Our Classes - Winter 2008

Registration Form

Winter 2008 (January - April) Register Now!
To register please call Crossings at 301/565-4924.

At Crossings, we offer on-going weekly classes in T’ai Chi, Yamuna Body Rolling, Meditation, and Alexander Technique — traditions and practices that are centuries old, very contemporary; traditions that offer instruction in the art of daily living.

Learn how to better care for yourself.
Explore the interconnections of body/mind/spirit.
Deepen your relationships with others, with nature,
and with the world around you.
Come join us!

See Class Schedule for a list of our classes.

Meditation:

Music and Healing:

Movement Arts:

Conscious Communication Skills:

Holistic Approaches to Parenting:

The Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center and Mitchell Ratner, Ph.D

Rooted in the teachings of Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, the Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center nurtures and supports the daily practice of mindfulness. Incorporated as a religious non-profit, the Center offers morning sitting practice, a mindfulness practice evening, classes and discussion groups at Crossings. For more information about the community, visit www.stillwatermpc.org

Instructor Bio:
Mitchell Ratner, Ph.D, has been a lay member of the Teip Hein Buddhist order since 1993 and in 2001 received the dharmacariya (meditation teacher) transmission for Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. An applied anthropologist and a founder of the Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center, since 1994 he has taught classes and workshops focused on practicable methods of integrating mindfulness meditation with work, meaningful relationships, and challenges of everyday life.

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Smiling Like A Buddha: A 10-Session Mindfulness Meditation Workshop

Instructor: Mitchell Ratner, Ph.D.

Dates: Wednesdays, February 6 – April 9, 2008

Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

To Register: please call Mitchell at 301-270-8353

Cost: $225
(A reduced fee schedule is available for those for whom the course fee would be a hardship)

Course Description:
Mindfulness meditation is surprisingly simple and remarkably subtle. Over time one develops a relaxed state of awareness that allows for the moment-by-moment direct observation of sensations, feelings, and mind-states. When mindfulness is firmly established, joy, compassion, equanimity and loving-kindness arise.

Intended for both new and experienced practitioners, the workshop will explore conscious breathing, developing/deepening a sitting practice, walking meditation, mindfulness in everyday life, recognizing and accepting feelings and emotions, transforming anger, nurturing love, developing compassion, and hugging meditation.

Participants will be able to share experiences, progress, and challenges within a supportive workshop environment.

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Morning Meditation

Dates: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Ongoing

Times: 6:30 - 7:30 am

Cost: A donation to the Still Water MPC is appreciated.

Course Description:
We sit, we walk, we sit, we do a short reading, we greet each other, and we go on with our day. Newcomers and experienced practitioners are always welcome. No registration is required.

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Mindfulness and Daily Life Practice Evening

Instructor: Stillwater Mindfulness Practice Center

Dates and Times: Dates and Times: Thursdays, 7:00 - 9:15 pm (An orientation to the Still Water MPC and basic mindfulness practices is offered the first Thursday of each month beginning at 6:30 pm).

Cost: There is no set fee, however, a donation to the Still Water MPC of $10 or more is suggested.

Course Description:
Taught by the Still Water Mindfulness community in the tradition of Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn

Each Mindfulness Practice Evening begins with an hour of sitting and walking meditation and continues with a short program, which is different each week, and a discussion about living our lives more mindfully. Newcomers and experienced practitioners are always welcome. No registration is required.

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Music and Healing:

Taketina: The Healing Power of Rhythm

Instructor: Marcus Sims, assisted by drummers Jason Walker and Pam Desmond

Dates and Times:ongoing on Sunday evenings, 6pm to 8pm in the Studio.
No class on March 9th.

Cost: This Taketina community rhythm practice is by donation. Please give a generous offering, within your means, to acknowledge and support the teachers and Crossings Center.

Course Description:
Taketina is a musical journey using the power of rhythm to facilitate our own personal evoluion. Using our bodies as our instrument, with simultaneous stepping, clapping, and singing, we dance and sing to cultivate our awareness in the present moment and quiet the chatter of our rational minds. As our awareness deepens, the habitual patterns of our lives become apparent and can be transformed. In the Taketina rhythmic community, each person can find their own place, regardless of musical experience or skill. At times playful, challenging, primal, meditative, and sublime, Taketina is a tonic for our nervous systems and a mirror for our lives. It is Rhythm for Evolution.

