Workshops
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How Mindfulness Practice Connects Us All
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Anne Marie Duchêne Discusses Mindful Communication
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Mindful Communication Class
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You Are Enough
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Slow Down
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Watch Video
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Releasing Judgment
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On Awareness
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Feeling Discomfort
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Watch Video
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Mindful Awareness
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Stephanie's insights on Mindful Communication
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Virtual SILENT Daylong RETREAT
“Cultivating Mindfulness”
with Anne-Marie Duchêne
Sunday, December 11th, 2022
11am – 5pm: Eastern Time
8am – 2pm: Pacific Time
5pm – 11pm: Paris/London
5am – 11am:Hawaii/New Zealand/Australia
Investment for Daylong Retreat is $149
Purchase before October 1, 2022 and Get 15% Off
Join me for a daylong silent meditation retreat where you will be supported in practicing a day of silence and mindful walking while we come together as a community.
This workshop will include:
- guided meditations,
- reflections,
- periods of silence as we sit,
- walking meditation.
During our day of silence together, you will be guided into meditation, be invited to practice the art of sitting in silence and be gently guided into walking meditation.
Participants will be reminded to maintain their commitment to a full day of non-speaking while at the workshop. The result is a pervasive silence that serves as a foundation for a meditation practice and creates a palpable and nourishing atmosphere of stillness.
Silence can be challenging for some people and especially if this is your first time participating in such a workshop.
Because this may be a new and unfamiliar experience, silence can be confusing.
This is especially true when a person’s primary associations with silence are uncomfortable – for example, when his or her only experience of social silence is interpersonal discomfort, loneliness, or exclusion.
Most people, however, come to cherish the silence that they experience.
Even those who were intimidated by it in the beginning often find such peace in the silence that they are reluctant to give it up at the end. As people become aware of its richness, they come to look forward to silence rather than fear it.
A silent retreat workshop has many benefits.
Because social conversation keeps the mind active, periods of not talking help the mind rest.
Silence settles the many emotions that are activated by talking, listening, and even in the anticipation of talking. As our mental and emotional lives calm down, our bodies relax.
Silence allows for a heightened sense of intimacy with the world.
In sustained silence our senses become more acute, and both the inner and outer world can appear to us with greater clarity. For example, we may begin to notice the birdsong we previously failed to hear, or we may tune in to our quieter thoughts, which normally get drowned out.
The primary reason for silence on meditation retreats is to support our meditation practice.
Silence helps keep our focus on cultivating mindfulness and concentration.
Continuity of mindfulness is much easier when we don’t talk. The complex interplay of emotions and attitudes involved in most social interactions tend to keep the mind too active and scattered to allow for deep concentration. And this internal activity often lingers.
The mental momentum from a conversation is seldom finished when we stop talking. It can take a while for the thinking mind to quiet down after a conversation ends.
For most people, silence creates a space in which they can see themselves more clearly.
Rather than being actively distracted by work, relationships, the internet, music, or various external events, you will have an opportunity to notice overlooked feelings and concerns.
At this workshop, you will be introduced to what Buddhism calls “noble silence.” This is a beautiful state of mind that comes when discursive thinking has stopped.
Discursive thinking refers to thought that proceeds like an inner discourse in our own minds. It may be imagining conversations with others, remembering past conversations, or talking to ourselves. It may involve abstract, analytical thinking about what is happening in the present moment.
As discursive thinking quiets down, the mind becomes more peaceful. As agitation decreases, desire and aversion lessen. When this inner stilling is accompanied by confidence, purity, and equanimity then the mind is said to experience the fullness of “noble silence.”
Participants get to relax into the collective stillness that we will create and discover that being together with others in silence allows for a rich sense of connection that is more satisfying than if you had spent the same time engaged in conversation.
A wonderful lesson to take away from this workshop is how the quiet ways of being with others can allow for a deep sense of connection.
As we discover the great value of silence, we can explore the uses of silence in daily life.
Learning to be comfortable with silence expands what is possible in our relationships—both with others and ourselves. Spending time in silence can enrich both.
In particular, it can be a great support in helping us discover greater spiritual freedom wherever we are. And with freedom we can experience stillness and peace even in the midst of speech.
Flow of the Day (noted in Eastern Time Zone):
Arrival on Zoom: 10:45am
Workshop will begin at 11am sharp
- Wear comfortable clothes.
- Set your sitting space up comfortably and so you will not be disturbed.
- Silence and simplicity stand as two core pillars for the practice of mindfulness meditation. This workshop provides the framework for stepping back from the busyness and complexity of our lives and moving into a quieter way of being. In this spirit, I invite you to please:
- Turn off your cell phones. If you position your phone on vibrate or silent, it can still be distracting and heard in a silent environment so please turn them off completely.
- Leave behind your laptops, iPods, iPads and other communication devices.
- Keep your silence throughout the day and refrain from making eye contact with anyone.
- This allows you to commit to your workshop wholeheartedly and reap the benefits of that commitment.
- We will not be doing any journaling therefore please refrain from taking notes or writing. You will be encouraged to be fully present and refrain from writing or reading throughout the day.
Schedule:
11am -11:30am: Introduction — What is silent meditation and why practice it?
11:30am – 12pm – Sitting meditation with instructions
12pm – 12:20pm — Walking meditation
12:20 am – 12:50pm – Sitting meditation
12:50pm – 1pm — Break
1pm – 1:20pm – Walking meditation
1:20 pm – 2pm – Sitting meditation
2pm – 2:30pm – Teaching
2:30pm – 3pm — Options:
- Silent Lunch (please refrain from speaking or using any electronics during this time) OR
- you can continue to sit with me during this time.
