12th Annual Silent Nights Meditation:
Tools for Coping During the Holidays
Thursday, December 11, 2025 | 6:30 PM - 7:45 PM
In-person at Rothko Chapel
3900 Yupon St, Houston, TX 77006
For many, the winter holidays are a time to come together in joy and celebration, yet it is also a time when stress, grief, and heightened expectations of self and others are felt most deeply. Co-presented by the Institute for Spirituality and Health and the Rothko Chapel, this annual event offers space to experience mindfulness practices from different cultural traditions to ease mental, physical, and spiritual strain during this reflective season. Join us to experience spiritual refreshment, grounding, and tools to navigate this winter season and embrace sacred possibilities of the holidays and the new year ahead.
Guided meditations will be led by Lex Gillan, Cantor Rollin Simmons, and Joseph Ayaz. A singing bowls sound bath will be provided by Gena Davis and musical accompaniment by Rev. Steve Thorney.
Lex Gillan, Institute Faculty Member
Lex is the founder and president of The Yoga Institute (1974), which collaborates with the Institute on various projects. He offers Yoga Teacher Training and a National Certification Course, having certified over 3,000 teachers globally.
Lex is a co-founder and serves on the board of trustees for the Rose Mountain Retreat Center in New Mexico. He has served on various committees with YogaALLIANCE and, in 2013, he founded the National Association of Certified Yoga Teachers, both of which are registries for certified yoga teachers.
Cantor Rollin Simmons
Rollin Simmons has served as Cantor at Congregation Emanu El since 2017. Cantor Simmons received a B.A. from Vassar College and an M.Ed. in Special Education from Lesley University and was ordained in 2010 at the DFSSM at HUC-JIR. At Emanu El, her roles include music director, worship leader, teacher, pastor, life cycle officiant, youth choir director, concert producer, and conversion mentor. Cantor Simmons is also a published composer of Jewish music. Here in Houston, Cantor Simmons has led programming for the Rothko Chapel, MFAH, Houston Grand Opera, the Institute for Spirituality and Health at the TMC, and Alexander JFS. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor adventures, art projects, and games with her kids, Levi and Bea, attending comedy shows with her husband, Rabbi David Segal, and playing with their dog, Pippin.
The Reverend Gena Davis
Gena Davis is an Episcopal priest, yoga instructor, meditation and retreat leader, energy and sound healing practitioner, spiritual director, and author. She is the founder and co-creator of YogaMass®—an integrative mind/body/spirit worship experience that weaves together contemplative Christian spirituality, yoga, meditation, and sacred meal.
Through spiritual direction, private healing sessions, YogaMass worship, workshops, retreats, and sacred pilgrimages, Gena guides others to discover their true essence, awaken innate healing capacities, and embody Christ consciousness from a whole-self perspective.
She is the author of YogaMass: Embodying Christ Consciousness and creator of Yoga Prayer Cards, a 40-day devotional practice for deepening connection to self and the Divine.
Explore her offerings at GenaDavis.org, YogaMass.com, and CrystalBowlGallery.com.
Joseph Ayaz
Joseph Ayaz is a long-time meditator and a lover of light and the epiphany of the everyday. Trained in a Sufi path of spiritual liberty coming out of Northern India, Western Europe, and Turtle Island, Joseph Ayaz’s meditations are eclectic and tuned to the immediate circumstances.
Steve Thorney
Steve is a retired Presbyterian Church (USA) minister and Board-Certified Chaplain. Steve and his wife, Chris, live in Missouri City, enjoying visits with their nearby son, Tony, and daughter-in-law, Michelle, while doting on grandchildren Michael (9), Harrison (7), and Madelyn (5). He served many years as a staff chaplain at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and for nine years as an Associate Pastor at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Missouri City, Texas. He enjoys camping, hiking, singing, and playing guitar.