Returning Home
Upcoming Universe Somatic Retreat and a Poem Discovered on the Wind
Greetings Friends!
I am returning home (is it possible to ever leave home?) from a short sesshin along the Miami river with the Yellow Springs Dharma folks.
It was wonderful to sit sesshin as a no-body, with a mature sangha and teachers in another lineage. What a joy to connect to the mystery of this practice, deepen faith in the heart-mind, re-experience the intensity of days of sitting still in silence, the purificatory nature of zazen and the boundlessness of compassion.
Gratitude abounds! May all beings awaken to the compassion of their unborn buddha mind!
I wrote a poem at the end of sesshin, that I would like to share.
After Chanting the Metta Sutta a Poem enters on the Wind
Have you ever wondered how trees experience the wind? Is it like a warm shower in the middle of sesshin that sloughs off old skin cells —as mind releases deeper into Mind Or is it more like how we experience "shaking" during qi gong —play pulsing through hips up to finger tips Maybe it is like a whisper —an ancient secret passed down the Miami from the bird and sky people Probably it is something else entirely. Though, I must say in moments of quiet attention I too have felt stripped bare —by a chilling Silence
I am also excited to be collaborating with Jogen, Sensei on our upcoming Universe Somatic Retreat in January 2026. We will be in-person in Portland, OR at a beautiful space called Deep Waters.
Universe Somatic: The Bright Thread in the Dark — January 22nd - 25th
Universe Somatic is a practice that integrates group meditation, movement and energy work with a spirit of experimentation and playfulness. We explore the union of spaciousness and embodied energies in a contemplative practice that is embodied and expressive.
The theme for this Universe Somatic is The Bright Thread In the Dark. We will play in knowing and not-knowing, hope and despair, yin and yang, creation and destruction, dancing in deep relationship with these polarities while also listening for the thread that doesn’t get stuck on either side.
During this retreat you will be invited to give expression to a full-range of energetic experience some of which may be familiar and comfortable, others which may challenge core implicit beliefs about who you are and what you do. We will be engaging in practices using our voices and our bodies, integrating movement and stillness, sound and silence.
The retreat will commence on Thursday January 22nd from 7-9pm. The schedule on Friday and Saturday will run from 9am to 9pm with two separate two hour breaks for lunch and dinner. Sunday will conclude the retreat and we will meet from 9am-2pm.
I’m Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.
Weekly Online Meditation Event
Monday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. We are currently exploring the Faith in Mind poem by the 3rd Chinese Ancestor.
Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINK
In-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus Sangha
Weekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
Retreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website.