var breeze_prefetch = {"local_url":"https:\/\/awakenpittsburgh.org","ignore_remote_prefetch":"1","ignore_list":["http:\/\/awakenpittsburgh.org\/","http:\/\/awakenpittsburgh.org\/support\/","http:\/\/awakenpittsburgh.org\/about\/team\/","http:\/\/awakenpittsburgh.org\/why\/","http:\/\/awakenpittsburgh.org\/programs\/teams-organizations\/public-safety\/","\/wp-admin\/"]};
var __CONFIG__ = {"serverTimestamp":1714610191,"currentUser":{"user_login":false,"user_email":false,"user_level":false,"user_firstname":false,"user_lastname":false,"display_name":false,"ID":0,"roles":[]}};
Every year on the 4th of July, our country celebrates when we gained freedom from England. Deeply tied to our nation’s identity is the idea of freedom—which is what we’re exploring this month.
Thinking about freedom I ask myself: What does it mean to be free? What do we want to be free of? I want to be free from stress and anxiety. I want to be free from suffering.
For me, freedom is connected to how we work with our own minds and hearts. While we cannot control our external circumstances, we can find an inner sense of freedom. I’m reminded of this quote from Viktor Frankl:
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
How does mindfulness make us free? Through practice, we begin to notice our thoughts and reactions in everyday life. We start to find the space, the pause, to be free from habitual patterns that are harmful. We gain the ability to choose our behavior and how we want to show up in the world.
With practice, we learn how to be resourceful—which helps free us from stress so we can find that still and joyful place inside ourselves.
Mindfulness helps us to embrace our whole selves, and gain freedom from the fear of feeling our full human experience—all the difficult emotions. And we learn the skills to hold them and experience them all.
We will be exploring this topic all month in our online community. You can join Mindful Connections in Community by clicking the button below!
From the journey,
Stephanie
We Welcome You to Join Our Upcoming Offerings!
In-Person and Online Guided Mindfulness Meditation
Awaken Pittsburgh offers guided meditations open to anyone! This is a chance to practice in community together. Starting in July, these meditations will move to hybrid so we can be together in person as well as on Zoom.
During our sits this month we’ll explore the theme: What is true freedom?
Each session follows the same format: introductions, a period of guided meditation, and then a chance to support one another, discuss how our meditations are going at home, and ask any questions we have about practice.
Our in-person venues require that you are fully vaccinated to enter. Please arrive early with your vaccination card to register on your way in.
There is no charge for attending, but donations to support our work are appreciated. We hope to see you there!
Tuesday, August 2 - 1:00–2:00 PM – Online AND at the Jewish Community Center – South Hills Sign Up
Coming Soon!
We will soon be offering a new time each week for experienced practitioners to meditate together as well as a new round of our introductory course, Mindful Connections for Wellness Online. More to come in our August newsletter, our Eventbrite page, and on our website.
Awaken in the Community
In the News!
July 10 - KDKA Sunday Spotlight 6:30 AM & 7:30 AM Our work with First Responders will be featured on KDKA Sunday Spotlight on Sunday, July 10th at 6:30 & 7:30 AM. Tune in to learn more about our upcoming programs and the positive impact they are having on the community.
Bike Pittsburgh’s Open Streets
Saturday, July 30 from 9:00 AM–1:00 PM (East End Loop) Awaken Pittsburgh will be represented at the final round of Bike Pittsburgh’s Open Streets! We will have an information table and offer Mindful Walking. Please come!
Sundays from 9:00–9:45 AM Looking for a movement meditation practice?
Dancing Mindfulness connects your body, mind, and spirit using the power of music, movement, and awareness. It’s a transformative practice that can take you to deep places of acceptance, healing, and recovery. Dancing Mindfulness is for everyone—regardless of your age, body type, fitness level, or experience with dance. Classes are “lightly” facilitated—no choreographed movements or dance steps to follow! Come as you are and move as you wish...seated, standing, or reclined.
Suggested contribution is $15 or pay what you can/want (no one turned away). Payment apps accepted are Venmo (@Denina-Bautti) CashApp ($DeninaBautti), and Paypal (paypal.me/deninabautti). Visit www.sageac.com for more information or contact Denina at 724-513-0069 or denina@sageac.com.