3pm – 3:30pm – Sitting meditation with instructions
3:30pm – 3:50 pm – Walking meditation
3:50pm – 4:20pm – Sitting meditation
4:20pm – 4:25pm — Break
4:25pm – 5pm – Discussion + Q & A + Closing
Looking forward to “seeing” you there 😉
Love,
Anne-Marie xo
Investment for Daylong Retreat is $149
Purchase before October 1, 2022 and Get 15% Off
Past Courses
Understanding How Sonatic Awareness Works
Understanding How Sonatic Awareness Works Wednesday, November 17th
Somatic processing occurs in the body. In this class, I will share how somatic awareness works and how it can be developed.
The second part of the class will be dedicated to experiencing somatic awareness first hand.
You will be invited into a somatic movement experience derived from my “Dynamic Alignment” movement series. This movement class will focus on how to tap into the nervous system’s innate intelligence to self-regulate, which is associated with health benefits. You will learn specific therapeutic phrases — a formulated language — to accompany movements. The intention is for you to have a physical, somatic, experience of yourself in a deeply mindful and transformative way.
We will use a pretest-posttest design in order to monitor our Dynamic Alignment experience. Please wear comfortable clothes and have enough space around you where you can stand and move about within an 8×10 foot area. We will also be doing floor work so please be sure to have a space without obstruction.
Processing & Healing
Processing & Healing Wednesday, November, 10th
This class will focus on the art of processing and healing and how it is applied in the context of mindfulness.
Mindfulness is non-judgmental, accepting awareness of what is going on in the present moment. It promotes natural healing of the organism, where the change comes spontaneously by acceptance and awareness of internal experience. We can call this ‘mindful processing’, because with mindful awareness disturbing experiences can be processed and integrated.
Mindful processing invites us to become aware of our moment-to-moment subjective experiences, what I call body-felt-sense experiences. Important to note that Processing & Healing in the Mindfulness context is not goal-oriented and doesn’t strive to achieve a positive outcome. Positive outcomes are a natural by-product of accepting awareness of both pleasant and unpleasant inner experiences (body sensations, affects and/or thoughts) as they arise.
Developing Heart-Centering Connection
Developing Heart-Centering Connection Wednesday, October 27th
What does Heart-Centering Connection mean and how does one put it into action? How do you use your heart-centering connection as a teaching tool?
The entryway into identifying heart-centered connection is through using a series of exercises including check-in meditations, group discussions, and learning to mindfully express yourself when uncomfortable. In this class, I will teach you the “next step” into the art and skill of developing a heart-centering connection with yourself and your student and/or client.
In this class, I will teach you three steps to beginning EVERY conversation with heart-centering connection. Using these tools is a decision that you have the power to make every time that you enter into a conversation with someone. Better yet, you can use this same 3-step process before writing an email or text.
The Art Of Mindful Communication – Part 1
Every Tuesday beginning on November 10th – December 29th, 2020
1:00pm – 2:30pm Eastern Standard Time via Zoom.
This is the first of a 3-part series, 8-week interactive and experiential think tank workshop specifically developed for those interested in The Art Of Mindful Communication.
The Art Of Mindful Communication – Part II
Every Tuesday, beginning on March 2nd – April 20th, 2021
1:00pm – 2:30pm Eastern Standard Time via Zoom.
This is the second of a 3-part series, 8-week interactive and experiential think tank workshop specifically developed for those interested in The Art Of Mindful Communication.
The Art Of Mindful Communication – Part III
Every Tuesday, beginning on July 6th – August 24th, 2021.
6pm – 8pm Eastern Standard Time via Zoom.
This is the third of a 3-part series, 8-week interactive and experiential think tank workshop specifically developed for those interested in The Art Of Mindful Communication.
Click Here For More Information
About the Coaching Style:
The coaching style is influenced by Strategic Intervention Therapy (also known as SI) which is dedicated to extracting the most practical and effective forms of strategic action and communication from a variety of disciplines: Ericksonian therapy, strategic family therapy, Human Needs Psychology, organizational psychology, neurolinguistics, psychology of influence, strategic studies, traditions of diplomacy and negotiation, game theory, Mindfulness Meditation and Nonviolent Communication.
You will identify how to unleash your inner Creative Leader and live a fulfilled life, experience tangible success, empowered states of being, and present yourself with confidence and authenticity! With over 20 years experience coaching business teams and executives from Oracle University, Microsoft and Visa corporations to some of the worlds most accomplished artists and athletes, I recognize that real transformation only occurs through consistent and focused action taking.
These workshops are specifically authored to create lasting change and improve decision-making.
You will increase your confidence and improve your relationships.
This work is based on the real and proven techniques for measurable human change from a heart-centered perspective. It introduces a new standard of how we can view ourselves as effective and global game changers. You will experience powerful teachings on indirect negotiation methods that offer rapid and enduring effects.
You will learn how to express yourself with clarity and develop deep insight into your own life and desires. You will learn to support and positively influence others through the use of incisive therapeutic skills and develop the artful skill of active listening and how to Hold Sacred Space.
You will be mindfully challenged to reach a higher level of excellence and a greater sense of belonging. You will be encouraged and supported in developing your own unique style and find your true inner voice. Some of the most successful entrepreneurs worldwide have understood that in order to become a mindful leader, one must surround him/her/themselves with empowered mindful mentors and coaches.
Now is the time to honor and develop the Creative Leader in you. Choose to move into what’s possible for your life and get curious about creating a life of Present Awareness, Mindfulness and Nonviolent Communication.
Welcome!
Your life is NOW!