Recommendations:
"Humans on all continents and in all times have found awareness of rhythm to be a pathway into sacred presence. Through movement, clapping, vocals and percussion, Taketina opens us beyond our cocoon of habitual thinking and perception, and into the mystery of being intensely alive and profoundly awake. As teacher and group leader, Marcus Sims brings a quality of sensitivity, care and wisdom that makes this meditative journey both safe and deeply transformative. I highly recommend the process, and Marcus, as trusted guide!"
Tara Brach - founder and senior teacher of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, psychotherapist and author of Radical Acceptance- Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha

"I spent most of the next day with friends, finally relaxed. Skipped the afternoon workshop, but then Ron and I saw some people gathering and went to find out what it was about. We ended up learning TaKeTina, which is wonderful. There's a very simple step, a varying chant, and clapping to a somewhat difficult rhythm. Seems easy, but it'shard to keep all of them going at once, your body doing three very different things. The repetitive rhythm was very soothing to me and by the time it ended I felt more present in my body than I have in months. Ron looked at me and said "welcome back!" I've been out of it for months and still don't fully understand why, but as of that moment, it was over. I felt connected to my senses and everything was just so vivid and intense and beautiful." Anais, workshop participant

Instructor Bio:
Marcus Sims is certified as an Advanced Taketina teacher and continues study with Reinhard Flatischler, the Austrian master drummer who developed Taketina. Marcus has been working, studying, and teaching for 30 years to help bring about a life-sustaining culture on Planet Earth. You can see his woodworking at www.treincarnation.com.

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Movement Arts:

Cloud Hands T’ai Chi

Instructor: Michael Ward, LCSW

Dates: Tuesdays, January 22 – April 15, 2008

Times: Beginners: 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Intermediate: 7:30 - 8:30 pm
Corrections/Advanced: 8:30 - 9:30 pm

Cost: $195

Course Description:
T'ai Chi is a series of 37 gentle, flowing movements that have been practiced as a health exercise for centuries. As a "moving meditation" T'ai Chi teaches relaxation in the midst of activity. Rather than sitting motionless, students learn to stay centered and relaxed while flowing, uninterrupted through the movements. People are frequently confronted verbally and emotionally by the pressures of daily living. Learning to stay centered and calm in the normal activities of life reduces tension, increases energy and allows us to develop the skills needed in more acute circumstances. "Sensing Hands" or "Tui Shou", allows further development of these skills, as well as a deeper understanding of the functional applications of T'ai Chi form. New students are welcome to join, but must first talk with the instructor.

Instructor Bio:
Cloud Hands T'ai Chi instructor, Michael Ward, LCSW, is a senior student of Robert Smith, the first western student of Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing, a renowned master of T'ai Chi Chuan. Mr. Ward has been studying and practicing Professor Cheng's Yang style of T'ai Chi for more than 25 years. Mr. Ward's background as a licensed clinical social worker, who has worked with children, youth and families in wellness programs, provides unique insight into both the challenges and the value of "slowing down" in our fast paced society.

To Register:
Please call Michael at Cloud Hands T'ai Chi at 301/562-0992 for registration and information.

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Gentle and Meditative Dances

Instructor: Evelyn Torton Beck and Judith Walton

Dates: February 8, March 7, March 28, April 11, April 25, 2008

Times: Friday Evenings, 7:30 PM - 9 PM

Cost: $50 for series, $15 per class

Free Introductory Class: January 25, 7:30 - 9 pm

Course Description:
These gentle dances have special meditative qualities and ancient roots. Powerful in their effect, they evoke a spiritual dimension leading to harmony and balance. Dancing together, we create community, connect to ourselves and each other. No dance experience needed: ALL DANCES will be taught each time. Our philosophy of dance, "there are no mistakes, only variations."

JAN. 25: FREE CLASS: Introduction to Gentle and Meditative Dances: This class will offer an overview and samples from the 5 classes we are offering this spring. Each individual session will be organized around a special theme.

FEB. 8: Gentle and Meditative Dances of Love and Relationship

MAR. 7: Gentle and Meditative Dances Honoring the Earth

MAR. 28: Gentle and Meditative Dances of Health and Healing

APRIL 11: Gentle and Meditative Dances of Peace

APRIL 25: Gentle and Meditative Dances of Springtime

Instructor Bio:
Evelyn Torton Beck, Ph.D, is Women's Studies Professor Emerita at the University of Maryland as well as an experienced dancer in the tradition of circle dancing as a healing practice. She lectures on the healing power of art and teaches dancing at area institutes of life-long learning including the University of Maryland's community outreach programs.

Judith Walton, Ph.D, has been teaching Sacred Circle dance for more than 15 years and is interested in using the power of the dance as a means to achieve integration and wholeness. She learned many of the dances at the Findhorn Community, a spiritual/educational community in Scotland. She is a trainer and organization development consultant.

