Our Story
This open meditation community in the Northern Shenandoah Valley began in September 2010, and includes both beginners and experienced practitioners. Most nights there are 30-45 of us. All are welcome.
We meet every Tuesday from 7-8:45 p.m. in the sanctuary of the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Shenandoah Valley, 6380 Valley Pike, Stephens City. The group is free to all, though there is a $10-20 suggested donation (dana) to the church for providing the space.
While the forms of meditation we practice are rooted in Buddhist teachings, the study and practice of mindfulness is applicable to anyone from any background or religion.
The community (sangha) is led by Insight Teacher Shell Fischer, founder and guiding teacher of Mindful Shenandoah (www.mindfulvalley.com) who offers almost 30 years of extensive mindfulness practice and study. She is a Buddhist teacher, trained in the Tibetan Vajrayana tradition at Naropa University – the nation’s leading contemplative university – and in the Theravadan Vipassana (Insight) tradition by Dr. Tara Brach – one of the world’s foremost Insight teachers. She is a graduate of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher-training program led by Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of MBSR and the Stress Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. She’s also an educational partner with both Valley Health and the Foundation of the State Arboretum of Virginia. Prior to teaching, Shell wrote about mindfulness and yoga for national magazines.
Shell’s main focus as a teacher is on metta (loving-kindness) practice. Her hope is to guide her students in nurturing even more kindness and compassion for themselves, and for all the situations they find themselves in throughout their lives, through the practice of meditation and mindfulness – which she believes everyone can learn.
You can learn about Shell's upcoming classes and retreats at www.mindfulvalley.com.
WE PRACTICE INSIGHT MEDITATION, or Samatha-Vipassana, a style of meditation that helps the mind attain deeper levels of calm concentration (samatha) through sustained attention on the breath, then combines this with the crucial aspect of insight (or vipassana) through contemplation of the mind and body and all of its changing and impermanent senses, emotions, and thoughts. Literally meaning "to see clearly," Insight Meditation trains us to live more mindfully in the present moment, enables us to experience life from a greater stillness, and aids us in relating to both ourselves and others with increased clarity and compassion, and less fear, anxiety, and stress.
The format includes a 15-minute guided meditation, followed by a 25-minute silent meditation on wide, comfy, padded chairs (or cushions/benches if you bring your own), and a 10-minute walking meditation. Following the meditation period, a 40 minute teaching is offered.
The group is not recommended for those under age 18.
Please feel free to email Shell at shell@mindfulvalley.com if you have any questions at all.
