Sample Meditation and Qigong Instruction

Community Meditation Circles

Open to all experience levels. Exploring quietness and contemplation with basic Buddhist meditation practices. Cultivating calmness and compassion through mindfulness of breathing and body.

Modes of Practice: Samatha (Calm focus), Anapanasati (Mindfulness of Breathing) & Kayagatasati (Mindfulness of Body), Metta (Loving Kindness), Other Supplementary Practices from Buddhism and other traditions.

Daoist Qigong and Moving Meditation

Qigong is a traditional Chinese system of fitness and meditation focusing on circulation of vital energy through gentle movements, stretches, breathing, and visualizations. With historical origins in Indian Ayurveda, Qigong and Yoga share the same roots, as “Qi” is a parallel concept to Yoga’s “Prana”. Qigong practice is popular around the world for people of all ages and is believed to improve energy, bodily function, balance, mood, and longevity. Qigong has close ties to Daoism and Buddhism, and many schools of Qigong teach from a traditional perspective including elements of Yin-Yang theory, Chinese Medicine, Five Elements, and I-Jing. Qigong is a gentle practice that is accessible to people of all fitness and mobility backgrounds. Movements are woven together with breathing and gentle visualizations. This style of Qigong practice focuses on nourishing life and cultivating both spiritual and physical fortitude.

-Modes of Practice: Shibashi (18 Forms), Yijin Jing (Muscle-Tendon Change Classic), Baduanjin (8 Brocades), Baguachuan (8 Symbols Form), Liu Zi Jue (Six Healing Sounds), Wu Qin Xi (5 Animals). Various wrist, hand, and finger movements and other gentle warmup stretches.

Fitness Qigong

Qigong practice sessions focusing on improving physical fitness through flexibility, balance, breathing, coordination, and energy circulation. A beneficial supplemental practice for athletics, martial arts, and a well rounded healthy lifestyle. Faster pace and more focus on movement and breathing and less emphasis on visualization and philosophy compared to Daoist Qigong classes.

Applied Vipassana Meditation

Explore Vipassana (Insight) practice as it appears in various schools of Buddhist meditation practice across history, from the Pali texts to the Vipassana movement of today. Gentle yet intensive practice focused on developing a base of calm focus and then slowly and safely exploring the foundations of mindfulness, understanding the connection between body, senses, mind, and consciousness. Includes gradual introduction to basic concepts of Buddhist philosophy tied to hands-on practical and down to Earth meditation experience. All are welcome.

-Modes of Practice: Samatha (Calm Focus) and Vipassana (Insight) from a nonsectarian perspective, informed by Theravada, Mahayana, and Indo-Tibetan Buddhist literature and transmission as well as modern teachers including Ajahn Chah, S.N. Goenka, Thich Nhat Hahn, Dipa Ma, and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche.

Day, Weekend, Week, and 10 Day Retreats

Explore the diverse scope of Buddhist and Daoist meditation practice with a longer period of retreat. Retreats are designed to fit the goals of the client group and can focus on one particular mode of practice (for example, a Vipassana retreat, or a Qigong retreat), or include a wide range of modes of practice.