Working with a Meditation Instructor

[Note that as per the site’s main page, the Edmonton Shambhala Centre is currently focusing on practice and work by those already associated with the Centre. When newcomer events resume (likely in September 2019), work with a meditation instructor may also be possible for those not already working with one.]

About Meditation Instruction

Introductory meditation instruction is available to anyone on a weekly basis, free of charge.

Regular meetings with a meditation instructor are recommended as part of an ongoing meditation practice. Centre members can request to be assigned a meditation instructor by contacting our Director of Practice and Education.

Depending on a student’s interest and experience, meditation instruction might include:

Introducing the practice of meditation – Introductory meditation instruction presents the basic meditation techniques taught in the Shambhala community.

Clarifying the view of meditation – In our tradition, meditation instruction involves more than the communication of a technique; it is, at heart, about the transmission of the revolutionary view that unconditional wisdom and compassion are the very ground of our being. By learning to relax more and more fully, we allow this fundamental nature to flower.

Instruction on working with obstacles to meditation – Common obstacles to meditation include disheartenment, resistance, procrastination, discursiveness and spacing out. The obstacles are well documented in the Shambhala Buddhist teachings—and so are their antidotes.

Guidance on the path of practice and study – Shambhala presents many opportunities for students to deepen their practice and study—public meditation sessions, weeknight classes, weekend programs, retreats and seminaries, to name a few. A meditation instructor can help you decide what to do next and when to do it.

Guidance on joining meditation and daily life – The workaday world is where the rubber meets the road. Getting the tools to meet life’s ups and downs with a strong and pliable mind and an open heart is another potential benefit of working with a meditation instructor.