Introductory Day:

A Day Workshop

Saturday workshops are intensive introductions to meditation. Basic ways to set up our meditation and a traditional Buddhist meditation form are taught on each day-long workshop. Monthly workshops alternate between focus on Mindfulness of Breathing and Metta Bhavana (loving kindness) meditation practices.

A combination of meditation workshops and/or an evening class is recommended. Any series or day can also be taken on its own. No prior experience is necessary for introductory level events. All of these courses are also appropriate for practitioners with some experience who wish to refresh their practice.

Foundation Meditations

At Aryaloka we begin with traditional meditations. Each is a path to awakening and a basis for other forms of meditation, such as the Brahmaviharas and Anpanasati meditations, which we teach for experienced practitioners.

Foundation practices belong to the broad class of samatha meditations which develop calm, concentration and a still, pliable mind that is open to insights and deep reflection.

• Mindfulness of Breathing is a practice that helps us to develop a calm, clear, and focused mind. With mindfulness we develop concentration and awareness. A concentrated mind, flexible and alert, is poised for insight into the nature of mind and life itself.
• Metta Bhavana (cultivation of loving-kindness) is a method of working with our hearts and mind together, allowing us to enjoy greater positivity towards others and ourselves. With practice, Metta flowers into compassion and equanimity.
• Just Sitting practice is an open or 'formless' meditation of direct awareness of our present moment experience.
• Walking meditation is mindfulness and metta in motion, following the Buddha's way of bringing awareness into all our activities.

Topics are covered on the following schedule: