Change Your Mind Day 2005

DeLand, Florida

When my wife, Michelle, and I agreed to organize Change Your Mind Day in DeLand, we had no idea how much luck we’d have getting a handful of presenters to come to town, much less muster an audience for them.

Happily, we drew five accomplished teachers to our little town of 25,000, and between 150 and 200 people came from five surrounding counties to crowd into BlueSky Yoga Center.

“I had been thinking about finding somewhere I could learn more about meditation,” Noreen Oberpriller said. She wasn’t very familiar with meditation, she explained, and had felt shy about diving into a class or group. “Your event gave me just exactly what I was hoping to find--a sampling of the varied areas of learning available,” she said, adding that the teachers “were obviously very knowledgeable, yet managed to offer their skills to both seasoned practitioners and novices.”

Everyone seemed to have a favorite presentation: some liked the guided Insight meditation or the Tibetan Tonglen meditation. Others commented on the talk on bodhicitta or presentation on controlling the ego in Zen practice. Oberpriller especially enjoyed a “Mindful Eating” session.

Many commented favorably on the tai chi and yoga demonstrations, drumming, and danse orientale. Before the program ended, the participants joined in a “Sea of Oms.” It was a lovely, moving wrap-up for a great day—one that we will celebrate again next year.

Morris Sullivan, Co-coordinator
Sangha West Volusia