- What is it like to attend your meditation classes?
- Do we meditate the entire one-hour session?
- What if I have trouble meditating, can I ask questions?
- What if I have been meditating for a long time, how does it benefit me?
Tonight we have our Wednesday online meditation class starting and I have received the above questions and others in regard to our meditation and mindfulness classes, and the personal instruction sessions. I thought I would give you an idea of what you can expect when you attend one of our meditation sessions.
The following format is basically what I use for our Wednesday meditation classes (and the every other Saturday class in Madison.) I’ll explain the mindfulness class and personal sessions afterward. The online meditation and mindfulness classes meet in our virtual classroom which is an easy-to-access video and audio conferencing system.
The meditation classes are a practical application in meditation and not a discussion group. You do not need to be proficient in meditation, you can be a newcomer. Our mission is to help people learn step by step how they can have inner peace in their lives.
I do an introduction to myself and everyone shares their name and where they are from. Each session I present a topic, in our case, it is related to the monthly theme. There will be a little time for you to share with me and others on the topic I present as I do so. There are no books or materials required in advance. You can choose to use a meditation cushion or sit in a chair, no special meditation aids are required. Be relieved! You don’t have to sit cross-legged as a pretzel if your body would not cooperate as such!
We will take time to stretch for a few minutes, then I will demonstrate a meditation technique. There will be two techniques taught at each weekly/bi-weekly session. I will explain what we will be doing with the particular technique and how it will assist you as you practice. The techniques will vary each week. You can think of these as tools or recipes to pull out when a situation warrants. The meditations will be from a variety of cultures, philosophies, and backgrounds. They are opportunities to try something new and see how it will fit in your own life.
After the instruction, we then take 10 minutes to practice the technique. When we complete the time period, there will be an opportunity to share the experience and ask questions if need be. We will take a mini-break to stretch and walk around for a few minutes if you feel you need to do so.
The second technique is demonstrated and we practice again for another 10 minutes. Stretch, share and ask questions. We close with an opportunity to make a commitment challenge to follow before the next class. We will make sure this is a doable goal so you will not feel discouraged.
If you have been in any of my classes (spiritual or meditation), this will be a little different from what you have experienced in the past.
The classes will run 60 minutes. This depends on the class flow of course. In all, you will spend about 1/3 of the class meditating.
After class, I will be emailing a handout to the participants which will contain the directions for the meditations presented in class so you will be able to do those at home.
If you have to miss a session, I will be recording the Wednesday meditation sessions (those for in-person in Madison can access these as they will basically be the same information.) I will have a special section of the website set up for accessing those sessions. (The Mindfulness classes will be recorded too.)
Mindfulness Classes – The mindfulness class will be similar to the above description. We will have a reference book for our first series on LovingKindness by Sharon Salzberg. You do not need to purchase the book as I will be sharing information from the book and we will be practicing the exercises in class. A handout will be shared after the session.
Personal Sessions – The personal sessions will run similarly as well except it will be only you and myself meeting. You will have more time to ask questions, work intimately together on goals, right technique, receive worksheets and other easy assignments to help you grow in your meditation practice.
Our current classes:
Meditation – Wednesdays at 7 pm Central Time in Virtual Classroom
Mindfulness – Mondays at 11 am Central Time in Virtual Classroom
Meditation – Every other Saturday at 10:30 am in Madison, Wisconsin
For the online classes, be sure to use the link to register for each class session you attend. This helps me to know in advance who is attending. You will receive the link for the conference automatically from the system.
If you have further questions, use the contact form here on the website. I’m happy to answer any questions may have.
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