Mediation and Existence
Mediation and Existence goes beyond just meditation and looking at our own “self-awareness”. This workshop will help gay, bisexual, Trans, Queer men be able to find self-improvement and self-acceptance. Many queer folks isolate themselves or suffer from social anxiety because they fear the possibility of others judging, bullying or rejecting them. This workshop provides psychological strength to the group not to fall into depression or anxiety because there is no shame in being you. This group will help the members become aware of their possibilities and acknowledge that they are responsible for events they formally thought were happening to them. The technique used in this work will be a blend of Vipassana meditation and Existentialism ideas.
Vipassana is the technique of seeing things as they are, members will learn to be self-observant of their existence, presence and own actions to the world around them.
This will be done with 4 focus workshop sessions:
- Get to know each others (More of an ice breaker to know other participants and open up)
- Why am I here
- Why do I feel?
- I am not my thoughts
- The Desire of Growth
From this group, the goal is to have members:
- Help members to see that they are free and to become aware of their possibilities.
- Help members recognize that they are responsible for events that they formally thoughts were happening to them.
- Approach a future orientation and stress self-awareness before action
- Know how their actions, choices and existence plays a role to their surrounding
The Workshop will run for week to week for five weeks, 90-minute sessions from 6:30-8:00pm on Tuesdays starting August 3rd
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Emerson Santos
He/Him
Emerson is a free-spirit individual who does not judge the moment. His mantra is “make my mind, my friend.” He feels it is a blessing to meditate with other individuals and exercise self-awareness. He was drawn to the values that HIM promotes, which align very closely with his own values. He is originally from Brazil but has visited and lived in many places such as Australia, India, Belgian, and Canada. He is open to the lessons of other cultures and attitudes and tries to integrate those experiences of inclusivity into his own life and the work he does at Qmunity and HIM. Emerson has been working for many years in the business and finance arena. Early on, he found the profession interesting; however, he was losing interest as time passed. Currently, he has been qualifying as a counsellor—he is seeking what is true and not what is desirable.
