Sit Club with Davin Youngs

Have you ever heard the phrase "Your presence is present enough."? We are so quick to recognize that all we need from others is for them to show up, but why are we are we so reluctant to really show up for ourselves? Could it be an act of radical self-love simply to stay present with yourself, even through difficult feelings and emotions? In this gathering, Davin uses the words of Mark Nepo and Th...

Self-love is a popular mode of encouragement. Culture encourages us that we need to love ourselves in order to find peace and happiness and while this might be true, it seems complicated, doesn't it? Over the next few weeks, we will be exploring self-love in an effort to find actionable understanding for our lives. To begin with, this sit club gathering seeks to reconcile the Buddhist teaching of...

This gathering is all about the space in between. The gap, if you will and how our sense of spaciousness is often limited. In this gathering we discuss the infinite space within and how knowing it, is a way of better connecting with the whole of the universe and with our divine purpose. In fact, understanding the infinite nature of space is to understand more clearly how to take action in our dail...

In the third, of a series on the three marks of existence, this gathering centers the human experience of suffering. While buddhism often focuses on suffering as a commonality that we all share as humans, many practitioners miss that the end of suffering is indeed the possibility that the Buddha illuminated. In this Sit Club gathering, Davin shares a meditation practice that invites us to sit with...

The concept of "no self" or "non-self" is a central belief in Buddhism, but the concept can seem esoteric and lofty. But what are the actual implications of in understanding the myth of "self" or "ego" and how might that influence the choices we make in our day-to-day lives? In this gathering, Davin dives deep into this topic utilizing the words of both Eckhart Tolle and Ram Dass to aid in the jou...

In this, the first Sit Club gathering of 2024, Davin shares how the New Year can be a perfect inroad to understanding impermanence and the truth of each day of our lives. Each breath new, all things new. He utilizes a a reading by Jennifer Li that draws from Pema Chodron's "When Things Fall Apart." --- If you would like to join live, please visit: SIT CLUB If you would like to donate to Davin as a...

On this, the last Sunday in our reimagining advent series we utilize the wise teachings of Ram Dass. Specifically, we lean into the mantra he championed "I Am Loving Awareness" as a touchstone for a gathering. The truth is that loving is awareness and awareness is loving. One is not without the other, so to sit with one is to be drawn into the other. This is our path to love. This is our path to a...

Due to illness, Sit Club was canceled on December 17, but Davin recorded this brief sit and reflection on the third week of advent, which centers JOY! In it, he offers a practice that focuses on sympathetic joy as a way of reminding us of the joy that lingers within. In addition, he offers a reading by the teacher Charlotte Joko Beck from her book, Nothing Special. --- If you would like to join li...

In this, the second week of advent we light a candle for hope and a candle for peace. But what does it mean to even consider peace when we live in a world filled with war? In this Sit Club gathering, we engage a practice of wishing peace first to ourselves and to others. From there, we utilize the poetry of Wendell Berry and the words of Roshi Joan Halifax to lead us into a more expansive understa...

This is the first of a four week series where we attempt to reimagine advent through the lens of Sit Club. This week, we take a hard look at what the concept of "hope" using the practice of Tonglen as our guide. Anit, Kris and Johanna read three poems. Heavy by Mary Oliver Eagle Poem by Joy Harjo Everything is Waiting For You by David Whyte Davin also mentions the On Being podcast interview with N...

If you would like to join live, please visit: SIT CLUB If you would like to donate to Davin as an energetic exchange for these offerings, please do so here: DONATE -- Born out of the pandemic, Sit Club began in September of 2020 and continues every Sunday morning at 10am CT. Typically an hour in length, an intimate group of all ages, genders and races, from all over the world gathers on Zoom to si...

What is the difference between thanksgiving and gratitude? Why do we celebrate do we use the words so similarly, but the evoke such a different emotion or feeling? In this gathering, Davin explores the nuanced difference between the two words and leads a guided practice that utilizes both as a path to personal growth and expansion. A reading is read from Jack Kornfield's blog. You may want a penci...

