We use words such an “intimacy, present moment, ungraspable” to point toward the mysterious process we call “Zazen”, or “Shikantaza”.  The alchemical vessel we call body and mind is exactly the place in which the transformation of heart/ mind that we seek takes place.  This process is delicate and subtle. The body is naturally wise and creative.  In this three hour workshop we will practice bringing awareness to the subtle kinesthetic movement  that is our birthright and naturally cultivates the wisdom stream of the Buddha.  Just as the koan about naturally arising compassion describes it as being similar to reaching back behind us for a pillow in the night, so the body trained in realizing this same compassion, expresses it instinctively and freely.

Please bring a water bottle, layers of comfortable clothing, a blanket, and a notebook (if desired) to our workshop.  Yoga mats will be available, but participants are welcome to bring their own if they would prefer.

The Buddha is reported to have said, “ Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”

"Myo-O Habermas-Scher is a fully ordained Soto Zen priest, having received transmission in 2012 from Dokai Georgesen, Guiding Teacher at Hokyoji Zen Practice Community.  She began Zen practice in 1975 with Katagiri Roshi, who was her root teacher.  Myo-O recently retired after fourteen years as a staff chaplain at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, and is a mom and a grandma to two little boys. She was a professional dancer in her youth and is trained in a number of body-mind practices, including Yoga, Qi Gong and Body Mind Centering™.  She is the originator of VoiceWork™, a somatically based voice training, which she offers in private practice, and has taught at several colleges and universities. In addition, she has given voice healings at Pathways, a complementary healing center in Minneapolis, Minnesota for over three decades."