Women in Mindfulness: Mini-Retreat

October 30, 2024
4:30-6:30pm
NYU Changemaker Center
12 Washington Place, NYC

Led by: Yael Shy, Faculty, NYU Wagner

Join us for this fall for a journey into mindfulness designed specifically for NYU students.

This mini-retreat will guide you through practices and teachings that help you feel more settled in your body, transform anxiety, and discover a sense of clarity and spaciousness amid stress. Drawing inspiration from women and non-binary Buddhist teachers, the retreat offers practical, down-to-earth advice to support you in your everyday life and connect with warm community while doing so. All genders and levels of meditation experience are welcome.

Free but RSVP required - Space is limited

Generously sponsored by: NYU Changemaker CenteR & the Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism

Throughout the Jewish High Holidays, the tradition of Tashlich is an invitation to take stock of the past year and reflect deeply. Are we living lives that reflect our values? Are we acting with purpose? Are we embodying our truth?

This free workshop will take place in beautiful Brooklyn Bridge Park, where meditation teacher Yael Shy will lead us through a guided contemplative journey on the themes of the Jewish new year and the Tashlich ritual. Following this, Cantor and renowned musician Basya Schechter will lead us to the waterfront with song to blow the shofar and perform the Tashlich ceremony.

Tashlich is an ancient ritual in which individuals or communities traditionally gather by a flowing body of water, and throw pieces of bread or pebbles into the stream to symbolically represent misdeeds, mis-alignments, and regrets from the past year. The word “Tashlich” in Hebrew means “casting away.” This casting away represents a spiritual cleansing–an opportunity to let go of what is holding us back, and a chance to begin again in the coming year.

Into the Water is an embodied, open, and completely free opportunity to be present, thoughtful, and reflective at the most meaningful moment in the Jewish calendar. All are welcome – no Jewish or meditation background is necessary. Bring a cushion or chair to sit on and your bravery, honesty and presence to the discussion! Exact coordinates will be provided ahead of the event.

This program is in partnership with The Neighborhood: An Urban Center for Jewish Life and Romemu Brooklyn.

Basya Schechter is best known for her group, Pharaoh's Daughter, a 7 piece world music ensemble that travels effortlessly through continents, key signatures, and languages with a genre-bending sound cultivated after her many hitchhikes in Africa and the Middle East. She is also the Hazzan and musical director of Romemu Brooklyn, a fast growing, progressive, spiritually adventurous satellite community, as well as on Fire Island's flip flop community during the summers. In support of her nearly 10 albums, she has toured through America, Europe, South America, Israel and Canada, as well as being featured at Lincoln Center, Summerstage and Joe's Pub.

Yael Shy is the CEO of Mindfulness Consulting, LLC, where she teaches and consults on mindfulness for universities, corporations, and private clients around the world. She is the author of the award-winning book, What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond (Parallax, 2017), and the founder of Mindful NYU, the largest campus-based mindfulness initiative in the US. Yael is a graduate of the Institute for Jewish Spiritualty's Jewish Mindfulness Teacher Training Certification and has over 20 years of meditation practice experience. She is Adjunct Faculty at New York University and has been featured on Good Morning America, CBS, Fox 5 News, and in Time Magazine and the Harvard Business Review. Connect with Yael at yaelshy.com and @yaelshy1 on Instagram.

The Neighborhood: An Urban Center for Jewish Life is a Jewish community and cultural center in Brooklyn. We produce programs that raise up underrepresented perspectives and welcome the thousands of Brooklynites that have not yet found their Jewish home. We are creating a welcoming space that reflects the spirit of Brooklyn–future-thinking and deeply historical, iconoclastic, and sacred.

Romemu Brooklyn seeks to integrate body, mind, and soul in Jewish practice. We offer passionate services and communal spiritual connection to build authentic relationships with both ourselves and our community.

Sacred Longing: Pop-Up High Holiday Workshop

October 1, 2024

2-5 pm ET Via Zoom 

Cost: $36 Scholarship Rate, $54 Sustainer Rate, $72 Giver Rate

Nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Email info@mindfulnessconsulting.net.

Join us for a two-hour workshop designed to help you pause, reflect, and reconnect as we approach the Jewish High Holidays. Through meditation, guided journaling, and the study of Jewish texts, we'll explore the state of our hearts and minds, inviting clarity and alignment in key areas of our lives—relationships, professional journeys, spirituality, and community. 

We'll use the sacred themes of the High Holidays to repair harm, get in touch with our deepest longings, and reflect on what truly matters. Whether you're preparing for the Jewish High Holidays or simply want to use this seasonal moment to recalibrate, all are welcome. No prior knowledge is needed, and I’ll define any terms along the way.

