Learn to Meditate

What is meditation?

Meditation is a natural state of the human mind—at rest, open, alert. The practice of meditation has been taught for over 2,500 years as a vehicle for realizing the beauty and magic of the ordinary world, without aggression or manipulation.

The teachings of Shambhala Buddhism emphasize the potential for enlightenment inherent in every situation or state of mind. Through discipline, gentleness and a sense of humor, the practitioner is invited to let go of conflicting emotions and wake up on the spot.

Mindfulness/awareness meditation is the foundation of all that we do at the Shambhala Meditation Center. This ancient practice of self-discovery is rooted in the simple but revolutionary premise that every human being has the ability to cultivate the mind’s inherent stability, clarity and strength in order to be more awake and to develop the compassion and insight necessary to care for oneself and the world genuinely.

Wednesday evening open houses

Those wishing to learn to meditate are welcome to come for instruction on the first and third Wednesday evening of every month. These evenings include a 50-minute session where a trained meditation guide explains  the view and technique of the Shambhala style of meditation.

We teach a simple mindfulness practice called ‘calm abiding’ or shamatha meditation, including instruction on how to sit in a dignified and comfortable way, how to relate to the feeling of your breath as a reference point, and how to relate gently to your emotions and to the activity of your mind. We also can offer advice on how to develop a home meditation practice.

Please register for meditation instruction on the date you’d like to attend so that we know to expect you (though if you can’t register, walk-ins are OK). There is no charge, though donations are welcome.

The first and third Wednesday evening of each month goes like this (and you can attend any part of it that you like):

7:00 – 7:50	Newcomer Meditation Instruction – Small Meditation Hall
7:00 – 7:50	Sitting Meditation – Main Meditation Hall
7:50 – 8:10	Tea and Conversation
7:50 – 8:10	Brief reading/video/audio then Discussion – Main Meditation Hall

You’re welcome to return to the ‘newcomer’ session whenever you want a refresher on the meditation view and technique.

A few things you may want to know:

• No need to wear or bring anything special: we have plenty of cushions at the Centre.
• It’s OK to sit in a chair, and we always have chairs available.
• You are welcome to bring your water bottle into the meditation hall.

Find how to get to our Shambhala Centre here.

Retreats and courses for beginners

While Wednesday evening meditation instruction is a good way to learn the view and technique, some of our courses and retreats are also open to newcomers:

• Shambhala Training Level 1: The Art of Being Human is a workshop offered a few times a year on a Friday evening and Saturday. It’s open to all. It includes meals, conversations, an introduction to the view and technique of meditation, and talks from a local or visiting teacher.
• Meditation in Everyday Life is a course that runs one evening a week for five weeks. It includes conversation, talks, and introductory meditation instructions for those interested in deepening their understanding of meditation, how to develop a meditation practice, and how to bring meditation and mindfulness into the complexities of their lives.

Visit our Courses and Retreats page to see when these programs are happening. There is a fee for these courses, and also a generosity policy for those who find the fee a challenge.

• “By meditation here we mean something very basic and simple that is not tied to any one culture. We are talking about a very basic act: sitting on the ground, assuming a good posture, and developing a sense of our spot, our place on this earth. This is the means of rediscovering ourselves and our basic goodness, the means to tune ourselves in to genuine reality, without any expectations or preconceptions.” — Chogyam Trungpa