Mindfulness & Psychedelic Practices: The Art of Embodied Awareness

On the psychedelic path, meditation practice may be the greatest companion one can ask for. Cultivating embodied awareness encourages favorable conditions for preparation, navigation, and integration.

BPS is launching a new series of events, “Psychedelic Practices,” to support skills and activities that have a complementary relationship with psychedelic journeys. In this workshop, Insight meditation practitioner Guillaume Caron will facilitate experiential learnings and "consciousness skills" with the aim of making psychedelic journeys safer, deeper, and more rewarding.

Join us on Thursday, September 7th, from 7-9 PM at Matka Studios --- 456 Johnson Avenue in Brooklyn.

Fundamentally, meditation and psychedelics teach us about surrender. Mindfulness is the gradual cultivation of a looser sense of self, while psychedelics typically offer more forceful and sudden experiences such as ego-death or boundary dissolution. One isn’t a substitute for the other; in fact, the two work wonderfully together. What psychedelic journeys reveal, meditation helps integrate into the full expression of one’s life.

Mindfulness is an invitation to flow with the great mystery of life. It all starts with our bodies: gateways to the ecstatic land of the here and now. Our bodies experience life at a different pace than our over-stimulated minds. Embodied awareness supports our ability to relax, stay with our experience, and practice surrender.

These skills allow for clarity and confidence when approaching a journey. Navigating psychedelic waters becomes more easeful and graceful, while care, patience, and discernment are brought forth during the integration phase.

Through reflections, guided meditation, Q&A, relational practices in break-out groups, and a sharing circle, we will explore the relevance of mindfulness practice for anyone on the psychedelic path.

---------------------------------

About the facilitator:

Guillaume Caron’s greatest teachers are the challenges and wonders of his own life: balancing artistic aspirations with the necessity to make a living, striving for a healthy lifestyle in a massive urban center, and adapting to a non-native culture and language while remaining authentic. 

Guillaume started practicing meditation in 2014 at New York Insight where he was exposed to a vast array of teaching styles and ways of relating to the Dharma. While rooted in Theravada Buddhism, Guillaume has been exploring other traditions of awakening and modalities of healing such as non-violent communication, inner child awareness, and plant medicine ceremonies. 

Read more about Guillaume at psychedelicsangha.org.