NEXT SESSION: Saturdays, June 1st through June 30th | 4:00-5:30pm

Yoga-Well-Being offers different options for study. Classes are sometimes scheduled as a series and sometimes as individual sessions. In addition to meditation classes, there is an optional weekly review (free) of the meditations on the second Friday evening of each month. It is designed to build community, or Sangha, and often includes tea, potluck, games or music, and always lots of good conversation.

A Course in Meditation

Below is a summary of the content of the course, but the course will not be limited to only this content. This is a 5 week open intellectual forum and discussion to find one’s own balance in quieting the body, and bringing the mind to where the body is, in perfect silence and acceptance. The 90 minute classes are interactive, serious and fun all at the same time, with some arts and crafts involved. Meditation is never easy, as the mind has never been trained to be silent. It takes years of practice and then some! This is an attempt to get students motivated to start a life time’s practice to stay stress free and transform spiritually.

We will choose five of the following methods of meditation based on majority interest:
General Background and History: What is Meditation? Why? When? What does it do? How do we practice it? This session will be combined with Metta Bhavana (Loving-Kindness Meditation - a practice of Universal Love commonly used in Buddhism). In these days of uncertainty and violence, it is a simple but powerful practice. Sound Meditation: Hymns and chants of whatever kind bring the mind into a steady rhythm to create ecstasy, but our focus in this class is on the “sounds of silence”. A concert by professional musicians is to follow the monthly Friday review and we welcome friends and family.Walking Meditation: Walking the Prayer Labyrinth is a medieval Christian practice. Columbus has several formal labyrinths and we will meet and walk one for this session.Chakra Meditation: Chakras are the seven energy centers in the body. Accessing these vortexes by visualizing them and balancing them through the senses allows for healing, balancing and calming of the body, the emotions and the spirit.Sangha: Meeting in a community, drinking tea in a tea ceremony, painting, creating, and talking or not –sometimes flowing into monologues, discussions, or sitting in silent communication. A Buddhist practice that is absolutely secular in nature.Mandala/Yantra: Sacred geometry and Healing drawing. The perfection of geometric figures is used by all faiths and is found everywhere in nature. Remember the ability to focus while you doodled in school?! We will try our hand at creating mandalas.

Other methods covered in other sessions: Japa Yoga or Mantra Recitation: Repeating of a number of syllables. “Transcendental Meditation” is an example of this method of meditation. Mantra simply means repetition of a set of syllables, meaningful words or healing sounds. Shamatha or Mindfulness Meditation: Being mindful is not denying the senses, but being aware of the mind and everything around oneself, but always coming back to observing the mind and the breath. Vipassana or Insight Meditation: Observing the self. This is the complement to the practice of Shamatha or Mindfulness.

Please note:
o If you have already attended the Meditation classes in the past, you can still come back and attend any class for a donation of your choice.
o Friday Evening Reviews: We meet every second Friday of the month to review and share the meditation of the week and share tea and good conversation. Group events include potluck, documentary and other movies of interest, games and the like. These Sanghas are intended to create a community of like minds; a support group for a lifetime.

Registration is required for this series and is not included in the unlimited yoga package. See Workshops and Events for additional information and pricing.