Awakening True Freedom and Joy

Meditation Training Sessions 12:00-2:30pm

Each Sunday at the Keene Yoga Center, Keene NH

12:00-12:15  Basic Orientation to Sitting Meditation
12:30-2:30 Guided Classes in the Art of Meditation

These classes will support the development and deepening of a sitting meditation practice.
On the one hand, sitting meditation is simply sitting down and doing nothing.  But on the other, it is far more than that.  Although our bodies are seated and still (relatively) our inner life is active: sometimes full and burdened with suffering, sometimes clear, bright and connected with Life.

These classes will develop our capacity for true inner freedom and joy.  A capacity that, if strong enough, can radiate outwards from our sitting practice into all areas of our life.

In the sessions, we will undertake a myriad of exercises for the body and mind that aim for two principle objectives: to put us deeply in touch Life, and to develop our understanding of some of Life’s many wonders.  These aims are concurrent with the ancient practices of shamata (to calm, to rest, to be with) and vipassana (to look deeply, the cultivation of insight).

Each session will have elements of:

Stretching and posture, being at ease in the body while sitting
Breathing and the cultivation of present moment awareness
Accepting, embracing and calming strong emotions
Developing clarity and concentration

And in our our work together we will dive into the great well of wisdom that our spiritual ancestors have filled for us to:

Cultivate understanding of how our minds work
Learning to think and feel beautifully, in a constructive, life-nourishing way
Find liberation from our suffering – through presence and  through insight into the nature of things

Life unfolds in the present moment.  It does not come to us in the future, it is not contained in the past.  By bringing our awareness into the present moment we can begin to connect with Life, its wonders and possibilities, which are often quite different from what we thought them to be.  Here in the present, we have the opportunity to develop a new understanding that is relevant and meaningful to our particular situation, an understanding that can overcome fear, confusion, and sorrow, and allow us to act from a place of peace, joy, freedom and clarity within.