What you’ll walk away with:

⭐️ a deeper understanding of your inner landscape

⭐️ greater clarity about the areas of your life that need realignment or healing

⭐️ a renewed sense of purpose and connection as we enter this reflective season.

⭐️ practical tools to integrate these insights into your daily life, grounded in Jewish wisdom.

⭐️ a recording of the workshop to refer back to at your leisure.

About your Facilitator:

Yael Shy, Esq. is the Founder and CEO of Mindfulness Consulting, LLC, where she supports individuals and collectives uncover their inherent worth and capacity for deep joy. A meditation practitioner for over 20 years, Yael was trained in the Soto Zen Buddhist and Jewish mindfulness traditions. She is the author of the award-winning book, What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond (Parallax, 2017) and an Adjunct Professor at NYU's Wagner School of Public Service. She has served as the Chief Mindfulness Consultant at Procter and Gamble and consults regularly for Columbia Law School and New York University. She has been featured on Good Morning America, CBS News, Fox 5 News, and in the Harvard Business Review and Time Magazine. She can be found at www.mindfulnessconsulting.net and on instagram @yaelshy1. 

Join us for an evening of immersive meditation using all five senses as we embrace the vibrant energies of summer with the powerful themes of water and sun. Hosted by Yael Shy and Hediya Sizar, this unique event, set at Hudson Water Pier by the river, aims to harmonize the nurturing and life-giving elements of water and sun within us. Delicious House of Leyli iced tea will be served and used in the meditation. Price included in the cost of admission. 

What to expect?

• Guided Meditation: A guided sensory meditation, coupled with refreshing tea from House of Leyli, that will help you channel the soothing properties of water and the revitalizing energy of the sun for inner balance.

• Elemental Breathwork: Practice breathwork techniques to synchronize the rhythms of water and sun, fostering tranquility and vitality.

• Nature Connection: Feel the Hudson River breeze, listen to flowing water, and bask in the sunset’s golden hues, symbolizing inner light.

• Sound Healing: Immerse in the sounds of water and wind chimes to enhance your meditation and align with nature’s elements.

• Community Gathering: Connect with like-minded individuals, sharing experiences and insights in a supportive environment.

What to Bring: 

• A yoga mat or cushion for seating.

• A journal and a pen.

• A light blanket or shawl in case of cool evening temperatures.

• A refillable water bottle to stay hydrated.

In a fast-paced world that often leaves us feeling the need to do more just to keep up, take a break and join us for a transformative experience. Our guided tea meditation and soothing sound bath will lead you on a journey to embrace the power of your senses, allowing you to slow down and anchor yourself in the present moment. 

Your Life is A Work of Art: A Daylong Meditation Retreat
June 9, 2024
10-4 pm
New York, NY
All are welcome! Please let us know if you have any accessibility needs. The building is wheelchair accessible and there will be gender neutral bathrooms available. 

"Know that every deed counts, that every word is power...build your life as if it were a work of art."

~ Abraham Joshua Heschel

As we engage in mindfulness practice, or embodied mindful awareness practice, we plant conscious seeds of intention: intentions to pause, intentions to show up with care and integrity, intentions to reflect, intentions to be a more present friend or community member, intentions to stand up for human rights, intentions to [fill-in-the-blank] – and then we strengthen our capacity to attend to those intentions. In other words, we treat our lives as works of art.

And yet it can be hard to carve out space to strengthen this capacity in the midst of a 21st-century world full of distraction and suffering. There may be nothing more important than choosing to slow down, deepen into awareness and compassion, and pay attention to the wisdom of the mind, heart, and body with care. Engaging in this process in a supportive communal context is what retreat is all about. 

All of you are warmly welcome whether you've never meditated before or have been meditating for years.

We want to honor the Buddhist roots of this retreat format and the practices we're teaching. Our teaching has also been heavily influenced by other wisdom traditions.

The approximate schedule for the retreat is as follows (it is subject to change):

• 9:30-10 am ET: Arrive, meet a new friend, take your seat for our 10 am start time

• 10-10:45 am ET: Getting started (grounding practice, introductions, community invitations, brief teaching)

• 10:45-11:15 am ET: Mindfulness meditation instructions & first meditation period

• 11:15-11:45 am ET: Walking meditation instructions & walking meditation period

• 11:45-12:05 pm ET: Meditation period 

• 12:05-12:20 pm ET: Question & Response period

• 12:20-12:30 pm ET: Introduction to mindful eating

• 12:30-1:30 pm ET: Lunch (bring your own or go out for lunch!)