This is the final gathering our series around Loving Kindness Meditation or Metta. In this gathering we explore the complex and beautiful experience of wishing all living beings unconditional friendliness. Particularly, Davin unpacks the idea of oneness and why the terms requires a reverence of understanding. In addition, he utilizes a reading from Sharon Salzberg's book on Loving Kindness and a p...

In this Sit Club gathering we explore the fourth person to whom loving kindness is traditionally offered... the "difficult person" or "enemy." Davin offers a guided practice framed by the teachings of Sharon Salzberg that asks "Who are we tempted to exclude from our circle of loving-kindness?" From there, a discussion around karma and enemies ensues. -- If you would like to join live, please visit...

In our continued exploration of Metta or Loving-Kindness mediation, we move on to the "benefactor" or the person for whom we care and cares for us. In this guided practice, Davin invited participants to use the visualization of a wild flower field to elicit Metta as something we can both cultivate, receive and give. A reading is used by the teacher and author Sharon Salzberg. -- If you would like...

What does it mean to practice meditation in a time of war? What good does Loving-kindness do when we are bearing witness to the extreme suffering of others? Is any of it worthwhile? How do we make a difference?  These are just a few of the questions we ask in this special Sit Club gathering that addresses the war that has erupted in Israel and Palestine. While no answers are provided, we meet this...

One of the most fundamental and lovely teachings in the lineage of Buddhist meditation is Metta or Loving-kindness. Championed in the west by teachers like Sharon Salzberg, Metta meditation is a practice that brings our attention to the first of the four Brahma Viharas or "heavenly states." It is a simple, yet profound reminder of our ability at any given time to tap into unconditional friendlines...

Are you willing to give up your suffering? Are you willing to stay present to now and let go of your past and your future? One of the central teachings of Buddhism is the truth of impermanence. Throughout time, teachers have taught that while suffering is a part of the human experience, there is a path for suffering to cease. That path is traveled most quickly when we recognize that nothing is per...

In this Sit Club gathering we explore the tradition of walking meditation through the words of Thich Nhat Hanh. Walking meditation is an incredible way to awaken your practice and move into the embodied practice of meditation. In this practice, you will be asked you as are able to stand, and move throughout the space that you are in. You are encouraged to use headphones and take this practice wher...

In this Sit Club gathering, we come back to self-compassion as a starting place to find more freedom and ease in our lives. While it's easy to think of self-compassion as simply being kind to one's self, it is actually a portal to so much more and it starts by being able to stop and notice. Davin leads a guided meditation that will invite you to stop, notice and contemplate difficult situations in...

What is the nature of transformation? What differentiates transformation from change? When are we ready and willing to embark upon a transformative journey and can meditation be the catalyst? What would it mean to really know transformation in your life? In this Sit Club gathering, Davin explores these questions and uses the words of Charlotte Joko Beck to accompany the practice. -- If you would l...

What if your most difficult emotions were simply a veil that covers your peace and happiness? In this gathering, Davin offers a meditation that invites you into the experience of bringing that which feels most difficult, close. This expands your capacity and awareness of what your most painful emotions really are. He continues to read from Rupert Spira's 'You Are The Happiness You Seek' and offers...

We often are told that change is hard and that spiritual waking is an epic endeavor, but what if all that you seek... peace, love, happiness, joy... is as easy to access as releasing your grip? In this gathering Davin explores the experience of holding versus releasing and how on the other grasping is indeed, happiness. He uses a reading from Rupert Spira's book "You Are The Happiness You Seek" --...

Have you ever considered the nature of your being? What sits at the very core of who you are? What if your nature of was peace and happiness? How might that influence how you move throughout your life. These are the questions Davin explores in this Sit Club gathering. Using Rupert Spira's "You Are The Happiness You Seek, " Davin offers a practice and reflection guiding you into the awareness of yo...

What are the hallmarks of a rich spiritual life? In this gathering, Davin shares one that he believes might be the most tangible... the willingness to take inspired action. While meditation helps us cultivate the capacity to be in the present, the outcome is never more of the same. The inevitability of change is that which can inspire how it is that we navigate our every day lives. A reading by Ch...