Our small but mighty operation is made possible through a team of dedicated, part-time staff and a large network of volunteers and supporters like you.
Awaken Pittsburgh, a 501c3 non-profit organization, relies on the generosity of our community to achieve our mission of fostering well-being, empathy, and compassion for all. Your support helps mindfulness practitioners reach individuals across the Greater Pittsburgh Area through evidence-based programs, activities, and events.
Every life changed was made possible with the help of donors—like you–grantors, community partners, and dozens upon dozens of
volunteers. This is a team effort! We hope you will consider supporting our organization today by becoming a monthly donor or by making a gift in an amount that feels meaningful to you.
jQuery(function(){
// Images
//begin updates to alternate text, title, and aria-label if needed only
var imgCnt = 1;
jQuery('img').each(function () {
var curAlt = jQuery(this).attr('alt');
var curTitle = jQuery(this).attr('title');
var curAriaLbl = jQuery(this).attr('aria-label');
var curImgPrnts = jQuery(this).parents().map(function () {
return this.tagName;
})
.get()
.join(', ');
//no alt text or empty alt text or undefined
if (!curAlt || curAlt === '' || curAlt === 'undefined') {
jQuery(this).attr('alt', ''); //decorative
if (curImgPrnts.includes('A,') || curImgPrnts.includes(' A ')) {
jQuery(this).attr('alt', 'Image link #' + imgCnt);
if (!curTitle || curTitle === '' || curTitle === 'undefined') {
} else {
jQuery(this).attr('title', curTitle);
}
if (!curAriaLbl || curAriaLbl === '' || curAriaLbl === 'undefined') {
if (!curTitle || curTitle === '' || curTitle === 'undefined') {
} else {
jQuery(this).attr('aria-label', curTitle);
}
} else {
/*add it back in*/
jQuery(this).attr('aria-label', curAriaLbl);
}
} else {
//if empty then should not contain title or aria-label
jQuery(this).removeAttr('aria-label');
jQuery(this).removeAttr('title');
}
} else {
//alt present so we should leave alt alone
jQuery(this).attr('alt', curAlt);
//if title present add an aria-label as well
if (!curTitle || curTitle === '' || curTitle === 'undefined') {
}
else {
/*Add title back in*/
jQuery(this).attr('title', curTitle);
//first check to make sure it doesn't already have aria-label
if (!curAriaLbl || curAriaLbl === '' || curAriaLbl === 'undefined') {
jQuery(this).attr('aria-label', curTitle);
} else {
/*add it back in*/
jQuery(this).attr('aria-label', curAriaLbl);
}
}
}
imgCnt++;
});
//end updates to alternate text, title, and aria-label if needed only
var h1Cnt = 0;
jQuery("h1").each(function () {
h1Cnt++;
});
if(h1Cnt == 0){
jQuery("#main").prepend('<div role="region" aria-label="Main Heading"><h1 class="sr-only">' + jQuery("title").html() + '</h1></div>');
}
/*shortcut not contained within previous navigation container - setup for unique landmark*/
jQuery("#wp-toolbar").removeAttr("role").removeAttr("aria-label");
jQuery("#wpadminbar").attr("role", "navigation");
jQuery("#wpadminbar").attr("aria-label", "Toolbar");
var navCnt = 1;
jQuery("nav").each( function(){
jQuery(this).attr("aria-label","Navigation Menu #"+navCnt);
navCnt++;
});
//location map
jQuery('iframe').each(function(){
var curTarget = String(jQuery(this).attr('src'));
if(curTarget.includes('google') && curTarget.includes('map')){
jQuery(this).attr('aria-label','Google Map');
}
});
//remove role from ul, li, buttons, and a = you can't change the default purpose on these without changing all the others
setTimeout(function(){
jQuery('#menu-desktop-menu').removeAttr('role');
jQuery('#menu-desktop-menu').find('a').each(function(){
var curRole = String(jQuery(this).attr('role'));
if(curRole.includes('menuitem')){
jQuery(this).removeAttr('role');
}
});
jQuery('#menu-desktop-menu').find('button').each(function(){
var curRole = String(jQuery(this).attr('role'));
if(curRole.includes('menuitem')){
jQuery(this).removeAttr('role');
}
});
jQuery('#menu-desktop-menu').find('li').each(function(){
var curRole = String(jQuery(this).attr('role'));
if(curRole.includes('none')){
jQuery(this).removeAttr('role');
}
});
},1200);
//fix discernible links
