Meditation Leadership Society Centre1 is holding a ‘8.15 meditation meetup’ on Saturday, 15 August, to mark its founding. It runs from 9am to 6pm in Centre1’s Floors 3 and 4, as well as the basement Level 1 gallery, Sa:y (Gallery Sa:y), at 11-11, Sinhyeung-ro 11beon-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The theme is freedom of the mind and a creative life.
As the event falls on Liberation Day, Centre1’s message is to look at freedom within for a day, rather than the freedom outside. Centre1, a meditation space opened in Haebangchon in August 2024, has set its sights on quiet and insight, and on boosting awareness for corporate executives and professionals.
An open day at a shelter for leaders
Centre1 has so far run regular programmes centred on members. Opening an entire day and making all programmes free in line with its founding anniversary is seen as a way of keeping the door open for those who have felt meditation was out of reach. The location—deep in a Haebangchon alley under the slopes of Namsan—also fits the character of the event. After walking up the incline from the nearest subway station, the bustle of the city noise thins out by one layer.
In the morning, start the day with the vibrations of singing bowls and a cup of tea
The event begins with check-in at the Sa:y café on the first floor at 10am. From 10.30am to 12 noon, two programmes run in parallel. The singing bowl meditation is led by Kim Ja-hye, director of the Raum Art Centre (Grace J. Kim). Drawing on neuroscience, meditation, art and sound therapy, Kim Ja-hye—who created neuro art mediterapy—prepares a session to find balance in body and mind through the overtones and vibrations produced by singing bowls.
The tea meditation running at the same time is led by teacher Park Dan-a. It is a practice that keeps attention on a sequence of actions: boiling the tea, pouring it and drinking it. The temperature at the fingertips, the aroma, and the sensations of swallowing become the object of meditation. Because the two programmes overlap, participants must choose one.
At 12 noon, a wellness market tour
From 12 noon to 2pm, a wellness market tour will be held in the basement Level 1 gallery, Sa:y. The wellness market itself runs all day from 9am to 6pm, and visitors who have not signed up for programmes can browse freely.
In the afternoon, a Dhamma talk that asks what meditation means again in the AI era
The Dhamma talk, which runs from 2pm to 3.30pm, is titled ‘In the AI era, speaking about meditation’. Centre1 founder No Sang-chung (Asi) and Professor Jeong Soon-il take part in the conversation. The question is what place human attention and awareness have in an age when machines take over judgement and prediction.
From 3.30pm to 5pm, the schedule splits into two again. Jeong Hyun-hee’s foot-edge yoga starts at the very bottom of the body and looks at circulation and alignment. Park Hye-jin’s aroma meditation is structured as a time to deepen breathing, using scent as the medium.
Participation guidance
All programmes on the day are free. However, each programme has a limited number of places, so advance booking is required, and up to three programmes per person can be booked. Reservations are taken via Centre1’s Naver booking page. The wellness market can be viewed by anyone without a booking.
You can check programme information and the booking page through Centre1’s official channels.
Centre1 said it has placed the day’s programmes with room for breathing space rather than packing the schedule tightly. Setting aside two hours between the morning meditation and the afternoon Dhamma talk also reflects a message to walk slowly through the Haebangchon alleys and the market. For those encountering meditation for the first time, the threshold is low too. The day is made up of simply following the sound of a singing bowl, having a cup of tea, and keeping track of one aroma. In the middle of summer, it is a schedule suited to those who want to give a day off back to themselves.
Applications to take part can be made via the reservation link below.
