Meditation Instruction

After holding my personal meditation practice for over a decade and finding great benefit, I sought training from Susan Piver to offer instruction in the ancient method of mindfulness awareness (shamatha-vipashyana) meditation.

The technique itself is almost laughably simple: what benefit could there possibly be in merely sitting quietly, eyes open, feeling the body breathe? Isn't that just... doing nothing?

Well... sort of.

Approached with curiosity, this simple practice can reveal layers of untold complexity that have the power to open the heart to life, the universe, and everything.

It could be the most meaningful nothing you'll ever do.

DURING MEDITATION

I will open our meditation session with simple but specific guidance on how to take your seat and foster mindfulness of body, mind, and breath.

I will teach you how to respond to your thoughts, to distractions, to that fidgety feeling that inevitably strikes. After instruction, we will sit together in silence with focus placed on feeling ourselves breathe.

This meditation technique is uncomplicated, yet the experience of it can be infinitely nuanced.

There is no prize for getting it "right" and there are no demerits for getting it "wrong." Each breath offers an opportunity to begin again.

After we sit together, our session will close with a dedication and a brief time for discussion.

WHEN, WHERE, AND FOR HOW LONG

As a certified instructor, I'm available to teach meditation on a donation basis to groups or individuals, in person in Navarro County, Texas or through video conference. Initial sessions last for 30 minutes; subsequent sessions for experienced meditators can be extended.

IS MEDITATION FOR ME?

Technically, anyone who can breathe can learn to meditate. That said, as with learning anything, attending to the breath is a skill that is built over time. That said, lay aside all notions of "success" or achieving mastery—the more you learn, the more you will realize how little you know.

Meditation is a practice of coming awake to your own life and being compassionately present with what is. If what is is unresolved trauma or certain psychiatric diagnoses, sitting quietly with your own thoughts can be a stress-inducing, even terrifying and retraumatizing experience. Consider seeking other helping modalities, and get advice from a trained medical or psychological professional about whether meditation is a wise choice for you in this season.

I cannot predict where meditation will take you. Your path is your path. A simple daily meditation practice is likely to lead in directions that cannot be fully anticipated: proceed thoughtfully and with intention.

This site is © Path of Life Services LLC. Nothing on this site may be used for training artificial intelligence (AI) or Large Language Models (LLMs). Unless otherwise attributed, Toni Gatlin is the sole author of all text on this site; no generative AI tools have been nor ever will knowingly be used on this site or in any related email publication.