Practice Peace group meets in South Park
Practice Peace is being offered from 4:15-5:15 p.m. Wednesdays through October, at Waupaca’s South Park.
Mark and Debra Gehrke, of Loving Awareness Sanctuary, facilitate and guide the hour of community meditation.
It takes place on the lawn behind the pavilion, overlooking Shadow Lake.
No experience is necessary.
People physically distance, and all participants are asked to bring a mask and wear it whenever within 6 to 8 feet of another person.
They are also asked to bring hand sanitizer, a water bottle and a blanket, meditation cushion or lawn chair.
Visit LovingAwareness.org/eventsfor more information, or join the “Practice Peace Waupaca” Facebook group for updates.
For those unable to meet at the park, the same type of event is offered via Zoom at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Visit lovingawareness.org/events as well for registration links.
With daylight hours getting shorter and the weather growing colder, the Gehrkes plan to continue Practice Peace through the winter months via Zoom.
They also plan to offer once or twice monthly “Awe and Wonder Nature Walks ~ Practice Peace in Motion” during the winter.
There is no fee to attend Practice Peace, although free will contributions are appreciated via Venmo @Loving-Awareness-Mark-Debra or PayPal: paypal.me/LovingAwareness.
The Gehrkes have offered life-guidance, meditation, yoga and other wellness, conscious awareness practices for a number of years.
For the past four years, they have done so at Loving Awareness Sanctuary, a few miles north of Waupaca.
Practice Peace gatherings at South Park have happened each Wednesday afternoon since the first week in September.
The first one was the result of a call Debra received from a friend.
The friend felt weighed down from the political and racial divisions, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Gehrkes wanted to offer support in a way that would feel accessible to anyone who felt they needed a breather, a time-out from the worries, burdens and stresses of this year.
They said when life is overwhelming, many forget that taking care of themselves is important, not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well.
The Gehrkes said one of the best ways to release tension and stress is by immersing in nature, with this added benefit of gentle guided breathing exercises and mindful meditation practices.
They feel honored to serve the community in this way.
Those attending find the sessions to be uplifting, balancing and soothing, and say they look forward to returning each Wednesday.