If you are new to meditation, or a seasoned practitioner, I invite you to come and check out Guided Meditation and Movement, Thursdays from 5:30-6:30pm this Fall semester at the University of Richmond, starting September 5th.
Our Thursday sessions will begin with some simple guided movements for about ten minutes to warm up and relax the body and de-stress. Then, I'll invite you to sit back, relax, and lead you through a guided meditation for about twenty to twenty-five minutes or so, focusing on the breath. We will then close, renewed, refreshed, and ready to look more clearly, compassionately and mindfully at our thoughts and feelings as they arise, moment-by-moment.
Guide On How to Meditate
Guide
This is a guide on how to meditate I wrote a few years ago after learning some meditation techniques from a variety of sources, especially from my friend and teacher Hartanto Gunawan, based at Wat Arun in Thailand. This guide can be a good start if you are curious about meditation and want to develop a daily practice. All it takes is a bit of commitment and small steps, day-by-day.
Teaching Mindfulness
The Wise and Mindful Leader
This is the first assignment I put together on mindfulness and leadership with help from my friend and mentor Hartanto Gunawan of Wat Arun. We believe that mindfulness can be a tool of inclusive pedagogy, but it's more than just teaching meditation in the classroom. It's also about giving students assignments in which they can think more critically about the causes and consequences of the actions of others. This assignment, The Mindful and Wise Leader, tasks students to: (1) think about someone whom they admire, (2) discuss the values of that person, (3) identify what that person would say and do to address racial injustice during the pandemic, (4) explore the consequences of what this person would say and do, and (5) reflect on how this process of reflection has affected their own conception of wise and mindful leadership.
At Some Meditation Retreats
Meditation Resources
Vipassana Dhura Meditation Society
An excellent website with highly detailed instruction on how to meditate based on Thai tradition.
The Enthusiastic Buddhist
Great instructional videos from Mindah-Lee Kumar, a former Buddhist nun. She's amazing.
Thich Nhat Hanh Dharma Talks
Insights from one of the world's most accomplished living meditators.
Dharma Seed
Excellent online library of meditation talks from many of the world's experts.