• 1:30-2 pm ET: Afternoon teaching

• 2-2:45 pm ET: Compassion meditation instructions & meditation period

• 2:45-3:05 pm ET: Walking meditation period

• 3:05-3:30 pm ET: Discussion period

• 3:30-4 pm ET: Closing circle

There are 36 spots available for this retreat, so please register as soon as possible if you would like to participate. Important note: If you would like to attend and the pricing is prohibitive for you, please contact us at info@mindfulnessconsulting.net. There is some limited financial assistance available.

Cancellation Policy: You may cancel your registration for any reason before May 27, 2024 and receive a full refund, minus a $10 transaction fee. For Cancellations between May 27, 2024 and June 9, 2024 we are unable to provide any refunds, under any circumstances, due to the money lost from securing the space.

Returning to the Source: One Day Jewish Meditation Retreat

April 14, 2024

10am-4pm 

Private space n Silver Spring, MD

- location given upon registration

Tuition (includes Kosher catered lunch and snacks): $75 (subsidized thanks to a generous donor)

Led by Yael Shy, with guest teacher Rabbi Hillel Broder

How do we stabilize ourselves to respond with care and open-heartedness to life when the ground beneath us may feel unstable?  What Jewish wisdom can hold and support us to see clearly, to feel grounded, and to act with love? 

This day-long meditation retreat will be a time to slow down, meet our own hearts in the silence, and re-source ourselves to meet our lives - and the world - with compassion.

Whatever your connection/experience with Judaism or meditation, all are warmly welcome and all terms will be explained and translated. 

Throughout the retreat, we will alternate between periods of sitting meditation and walking meditation, each offering an opportunity to delve deeper into quiet and stillness. There will also be a time for silent eating meditation during lunch. Amidst these moments of quiet communal practice, your faculty will offer meditation guidance and Jewish wisdom, allowing us to settle, open, and to reconnect with ourselves, each other, and the Divine.

Questions? Please reach out to Sara Solomon, Retreat Manager: ssolomon48[at]gmail.com 

You are invited to join a free weekly program launching in February, for folks in their 20s and 30s. Each live Zoom session is guided by a leading guest teacher of Jewish spirituality and mindfulness, and includes an additional 15 minutes of optional Q&A and sharing. Register to receive the Zoom link for our weekly sessions and our Shevet WhatsApp Group! You will also receive a link to our Shevet: Jewish Mindfulness Community YouTube playlist, where recordings of the teachings and practices will be posted every week.

Yael will be leading it on this day, April 8th!

Join Yael, and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, as she leads a live guided meditation, sharing 30 minutes of Jewish mindfulness with people from around the world. Open to all, no experience needed.

Anxiety can be all-consuming and crushing – but there is hope. Evidence-based exercises and tools from the world of talk therapy and meditation can provide concrete short and long-term relief from anxiety so that you can live your life with more ease and freedom.

You will leave this workshop with 4 concrete tools to:

1. Create space between trigger and anxiety

2. Ease your nervous system before it turns worry into panic 

3. Flip anxiety to explore the yearning underneath

4. Identify the right therapist to support you in sustainably keeping anxiety at bay

About your Facilitators:

Alyssa Petersel, LMSW is Founder and CEO of MyWellbeing , where she and her team connect people with the *right* therapist or coach for them while supporting mental health providers in building their business and professional community. Named Forbes 30 Under 30 2021, one of Crain's New York Business Notable Women in Healthcare 2019, and one of Built in NYC's 50 Startups to Watch in 2020, Alyssa and her team have supported more than 30 million people through mental health support and content and have been featured in prominent publications like Forbes, Allure, HuffPost, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and more. Alyssa, also a writer and therapist, released her award-winning book, Somehow I Am Different, in 2016. A native New Yorker, in her off-hours, Alyssa enjoys spending time with her friends and family, social justice, and learning more about others' cultures and world views.

Yael Shy is the CEO of Mindfulness Consulting, LLC, where she teaches and consults on mindfulness for universities, corporations, and private clients around the world. She is the author of the award-winning book, What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond (Parallax, 2017), and the founder of Mindful NYU, the largest campus-based mindfulness initiative in the US. Yael has over a decade of teaching and consulting experience and 20 years of meditation practice experience. She has been featured on Good Morning America, CBS, Fox 5 News, and in Time Magazine and the Harvard Business Review. When she is not teaching or practicing, she spends her time in Upstate New York, wrangling her two young kids and frequenting farm stands.

Difficult emotions come up for everyone, and oftentimes we find ourselves trying to avoid, hide or shut them down. Join mindfulness expert Yael Shy and Imam Khalid Latif for a conversation on how we can work with these emotions so that we can cope and thrive.