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Level 1 Lunchtime Yoga

Instructor: Rocky Delaplaine

Dates: April 1 – May 20, 2008

Time: 12:30 – 1:30 pm

Cost: $128

Course Description:
Classes with Rocky Delaplaine foster self-acceptance and compassion and are taught in the Iyengar tradition of hatha yoga. In this method there is an emphasis on aligning the physical structures of the body to improve posture and achieve maximum ease of movement. We work to balance strength and flexibility, reduce stress, and focus and calm the mind.

In the Level one class you will be introduced to the basic standing, seated, reclining poses and twists to strengthen the arms, stretch the legs, lengthen the spine, create space in the joints, deepen awareness of the breath, and quiet the mind. Some restorative poses will be offered.

Instructor Bio:
Rocky has been teaching yoga for 18 years and is a long-time faculty member of Unity Woods Yoga Center. She has been to India twice to study with B.K.S. and Geeta Iyengar, has trained at the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco, and was certified in the Iyengar method in 1994. She is also a poet and collage artist exploring the intersection of yoga, dreams and creativity.

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Movement and Stillness: Gentle Stretching and Anointing of Chakras on the New Moon – NEW!

Instructor: Brigit Viksnins, MAT NCTMB RCST

Dates: This is not a series.) Come to one or all classes, once a month, Wednesday mornings and Friday evenings: Jan 9 and 11, Feb 6 and 8, Mar 5 and 7, Apr 4 and 9

Times: Choose Wednesday 9:30 - 11 AM, or Friday 7-8:30 PM

Cost: $35 per class (discount for stay at home moms or dads who need it - available Wed AM)

Registration: Pre-registration is requested. To register, please write Brigit at bviksnins@crossingshealing.com. Class size is limited.

Course Description:
Come stretch with me and anoint your chakras! Renew and center yourself at least once a month! Join me to celebrate the depths of the month, the time of the dark or new moon, by experiencing a relaxing, ritual-like cleansing of body, mind and spirit. I have come up with a fabulous, popular (gentle, standing, appropriate for kids to seniors) movement class, and am excited to offer it at Crossings. We will spend half of the time slowly stretching, opening up all of our joints (this is something you can learn, and do at home). During the second half, we will use pure, therapeutic grade essential oils to anoint each chakra. Through guided meditation, we will cleanse and balance ourselves, shedding the past month, sowing seeds for the one to come.

Therapeutic grade essential oils deliver intelligent, beneficial chemistry and oxygen on a cellular level. They offer a wealth of immune stimulating properties, support brain chemistry and emotions that encourage true healing. Come experience them once a month, and discover for yourself the wonders of letting the oils do the work.

Instructor Bio:
Brigit practices Massage Therapy and Craniosacral Therapy at Crossings. She specializes in relaxing therapeutic massage, and her deep, slow style facilitates a decompression from today's stresses. Along with a variety of other advanced courses, she has studied massage as a medical intervention, which she integrates with the meditative practice of cranial work (to learn about Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, see www.craniosacraltherapy.org).

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Yamuna® Body Rolling

Instructor: Michele Masset, PT, L.Ac.

Dates: Mondays, January 14 – February 25, 2008 (5 Sessions)

Times: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Cost: $158

(Ball must be purchased at the first class for an additional fee)

Registration: Pre-registration is required. To register, please call Michele at (202) 429-0007. Class size is limited.

Course Description:
Yamuna Body Rolling (YBR) is one of the most revolutionary techniques in the world of wellness these days. YBR is a profound, yet simple approach that includes fitness, self-massage, weight bearing exercise, core strengthening, and neuro-muscular re-education rolled into one. YBR consists of a series of routines using 6 – 10 inch inflatable balls to increase blood flow, improve bone quality, develop core strength, reduce stress, increase body awareness, promote healing, stretch muscles, and free restrictions in all parts of the body. YBR empowers people to tone, strengthen and realign their own bodies, and to fix many common body problems. YBR can be done by everyone from high performing athletes to the elderly. The classes are 2 hours long, and are open to the lay person as well as body therapy practitioners.

Instructor Bio:
Michele Masset is a Physical therapist, Acupuncturist, Shiatsu Therapist, Gyrotonic® instructor as well as Teacher of the Yamuna Body Rolling technique.

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Conscious Communication Skills:

Delivering and Receiving Difficult Messages: A 4-Session Non-Violent Communication Series

Instructor: Lynd Morris

Dates: Mondays, March 10, 17, 24, and 31, 2008

Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Cost: $75-$150*

Who: Everyone, no prior NVC training needed

Course Description:
Some news is as hard to hear as it is to express. As an employee being laid off, a parent setting homework standards, a person learning of the loss of a loved one, or someone unable to respond to a request from a friend, all of us will eventually find ourselves delivering or receiving difficult news during our lives. How can we stay present and connected to our own authenticity and compassion when we deliver or receive hard-to-hear messages?

