This series is at capacity. If you are interested in joining a group of this nature in the future, please email us.
Tamara Moore sees doing one thing at a time as a spiritual exercise. She’s challenged herself to slow down and knows the difficulty of doing this without support. In response, Tamara is offering a virtual small group Satsang once per week during Lent for all the busy people out there. Satsang is a Sanskrit term which refers to the gathering of companions on a common spiritual path. The practice goal for this particular satsang? The practice of doing one thing at a time. When it's time to eat, eat. When it's time to walk, walk. When it's time to do the dishes, do the dishes. We know this is easier said than done for most of us, especially on our own. Companions are a great gift.
While this practice of doing just one thing at a time can be painful, the pain is not in vain. According to Tamara, the friction and pain we willingly experience generates tapas, the inner fire necessary for the advancement in spiritual life. Practices that generate tapas offer opportunities for growth when intentionally paired with Svadhyaya (self-study and observation) and Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender to God). In other words, when we intentionally do hard things we know are good, even when we don’t want to, we are poised to step back and observe all the sensations we experience and give them over to God. The giving over leaves us empty and ready to take in the next gift.
Lent can be experienced as a complicated “project” to complete, a pass/fail assignment akin to self-help. Tamara hopes this weekly community gathering will help participants simplify and listen to what really matters in his/her love affair with Jesus. The gift of satsang is the gift of a community with whom one can explore of the intimate, tender, and profound movements of life in God. Each participant should be eager to build a sacred space of trust and letting go.
Participants will meet virtually once per week during Lent to share what they observe in their own minds and bodies as they attempt the herculean, 21st century feat of doing one thing at a time. Tamara will offer practices to be observed by each participant throughout each week. The weekly gathering will be structured for engagement with and reflection on experiences of the week.
Tamara will invite participants to tap into Mary, mother of Jesus, for support. Tamara first began praying with Mary as an adult, during a 9 month commitment to practicing the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola with her spiritual director. Some months in, she was invited to reflect on the life of Mary and to speak frankly with her. So, she did just that. Since then, Tamara has found Mary to be a trusted companion and mentor. Tamara has experienced Mary as a “watcher of the fire,” allowing and encouraging Tamara to access to her feminine, intuitive nature while countering-balancing her more hard-driving, western tendencies. Mary encourages balance. For those new to relating to Mary, this retreat will offer an accessible way to engage, as you utter your own unknowings and questions to Mary to be shown what you need in the moment.
Tamara Moore received her master’s in theology from St. John’s school of Theology and Seminary in 2005. She earned her 500 hour yoga teacher training through the Yoga Loft in Willmar, MN and her mentors include Mary Beth Nehl and Doug Keller. Tamara has been receiving spiritual direction for twenty years and offering it to others for eleven years. Her Catholic faith is strengthened and informed by yoga in many ways, from the practice of Eucharistic adoration informed by the Hindu practice of Darshan (sacred viewing) to the framework of the Koshas to understand and categorize her inner experiences. We hope she will share more about this with CPY in the near future.
Tamara lives in Northern Minnesota with her husband and four children. She currently studies vocal performance at Bemidji State University, offers spiritual direction, supervision, and teaches The Dynamics of Spiritual Direction at St. John's School of Theology/Seminary.
Notes:
This series is limited to 15 participants
The dates for the classes are as follows: 2/23, 3/2, 3/9, 3/16, 3/30, and 4/6.
In order to support the contemplative nature of these meetings please choose a private, quiet setting, and use headphones. Due to the intimate nature of our satsang we will not record or post our sessions.
Each week will build upon experiences from the previous week. We encourage you to attend as many sessions as possible. This class series will not be recorded.
There will be no class on March 23.
The class does not have an asana component.