In-Person: Mindful Family Gathering
with Lin Wang Gordon, Ian Sicks, Margrit Pittman-Polletta
Saturday, August 24th, 2024 | 10:00am – 2:00pm
In-Person Location: Central Park, Great Hill. Meeting point is Park Entrance on Central Park West and 103rd street at 9:45am
Please join us for NY Insight’s first Family Gathering in Central Park — a day of mindful community, play, and rest!
Join us for a delightful day of mindfulness, creativity, and community at our Mindful Family gathering in Central Park. This special gathering marks the kick-off of our Family Programming initiative, designed to bring families together in a joyful, enriching environment.
Event Highlights:
- Mindful Movement: Kick off the day with a gentle yoga and movement session suitable for all ages. Our experienced instructor will guide you through movements that promote relaxation and connection. This is an opportunity to let our minds rest and to connect with our body’s wisdom.
- Art in Nature: Tap into your creativity with nature-inspired art activities. We’ll provide all the materials needed for children and adults to create artwork using elements from the park.
- Community Picnic: Bring your own picnic lunch and enjoy with the community!
- Nature Exploration: Join a guided nature walk to discover the beauty of the park. Learn about local flora and fauna while engaging in mindful practices.
What to Bring:
- A picnic lunch for your family
- Comfortable clothing and a yoga mat or blanket
- Water and sunscreen
- Your creativity and an open heart!
This event is open to all families, and we encourage you to invite friends and neighbors. Together, let’s celebrate the start of our Family Programming initiative with a day filled with mindfulness, art, nature, and community spirit. We can’t wait to see you there! Let’s co-create!
Come and be a part of this community event, where families grow together through mindfulness!
Please come and share your ideas with us as we move towards building programming that aligns with your unique family.
We hope to design offerings for children of all ages, teens as well as parents and caregivers! We welcome your suggestions about events that would best serve you and your family’s needs.
RSVP:
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Teacher(s)
Lin Wang Gordon
Lin has dedicated over a decade to studying insight meditation (Vipassana) and has recently deepened her practice through the Tibetan Dzogchen traditions. Through her meditation journey, she discovers the transformative power of Buddhist philosophy and practices to help live a life of flow, joy, wonder, and resilience.
She graduated from Mark Coleman’s Awake in the Wild Nature Meditation Teacher Training in 2017 and is currently enrolled in the Community Dharma Leaders Program (CDL7) at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Lin has gained experience leading ecodharma retreats and co-founded the Sacred Earth Sangha of the New York Insight Meditation Center. In addition to sharing earth-based practices and ecodharma, she hopes to guide others in meditation to foster inner transformation and cultivate a deeper sense of purpose and belonging in everyday life.
Lin has served on the Board of the New York Insight Meditation Center and the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center. linwanggordon.com
Margrit Pittman-Polletta
Margrit Pittman-Polletta has been a practitioner of the Insight Meditation tradition since 2012, and has sat over a cumulative year of silent retreat since 2016. She is a qualified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction teacher through the Mindfulness Center at Brown, as well as a certified Vinyasa Yoga teacher. Margrit enjoys teaching mindfulness and the Dharma in various communities, including Elm Community Insight, the Marlene Meyerson JCC and Brooklyn Insight Sangha. She is a trainee in the 2025-28 Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training Program. In addition to Margrit’s deep love of the Dharma and mindfulness practice, she is an educator with over 15 years of experience and currently works as an early childhood educator and caregiver for young people with special needs. Margrit is committed to integration of awareness and wisdom into daily life, and building inclusive community. She enjoys biking around Brooklyn, where she was born and raised and currently resides with her two cats.
Ian Sicks
Ian Sicks has been an insight meditation practitioner for over 10 years. His principal dharma teachers are Devin Berry and Tara Mulay. He is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) specializing in anxiety and panic disorders, with a history of working with adolescents, adults, couples, and individuals who identify as LGBTQ+. Ian holds a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling (M.S.Ed) from Hunter College.
Ian served as an instructor for the teen program at the NYC Shambhala Center, creating a welcoming and supportive environment for young meditators for three years. He also participated in a 500-hour meditation teacher training at MNDFL Meditation, led by David Perrin.
Outside of therapy and meditation, Ian enjoys reading, playing music, and spending quality time with family and friends.