Meditation

We teach basic meditation practices in most of our classes. It is an integral branch of the yogic path, and has deeply influenced our approach to teaching. Our primary experience is with Buddhist meditation, perhaps the most widely-practiced form of meditation found in America. This page offers various information that I, Nick, have collected as part of my Intro to Breathing and Meditation class series.

Why meditate, you ask? You can read my answer on my blog. Then try it yourself.

Basic Breathing Meditation

The object of meditation is the bare sensation of the breath at two points: the navel and the tip of the nose. Observe the sensations of each inhale at the navel, the exhale at the inside tip of your nose. As best you can, don't control the length of the breath. Allow it to happen while you just watch. Become fascinated with the subtle variations from breath to breath. Follow each breath to its very end.

It may help you to anchor your attention by counting mentally: "1" as you inhale, "2" as you exhale, "3" as you inhale... and if you reach "10", start back at "1". Counting is a way to catch yourself when your mind wanders, because you'll forget the count. Instead of counting, you may prefer repeated two words or phrases with the breath cycle: something simple like "Breathing in" and "Breathing out".

When you realize your mind has wandered, don't get down on yourself. In fact, celebrate that you had the mindfulness to realize that you were lost in thought! This technique is very, very simple, and your mind will try to make it more complicated and interesting. Just keep coming back to the breath, relaxing into the breath, and let your thoughts flow by in the background.

Local meditation centers

Zen Chicago and Udumbara Zen Center in Evanston:

Zen is a very simple, mindfulness-based practice that emphasizes breath meditation. You will need to go through an introductory session at both centers before joining a weekly sitting.

Shambhala Meditation Center in Roger's Park:

From the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, this center offers weekly meditations and longer training programs. A very friendly group, more casual than the Zen centers.

There are many more possibilities, such as weekly or monthly sitting groups in private homes, and drop-in classes at yoga studios and healing centers. A quick Google will reveal many options. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

Retreats

A retreat is a fantastic way to make a deeper connection to meditation and refine your motivation for practice. Two of the most established, full-time retreat centers are Spirit Rock in California, and the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, meditation retreats are not cheap, especially if they're residential. The Mid America Dharma site has an impressive list of other retreats throughout the country.

There are no full-time retreat centers in the Midwest, as far as I know. I just received an email about a vipassana retreat in June 2009 in Wisconsin. I am not familiar with the teachers, but it looks great.

There is a FREE option, however, here in Illinois. It is 10-day vipassana retreat based on the teachings of a Burmese Buddhist teacher named S.N. Goenka. It is a very intense, transformative experience. If you'd like further details or recommendations, please contact us.

We hope to offer a half-day long mediation retreat sometime in the future. We will let you know when plans develop further.

Resources

• Lots of great podcasts are available, both lectures and guided meditations. I like Zencast.org. Tara Brach's teachings are especially lovely.
• The Evanston Public Library has a huge number of books on Buddhism, meditation and yoga. A great way to check out different teachers before buying their books.
• For a meditation cushion, the full range of cushions - from low to high tech - are available at The Monastery Store. They also sell meditation timers.