Master Decisions and Emotions - stoic meditation

Master Decisions and Emotions: the stoic meditation "View from Above"

For us interested in Stoic philosophy, it is only natural to be curious on finding out how practicing it could change our life. Studies show that even over the short span of one week Stoic practices can boost life satisfaction and well-being significantly. It reduces negative emotions and boosts positive ones. Sounds good?

We invite you to explore one of the best known meditation exercises in Stoicism with us: the View From Above. Marcus Aurelius, one of the most famous Stoics of antiquity, mentions this exercise several times in his journal we know as Meditations. Cognitive scientist John Vervaeke from the University of Toronto researched its benefits for knowledge appropriation and self-transformation extensively. And as we know from Donald Robertson, a CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) practicioner, this exercise can be used to train a very effective technique called Cognitive Distancing, as well as improve our problem-solving capability by viewing situations from different angles.

This all sounds very promising, but of course, not all Stoic practices work equally well for everyone. That's why we want to explore the View from Above together, to discuss and share our experiences. We want you to consider this a starting point to explore other exercises as well, to build your own set of Stoic practices that suit your lifestyle best.

Cay-Eric Schimanski, a practicing Stoic for several years now, and Co-Organizer of the Berlin Stoics group, will lead you through the event. We will first practice a guided meditation using the audio version by Modern Stoicism pioneer Donald Robertson. Then we share our thoughts about our experiences and if and how we could integrate similar practices into our daily life.

The ticket price covers the rent for the location and the platforms service fee.

Host or Publisher Berlin Stoics