness Saturday - 9am to 4pm Sunday - 9am to 3:30pm The Buddha's teachings of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness are the bedrock of understanding and practicing mindfulness. In this weekend retreat we will gather to explore each of these foundations in a way that is relevant to your formal meditation practice and your life. We will cultivate continuous mindfulness in sitting and walking practice, and will be in silence throughout the day. Experiential meditative approaches will be offered throughout the retreat and will be supported by optional discussion times. This retreat is designed for both beginners and experienced practitioners. If you are new to this teaching, this will be a good introduction. If you are already familiar with these four foundations, deeper facets of each one will be offered to explore. Sunday Tea with Cindy Cindy Sasso has reinstated out teatime after the Sunday evening sit on the first Sunday of the month which is MAY 1st! Please join us for some snacks and socializing. Yard Help Needed If anyone has any time to offer for sangha house yard maintenance and watering this spring and summer please contact Paul Vosburgh at 505-350-0338. Thanks! Elizabeth's Party The sangha house was packed for our potluck party to wish Elizabeth Ritchie our love and blessings for her new life in Asheville, NC. She is on her way there now. We owe her a special thanks for leaving her beautiful thanka and her Buddha on our altar for the enjoyment of our sangha. It's so typical of her generosity and we'll think of her every time we look at them    |
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SALIDA SANGHA 248 D Street Salida, CO |