FALL  2012  MEDITATION  CLASS

Our Fall 8-week class entitled A Useful Toolbox of Meditations will start on Wednesday October 10 at 7:15 in the NE room of the Cottage.

            Meditation can teach us to become more mindful. This class also will stress inquiry, the resolution of personal issues such as hardships at work or emotional discomfort in a relationship.    

This is Bill’s eighth class. All have facilitated both mindfulness and inquiry, collectively known as “growing up.” Yet these classes so far have not focused on the distinction between “growing up” (emotional/mental maturity) and “waking up” (recognizing What We Are, spiritual awakening). This class will address both growing up and waking up: half the classes will be devoted to meditations pointing toward enlightenment.

            Why are 8-10 meditations taught? As stated, we have two major goals in this October class. In addition, participants are attracted to some meditations but not to others, similar to their preferences for food, clothes, housing, and friends. When a participant finishes this class, he or she has a self-selected “toolbox” of meditations.

During each class, participants receive a handout describing a particular meditation. Then we discuss this handout. Next we do the meditation and share our experiences with it. Finally, this meditation is practiced as homework at least once a day. When our class again meets, we comment on our perceptions about this meditation. In this fashion, the class is experiential and learner-centered, not cognitive and teacher-centered. To sum up, the class presents the opportunity to commence mastery of any preferred meditation.  Scientific research proves that meditation increases our life span and happiness.

We’ll organize learner groups that can e-mail, phone, or have lunch with a couple of other members. Support from other participants is important.

Participants will be expected to attend at least six out of the eight classes. Newcomers to meditation are 100% welcome.