Rest • Mindfulness • Community Care • Tea
Hello future Q’nC clubber! Welcome to our monthly LGBTQIA+ gathering where we come together to do very little. On this page you’ll find the details for our next meet as well as our community agreements. The Q’nC Club is an opportunity to slow down, to explore a different quiet practice or restful activity each month. It is a space for us to come together as a community and to take deep nourishing rest. Each meet up will include a guided rest practice or activity, time to connect with the group and a fresh cup of tea. If you have ever struggled to prioritise rest or just in need of calming yet supportive space filled with a diverse bunch of like-minded locals - then join our club!
We look forward to slowly building a cosy community with you.
OUR NEXT GATHERING
1st September 2024: Mindfulness Session with Simon
Simon (he / him) is a mindfulness teacher with a keen interest in holistic therapies. He completed a 200 hour meditation training in Bali and is qualified in reiki.
Simon turned to meditation and mindfulness whilst on a break from the corporate world and continues to use the practice to create presence and resilience in different areas of his life. He loves guiding participants through meditations to assist them on their own wellbeing journey.
He can be contacted at simon@mindfulnesspower.co.uk with any questions before or after the session.
What to expect…
The session offers a wonderful opportunity to relax and let go on a Sunday afternoon with a few guided meditations and cuppa tea. There will be a light discussion on mindfulness, what it is and how it can be useful.
We aim to offer a completely relaxed space to connect with yourself and others. The session is completely suitable for participants of all levels, with group participation or sharing being optional.
What to bring…
Comfortable loose clothing.
We’ll be sat on the floor for this session with bolsters, yoga mats, cushions and chairs available. Please bring anything else that will make the experience more comfortable or useful for you – snacks, pen and paper to make notes etc.
What we have planned…
2pm | Arrival and welcome
2.10pm | Breathing Space Meditation and Intros
2.25pm | What is mindfulness?
2.35pm | Loving Kindness Meditation
2.50pm | Tea Break
3pm | Mindful attitudes – group discussion
3.15pm | Shares or Reflections
3.30pm | Farewells.
Upstairs Studio Space at Training Points.
Accessibility
The Practice: Mindfulness can be a very safe practice. However, if you have ever experienced a serious mental health condition involving psychosis or personality disorder, or if you have epilepsy, you should consult a doctor before undertaking mindfulness meditation. If you have asthma or other breathing difficulty, and you use an inhaler, it is a good idea to have this with you during meditations in case you find you experience any shortness of breath. In the unlikely event that you feel very uncomfortable or unwell while practicing mindfulness, you should stop and seek guidance from the mindfulness teacher.
The Space: This offering is currently booked in a first floor studio and not wheel chair accessible, however efforts will be made to accommodate specific accessibility needs if brought to our attention, we may be able to offer online slots or move to the ground floor studio in some cases. There is on street parking nearby and a short journey down a cobbled street is required to access the studio. We have mats and bolsters for seating as well as chairs available upon request. There are two gender neutral restrooms in the building one on the same floor and one on the ground floor. There is also a treatment room which can be used as a break out space. There is gas and infrared heating, fans for when it’s warm, as well as tea making facilities on site. The studio has dimmable warm lighting. The studio & equipment is regularly aired and sanitised, however please be considerate of others health and spacial needs when in the space. There are masks available and hand sanitisers. Do not attend if you are feeling unwell, have symptoms or could be COVID positive. If you have any queries or requests, please contact us here.
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By attending the class, I understand that I am consenting to the following…
1. I have agreed of my own free will to participate in the mindfulness meditation class, taught by a qualified and licensed mindfulness teacher.
2. I understand that no guarantee is given or implied with regard to the effectiveness of the practice for any medical or health-related conditions that I have.
3. Although mindfulness is a very safe practice, I have read the important safety information above and I am aware of the risks and choose to participate without liability to the facilitator.
4. I understand that the class is confidential and that information I disclose to the teacher will not generally be disclosed to others. However, I understand that there may be times that the teacher may need to disclose information to others to protect my health and welfare or the health and welfare of others. Where this is necessary, the teacher will discuss this with me.
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By participating in this and future meet ups, we are inviting you to help form and uphold a set of community agreements. These help us establish what every person in the group needs in order to be present and to ensure open, active, inclusive, and respectful dialogue and participation. These agreements may evolve and change overtime depending on individual and/or collective needs.
Currently established agreements:
• Bring the presence that you can; showing up is enough.• Listen with curiosity; internally and externally.
• Value one another’s experiences.
• No one knows everything; together we know a lot.
• Welcome new ideas; from others and yourself.
Plus a few agreements inspired by the work of Michelle Cassandra Johnson and Tristan Katz to consider:
• Speak your truth; ground in your own experience with I statements.
• Ask questions in the language you have.
• Ask for what you need, offer what you can.
• Take the wisdom out of the room but leave the names out.
• Take space, make space.
• Accept and embrace non-closure.
• Brave space not safe space.
• When harm happens, we will respond with care when we can. There are different ways to respond.
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Our community has offered, shared and practiced many different restful and quiet practices since the start of the Q‘nC. Here’s a little recap of what we explored in so far:
2023
January - Restorative Yoga led by SyFebruary - Metta Meditation & Group Tarot led by Sy and Samantha
March - An evening of Self-Care & Qi Gong Led by Mihal
April - An Evening of Mediumship led by Rob
May - Awareness of Breath & Pranayama led by Sy
June - Restorative Yoga: Permission to Rest led by Sy
July - Moxa Experience led by Lisa
August - Mindful Flow led by Fiona
September - Sensory Meditation + Journalling in Nature led by Sy
October - Explore Flowers led by Toyin
November - EFT led by Katy
December: An Evening of Mediumship with Rob
2024
January - Queer ’n Cosy Turns 1! Restorative yoga, Journalling & Celebrating with Flowers led by Syanne, Teegs & ToyinFebruary - Origami with Mills & Group Tarot with Samantha
March - “Practicing the Pause” & Guided Tea Meditation led by Sy
April - “Let us rest alongside nature together” led by Naomi.
May - "Zine-making as a practice of rest"led by Vi.
June - Yoga Nidra led by Shenai
July - "Let’s Play” led by Ashley
JOIN THE CLUB!
Where: Training Points, Coopers Yard SE19 1TN
When: 1st September 2024 @ 2pm
Donations
For all our offerings we suggest a tiered donation scheme:
Supporter Rate (cost of you and another) £15
Sustainer Rate (base cost/just you) £10
Community Rate* £5
Please consider your available resources and financial privilege when selecting what to donate as spaces are limited. You can find out more about sliding scale pricing here.
*The Lower rate represents an honest acknowledgment that there are those whose economic circumstances would prevent them from taking part in the classes offered if there was not a deliberate opportunity made for them to access services at a cost reflective of their economic realities. If you struggle financially, we acknowledge that you should still have access to these classes and that your contribution is equal to those of higher income brackets.
We also reserve full scholarship spaces. If none of the pricing options above are accessible and you’d like to attend, just drop Sy a message directly to book a scholarship space.