Meditation is the foundation for equanimity. A meditation practice will calm the mind and make it more resilent.  This resilence helps you to bounce back from negative thoughts that arise from bad news, difficult encounters and stress. You will rest the mind during meditation which will in turn give you greater access to joy and positivity. When your stress goes down you can think better, solve problems with ease and reconnect with your creativity and your environment. 

Studies are showing meditation can help people manage symptoms of conditions such as:
  • Anxiety
  • Asthma
  • Cancer
  • Chronic pain
  • Depression
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Sleep problems
  • Tension headaches

People sometimes say they are bad meditators. But really the only one who is bad at meditating is the one who doesn't try.  If you simply sit and begin the practice, you are already a good mediator!  That of course is the easy part. The harder part is finding stillness.  
 
We are up against a lot of noise, both internal and external, that makes it difficult to find stillness.  That is why you need support, strategy, and a bucketful of techniques to help you navigate the many layers of noise and busyness that crash down on us at every turn and infiltrate every corner of our lives. 

Having support is crucial.  Sitting with others who have busy minds is helpful — you have found your tribe!  But also sitting with people who have less busy minds is also very useful. You will start to regulate your velocity of thoughts towards quiet when there are pillars of quiet stationed around you. 

You will always find reasons to not meditate, most of them quite valid! You got a late start on the day, there is too much to do, no place to do it, you forgot, etc.  I have heard (and used myself) all those before.  Setting up a schedule and having people to hold you accountable can help you find that cushion (or chair) to sit on, again and again and again.  When you begin to meditate regularly, and you understand what the quiet gives you, you can find the self motivation to keep it up.  But, like most things, it takes a while for the habit to stick.  
 
There are many different lineages and systems that can support your meditation practice.  But if you don't know them, they are not useful to you.  Sampling different techniques, questioning them, tweaking them, and of course understanding them better will help you land on a technique that is most suitable for your mind/lifestyle and temperament.  Of course, there will be times when that changes, too.  Working with a teacher (as opposed to an app or general recording) can confirm that your experience with a technique is an indication you should go continue — or try a different approach. Hearing other people's experience with techniques can also inspire us to keep going.

If you are ready to take the plunge, please consider joining the meditation retreat.  You can do it real time on Zoom or​ when your schedule allows by watching the recordings ​ . I am always available for your questions if you are not able to join us in real time.  
 
In April I will lead a meditation retreat.  It will be mostly in silence, so we don't have to work so hard pushing away those curtains of noise.  The setting will be much different than your regular life.  You won't have any decisions to make, calls to return, people to answer to.  You will be held in an open space of stillness and compassion.  If you have never had the opportunity to experience that, this could be your time. People who register for the intensive can take 5% off of the retreat.  You don't have to attend the intensive to join the retreat, although it would be a nice way to warm up for the retreat.  At the conclusion of the retreat, we will make time to discuss your experiences, your struggles, your successes, and most importantly how to integrate the experience into the rest of your life. 

 

The investment for each session is $300. 
There will be a 5% discount for the retreat for those who attend the intensive.

 Sessions will meet 7:30-8:30 am via zoom.  Option for inperson meetings on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
​March 6    Monday
March 7   Tuesday
March 8   Wednesday
March 9   Thursday
March 10 Friday 
March 11 Saturday
March 14  Tuesday
​March 16  Thursday
March 18  Saturday
March 21  Tuesday
March 23  Thursday
March 25  Saturday
There will be a Meditation Retreat in the Berkshires.