SUNDAYS at 8:15 - 9:25am and Thursdays 5:30 - 6:45 pm we meet via zoom; on the first Sunday of the month we meet hybrid (live and/or via zoom) in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Tuscaloosa (UUCT), Classroom 4, 6400 New Watermelon Road, Tuscaloosa AL 35406. Beginners are welcome -- come as you are -- you do not need to attend an orientation before attending as a beginner. We meditate tog
ether for 30 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of a short shared reading and discussion from a book on Zen practice. When we meet in person we then have a 30 minute informal social time with tea (or you may leave if you cannot stay for the entire time). The group is independent from, but supported by the UUCT church to attend; about half of the group members are not UUCT members and half are. We are grateful for the encouragement and support of UUCT. UUCT does welcome you to attend UUCT service which begins at 10:00am. http://uutuscaloosa.org/. This group meets every Sunday, with only the rarest of exceptions that will always be posted on facebook (severe weather or when Christmas falls on a Sunday). When we meet in person, chairs are available for meditating, as well as a variety of zafus, zabutons, cushions, yoga mats, & one seiza bench, or feel free to bring your own cushion with you. Orientation in the Zen and/or secular mindfulness traditions is available - please contact us by text or email to arrange an orientation (see contact info at bottom of this note). MORE ABOUT TUSCALOOSA ZEN MEDITATION CIRCLE: Whether you are an experienced meditator or brand new and just looking for some techniques for stress reduction, all are welcome! This is an opportunity to take some time out and slow down. Instruction is available in the Zen and secular mindfulness traditions, but practitioners from all traditions are welcomed and valued -- let us all learn together from each other! TZMC/Quiet Tide Sangha is led by Lynn Snow (leading Sunday mornings) and Hank Lazer (leading Thursday evenings). Lynn is an entrusted lay Zen teacher in the Soto Zen tradition, professor at The University of Alabama, and psychologist. She began meditating in 1995 and began to study with Gaelyn Godwin, Abbot of the Houston Zen Center (www.HoustonZen.Org) in 2005 until she moved to Alabama in 2006. She resumed her studies with Gaelyn Roshi in 2012, completed the Jukai precepts ceremony at the Houston Zen Center in 2017, and received lay teacher ordination in 2020. She also received training in Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention therapy from developer Sarah Bowen in 2014 and has served as a therapist using this approach. She served as co-coordinator of a meditation group meeting at the Birmingham Unitarian Church in the tradition of Thich Nhaht Hahn from 2010 - 2013, and co-founded the Zen Tuscaloosa Meditation Circle in 2014. Hank Lazer is a long-time zen practitioner, poet, and professor emeritus of The University of Alabama and student of Norman Fischer, Founder and Spiritual Director of Everyday Zen (https://everydayzen.org/) and previous co-Abbot of San Francisco Zen Center. Hank founded Quiet Tide Sangha in 2016. The Tuscaloosa Zen Meditation Circle/Quiet Tide Sangha has long-time members with rich experience in a variety of mindfulness traditions, including Christian centering prayer, Vipassana meditation, Nichiren meditation, transcendental meditation, mindfulness based stress reduction, mindfulness based relapse prevention, and tai chi. Practitioners of any form of silent meditation are welcome. MEDITATION RETREATS: We work to host at least one annual retreat in the Zen tradition, appropriate for more experienced meditators, and one or more annual retreats in the secular mindfulness tradition, appropriate for all meditators including those newer to the practice. Please sign up for our email list to receive updates on these events. CONTACT US: Contact us via email at [email protected], or you may text or leave a voice mail at 205-471-7ZEN (please expect a delay of up to 48 business hours for voice mail to be returned).
