Serving Up Wisdom: Quiet Mind, Peaceful Heart - First Steps in Mindfulness

This program is recommended for individuals 55+; however, all are welcome.

Join us for Enoch Pratt Free Library’s FREE luncheon series, which offers patrons an afternoon of engaging conversations, performances, and activities. Pratt is excited to work in partnership with several community organizations to bring in a variety of dynamic presenters and performers, with rich academic and artistic backgrounds to lead these programs.

What’s on the menu:

For March’s luncheon, Pratt is excited to welcome Ayesha Ali for an introduction to mindfulness workshop. This session will introduce participants to the simple but powerful practice of awareness and focus that invites us to leave the trance of thoughts of the past and/or future. It cultivates connecting to the present moment with non-judgment and self-compassion. With this awareness, we can begin to self-regulate whatever arises, such as worry or fear, thereby caring for ourselves more deeply.

After the workshop, participants will be invited to either join a facilitated activity or participate in our regular book discussion group led by Pratt Librarians from the Fiction Dept.

Lunch will be provided.

Please contact Madelyn McCaully at [email protected] or 410-396-5494, if you have questions about registration or to request accommodations.

About the Facilitator:

Ayesha Ali is a storyteller, poet, writer, and mindfulness teacher who believes that meditation practices can support us to more fully appreciate the gift of our lives and to engage with others in ways that support the development of true community. She is one of the founders of the Heart Refuge Mindfulness Community for People of Color. She is an Affiliate Teacher with the Insight Community of Washington DC, where she facilitates the Heartwidth Sangha, an all-inclusive community. She is also the guiding teacher for IMCW’s BIPOC sangha and part of the teaching team for the LGBTQIA+ sangha. She has published articles in Lion’s Roar Magazine and Tricycle.

Host or Publisher Enoch Pratt Free Library