Opening Heart Mindfulness Community

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Opening Heart Mindfulness Community

We are a mindfulness practice center in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. We meet three times a week Monday evening, Wednesday morning, and Friday noon.

We meet for meditation four times a week - Monday 7-8:30 pm, Wednesday 6:30-7:30 am, and Friday 12-1 pm at Circle Yoga and at St. Margaret’s Church. During the pandemic we are meeting virtually. See our website for details.

06/09/2026

"The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms."

— Thich Nhat Hanh

06/08/2026

Tonight (June 8), we will meet online at 7PM ET for our meditation.

Susie will facilitate. She shares:

As I continue my meditation practice, I’m reminded again and again that it will always be just that — practice. I will always be a student. I don’t expect to ever say I’m “good” at meditation or give myself an A. Instead, I try to meet myself with forgiveness, non‑judgment, tolerance, acceptance, and love as I simply breathe in and breathe out.

When I sit with this truth, I find myself reflecting on relating — our mindfulness practice of interbeing. Being with others, and recognizing that we inter‑are, naturally brings me back to how I relate not only to those around me, but to myself.
...Read the write-up + join us - openingheartmindfulness.org/weeklytopic/let-go-be-free

06/02/2026

“Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

06/01/2026

Tonight (June 1), we will meet in person at 7PM ET for our meditation.

Annie will guide our meditation and Suzanne will offer her reflections on Planting Seeds of Mindfulness.

Like many in a busy, modern world, I suffer from “monkey mind,” and its unhelpful cousin, rumination. Either my mind jumps from one topic to another like a monkey swinging through the trees, or it dwells on some past injury or an uncertain future. In the hope that reinvigorating a lapsed regular meditation practice would support more mindfulness, I turned to Thich Nhat Hanh’s (Thay) classic book The Miracle of Mindfulness for inspiration and instruction. It delivers motivation for those days when it is hard to find time or when the process of concentrating on the breath seems impossible.
...Read the write-up + join us - go to:
openingheartmindfulness.org/weeklytopic/planting-seeds-of-mindfulness-touching-interbeing-solidarity-and-belonging

05/26/2026

"The secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts, in order for the truth to have a chance to pe*****te, to reveal itself.”

— Thich Nhat Hanh

05/25/2026

Tonight (May 25), we will meet online at 7PM ET for our meditation.

Our evening will be facilitated by Annie. We will practice Touching the Earth, a practice to deepen awareness of our interbeing nature. She shares:

I’ve been reflecting on the moment we are in - personally, culturally and politically - and I'm seeing that one of the things that most divides us is when we forget our interbeing nature - we are all in this together - and believe instead that we are separate individuals.

When we slip into believing we are separate, we create enemies that we then blame and target. In the moments when we remember and recognize our interbeing, we naturally want to protect life and care for everyone; we see that no one is outside of the whole. The Buddha and Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) often taught about the interdependent nature of all beings. When we calm our bodies and minds and look deeply, we are able to see that we are not disconnected. There is no way for us to live apart from the rest of life.
...Read the write-up + join us - go to:
openingheartmindfulness.org/weeklytopic/touching-the-earth-touching-interbeing-solidarity-and-belonging

05/19/2026

"Many people think excitement is happiness.... But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace."

— Thich Nhat Hanh

05/18/2026

Tonight (May 18), we will meet in person at 7PM ET for our meditation.

Our evening will be facilitated by Ellen. She shares:

This Monday we’ll read and discuss the Fifth Mindfulness Training: Nourishment and Healing.

I have often found this particular training to be so full, so deep, and honestly, so overwhelming. There’s so much spirit, wisdom, and guidance here that it’s hard for me to know where to begin with trying to actualize this for my daily living. That’s a good problem to have!

Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay)’s focus here is on consumption: what we consume and how, taking great care to avoid harmful things; about not letting ourselves be consumed by the negative seeds of regret and sorrow; and how we must not consume to avoid our pain. All profound teachings.
...Read the write-up + join us - go to:
openingheartmindfulness.org/weeklytopic/the-fifth-mindfulness-training-an-abundance-of-riches

05/12/2026

"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy."

— Thich Nhat Hanh
📸:

05/11/2026

Tonight (May 11), we will meet online at 7PM ET for our meditation.
Our evening will be facilitated by Marie. She shares:

We will practice together, recite the Five Remembrances, and then share our experience and/or responses to them. The Remembrances originate from the Buddha’s teachings on impermanence, and Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) encouraged us to recite them regularly as a way to transform fear into acceptance and appreciation of life.

When I remembered them and began reciting them daily - oh, what a difference it has made! The same realities exist, but I am experiencing them differently.

Whether it is my own health (a back problem that persists despite months-long TLC), or that of my elderly mother (who is increasingly bed bound), or the state of this world (meaning the destruction of people, planet, and the multidimensional scaffolding that was intended to protect both), this practice helps me in concrete ways. It also strengthens my understanding of impermanence and interbeing.
...Read the write-up + join us - go to:
openingheartmindfulness.org/weeklytopic/remembering-the-five-remembrances

Address

Washington D.C., DC

Website

http://openingheartmindfulness.org/

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