var curCnt = 1;
jQuery('body').find('a').each(function(){
var curContent = String(jQuery(this).html());
var curhref = String(jQuery(this).attr('href'));
if(curContent === ''){
if(curhref === ''){
jQuery(this).append('<span class="sr-only">Link #'+curCnt+'</span>');
}else{
jQuery(this).append('<span class="sr-only">Link: '+curhref+'</span>');
}
}
});
setTimeout(function(){
jQuery('a[data-brz-link-type="external"]').each(function(){
jQuery(this).attr('aria-label','opens in new window or tab').attr('role','button');
});
}, 1500);
});
( function ( body ) {
'use strict';
body.className = body.className.replace( /\btribe-no-js\b/, 'tribe-js' );
} )( document.body );
var tribe_l10n_datatables = {"aria":{"sort_ascending":": activate to sort column ascending","sort_descending":": activate to sort column descending"},"length_menu":"Show _MENU_ entries","empty_table":"No data available in table","info":"Showing _START_ to _END_ of _TOTAL_ entries","info_empty":"Showing 0 to 0 of 0 entries","info_filtered":"(filtered from _MAX_ total entries)","zero_records":"No matching records found","search":"Search:","all_selected_text":"All items on this page were selected. ","select_all_link":"Select all pages","clear_selection":"Clear Selection.","pagination":{"all":"All","next":"Next","previous":"Previous"},"select":{"rows":{"0":"","_":": Selected %d rows","1":": Selected 1 row"}},"datepicker":{"dayNames":["Sunday","Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday","Friday","Saturday"],"dayNamesShort":["Sun","Mon","Tue","Wed","Thu","Fri","Sat"],"dayNamesMin":["S","M","T","W","T","F","S"],"monthNames":["January","February","March","April","May","June","July","August","September","October","November","December"],"monthNamesShort":["January","February","March","April","May","June","July","August","September","October","November","December"],"monthNamesMin":["Jan","Feb","Mar","Apr","May","Jun","Jul","Aug","Sep","Oct","Nov","Dec"],"nextText":"Next","prevText":"Prev","currentText":"Today","closeText":"Done","today":"Today","clear":"Clear"}};
var gform_i18n = {"datepicker":{"days":{"monday":"Mo","tuesday":"Tu","wednesday":"We","thursday":"Th","friday":"Fr","saturday":"Sa","sunday":"Su"},"months":{"january":"January","february":"February","march":"March","april":"April","may":"May","june":"June","july":"July","august":"August","september":"September","october":"October","november":"November","december":"December"},"firstDay":1,"iconText":"Select date"}};
var gf_legacy_multi = [];
var gform_gravityforms = {"strings":{"invalid_file_extension":"This type of file is not allowed. Must be one of the following:","delete_file":"Delete this file","in_progress":"in progress","file_exceeds_limit":"File exceeds size limit","illegal_extension":"This type of file is not allowed.","max_reached":"Maximum number of files reached","unknown_error":"There was a problem while saving the file on the server","currently_uploading":"Please wait for the uploading to complete","cancel":"Cancel","cancel_upload":"Cancel this upload","cancelled":"Cancelled"},"vars":{"images_url":"https:\/\/awakenpittsburgh.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/gravityforms\/images"}};
var gf_global = {"gf_currency_config":{"name":"U.S. Dollar","symbol_left":"$","symbol_right":"","symbol_padding":"","thousand_separator":",","decimal_separator":".","decimals":2,"code":"USD"},"base_url":"https:\/\/awakenpittsburgh.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/gravityforms","number_formats":[],"spinnerUrl":"https:\/\/awakenpittsburgh.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/gravityforms\/images\/spinner.svg","version_hash":"3cfd04f3fe9d900cc12a282c7a911389","strings":{"newRowAdded":"New row added.","rowRemoved":"Row removed","formSaved":"The form has been saved. The content contains the link to return and complete the form."}};
var gform_theme_config = {"common":{"form":{"honeypot":{"version_hash":"3cfd04f3fe9d900cc12a282c7a911389"}}},"hmr_dev":"","public_path":"https:\/\/awakenpittsburgh.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/gravityforms\/assets\/js\/dist\/"};