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a process created by Marshall Rosenberg Ph.D. that helps connect us with what is most alive in us and in others. Using NVC, we develop an awareness of what blocks our ability to give and receive and we learn to reframe how we express ourselves and how we hear others so that genuine and meaningful connection can occur.

In this series of four Monday night classes, we’ll explore the foundations of NVC—observing, feeling, needing, and requesting—and see how these are used to stay self-connected while delivering or receiving difficult messages. We’ll employ individual inquiry and both small- and large-group work to practice new NVC skills and apply them to real-life situations. No prior NVC training is needed for this series, which is also open to those who are already familiar with this form of compassionate communication.

* To register, send an email to Lynd@CapitolNVC.org (all are * welcome to register for this event, regardless of ability to contribute financially—work exchange and * scholarship opportunities will be available for those who need them to participate).

Instructor Bio:
Lynd Morris is a graduate of the 2005 North America NVC Leadership Program led by Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC)-certified trainers Miki and Inbal Kashtan. She completed the 2006 LIFE advanced NVC training program led by CNVC-certified trainer Robert Gonzales, and has begun her second year in this program. During the last three years, she has offered numerous NVC classes and workshops in the Metro DC area, is a founding member of Capitol NVC (www.capitolnvc.org), and is registered for CNVC certification. Lynd also is a member of the Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. In 1997, she was ordained as a lay member of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing.

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Holistic Approaches to Parenting:

Mother Voyage

Instructors: Lisa Makstein, LCSW & Marla Zipin, Ph.D.

Dates: Tuesdays, Ongoing

Times: 10:00 - 11:30 am

Cost: $50 per session

Course Description:
Do you want to trust yourself and find more joy as you raise your family? With all its complexity and intensity, motherhood is a time of accelerated growth and personal transformation. In keeping with acupuncture principles, when mom is nourished her family flourishes. This group offers you a nurturing, safe place to grow, honor your authenticity and practice self-compassion. Come join us to pause, rejuvenate, listen deeply, and find delight in motherhood with a circle of kindred women.

To Register:
To register call Lisa Makstein, LCSW, 301/963-5696 or Marla Zipin, Ph.D., 301/899-4733, psychotherapists of over 20 years with much heart, and seasoned moms.

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Gentle Healing Modalites: Basic Flower Essences and Essential Oils for Children

Instructors: Monica Corrado

Dates: Friday evenings, 1/25, 2/1, 2/22, 2/29 2008

Times: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Cost: $30 per class, $95 for the series paid in advance

Course Description:
Flower Essences and therapeutic grade Essential Oils are gentle, yet powerful healers. They work to speed healing and bring balance to the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual planes. Essences and Oils are especially potent for children and can help to solve all sorts of issues, from night waking to attachment issues, fears and anxieties, and transitions of all sorts. They are also a wonderful way to keep your child physically healthy through cold and flu season and exposure to daycare and school. Each class is designed to stand alone, however, parents will benefit from taking the entire series.

Class I: January 25

Flower Essences for Children: The Basics

Class II: February 1

Essential Oils for Children: The Basics

Class III: February 22

Fast First Aid: Speeding Your Child’s Healing with Flower Essences and Essential Oils

Class IV: February 29

No Need for Antibiotics: Stop Sniffles in Their Tracks with Flower Essences and Essential Oils

To Register:
Call 240.988.9312 or email Monica at simplybeingwell@aol.com

Instructor Bio:
Monica Corrado is an intuitive healer and whole food chef and educator with a private practice called Simply Being Well in Takoma Park, Maryland. She has been studying and practicing alternative healing modalities and yoga for over 10 years. She uses specialized kinesiology to help clients discover their personal healing protocols for wellness in body, mind and spirit. Monica works with herbs, essential oils, essences, and whole foods in her practice Simply Being Well in Takoma Park, Maryland. She gives private consultations and conducts workshops and is dedicated to empowering Mothers-to-Be and new moms, and women’s health issues, including fertility, pregnancy, labor and birthing, and endocrine system balancing. As a whole foods chef, Monica uses her knowledge and experience to assist clients in expanding their awareness of the relationship between food and wellness. She conducts private and group cooking classes on nourishing, traditional foods based on the principles of the Weston A. Price Foundation. For more information, check her website at www.simplybeingwell.com

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